Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part V — Page 505
REPLY TO THE DOUBTS RAISED BY RASHID AHMAD GANGOHI 505 themselves do not believe with certainty that they have killed 'Īsā; and where killing is not confirmed, natural death is established, which is inevitable for every human being. In this case, the matter that the Jews considered as barrier to Jesus's رفع إلى الله ]exaltation to Allah]—his mur- der and crucifixion-stands refuted, and God, in keeping with His promise, exalted him towards Himself. 1☆ Here it is futile to insist that the meaning of تونی tawaffi] is not 'to cause to die,¹ since all the scholars of the Arabic lexicon are agreed that when the word تونی tawaffi is used for a proper noun-i. e. it is used with reference to someone after identifying him-for instance if it is said that تَوَفَّى اللهُ زَيْدًا it can mean only that 'God caused Zaid to die. ' This is why in such instances linguists provide no meaning other than 'to cause to die. And so, in keeping with my argument, it is writ- تُوُفِّيَ فلان تَوَفَّاهُ اللهُ إذا قبض نفسه وفي الصحاح إذا قبض روحه :ten in Lisanul-Arab Meaning that when it is said that توفى فلان or تَوَفَّاهُ الله it will mean only that so and so died and that God caused him to die. In this context, it is written in Tājal-Arūs : تُوُفِّى فُلانٌ إِذَا مَات meaning: ، تُوفّى فلانٌ ]tuwuffiya fulānun] is said in regard to a person when he dies. ' Another statement written in Tājal-Arus is تَوَفَّاهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : إِذَا قَبَضَ نَفْسَه i. e. The expression تَوَفَّاهُ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ is spoken at the time when God takes verse اوور 1. In Sahih Bukhārī, which is known as the most authentic book after the Book of God, the meaning of تونی tawaffi is given as 'causing to die' too, because a tradition has been attributed to Hadrat Ibn-e-'Abbās regarding the يُعِيسَى إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ ] Surah Al-e-Imrān, 3:56] wherein he says [that this verse means[ : إنّى مُمِيْتُكَ I will cause you to die']. Imām Bukhārī has expressed this same belief, for he has brought forth another hadith in its support, the gist of which is that the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said, 'Just as 'Īsā will say on the Day of Judgment that the people of his ummah who went astray did so after he had died, so shall I say that the people of my Ummah who went astray did so after my death. Hence, when God is the faʻil [doer of the action] of tawaffi and a person is its maf 'ūl bihi [object of the verb], it necessarily means 'causing to die', and there is no denying this. (Author)