The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 290
CH. 4 AN-NISA' PT. 6 بَلْ رَّفَعَهُ اللهُ إِلَيْهِ وَكَانَ اللهُ عَزِيزًا On the contrary, Allah. 159 حَكِيمًا exalted him to Himself. And Allah is Mighty, Wise. 622 وَإِنْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَبِ إِلَّا لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ And there is none among. 160 the People of the Book but will يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدان believe in it before his deaths مَوْتِهِ وَيَوْمَ الْقِمَةِ يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ and on the Day of Resurrection, bhe (Jesus) shall be a witness against them. _623 "2:254; 3:56; 7:177; 58:12. b5:118. see Masih Hindustan Mein (Jesus in India) by the Promised Messiah, and R. Rel. Vol. II Nos. 1, 2, 5, 6, 10 published from Qadian, and the "Tomb of Jesus" by Dr M. M. Ṣādiq of Qadian. 622. Important Words: dai (exalted him). See 2:64. Commentary: The words, On the contrary, Allah exalted him to Himself, constitute a reply to the taunt embodied in the words of the Jews: We did kill the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah (4:158). The verse thus purports to say that he whom the Jews so exultingly claimed to have killed on the cross was never so killed but was exalted to God Himself and granted His nearness. There is no reference here whatever to the supposed physical ascension of Jesus to the skies. The verse only contains a refutation of the allegation of the Jews that, having become accursed by crucifixion, Jesus had become spiritually fallen and 730 degraded, and was, as it were, driven away from the presence of God. In refutation of this charge the verse clears him of the insinuated blemish by speaking of his spiritual exaltation. It should also be noted that the Quran does not say here that Allah raised Jesus towards the skies, but only that He exalted him towards Himself, which clearly signifies not a physical but a spiritual exaltation, because no fixed abode can be, or has ever been, assigned to God. It is a pity that such an ennobled and holy spiritual significance of the verse should be distorted and debased to prove the utterly unfounded notion that Jesus was taken up to the heavens alive. The Quran would not accept the idea of a human being skies even if it were the Holy Prophet being physically taken up into the himself (17:94). See also note on 3:56. 623. Important Words: The pronoun "it" in the clause, believe in it, stands for the false belief