The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 66
CH. 3 ĀL-E-‘IMRĀN means, I protect thee from being killed by the people and will grant thee full lease of life ordained for thee, and will cause thee to die a natural death, not by being killed" (Kashshāf). In fact, all Arabic lexicographers are agreed on the point that the word as used in the aforesaid manner, can bear no other interpretation. Not a single instance from the whole of Arabic literature can be shown of this expression having been used in any other sense. Outstanding scholars and commentators like (1) Ibn 'Abbās, (2) Imām Mālik, (3) Imām Bukhārī, (4) Imām ibn Hazm, (5) Imām Ibn Qayyim, (6) Qatādah, (7) Wahab, and others are of the same view (see 1. Bukhārī, ch. on Tafsīr; 2. Bukhārī, ch. on Bad'ul-Khalq; 3. Biḥār; 4. Al- Muḥalla, Cairo, i. 23; 5. Ma'ād, p. 19%; 6. Manthūr ii. 7. Kathir). According to Fathul-Bayan, those commentators who have tried to put other meanings into the word as used in the aforesaid manner, have done so on account of their belief that Jesus has been taken up to heaven alive; otherwise, the word possesses no other meaning but that of taking away the soul or causing to die. The expression has been used at no less than 25 different places in the Quran and in no less than 23 of them the meaning is to take away the soul at the time of death. Only at two places the meaning is to take the soul away at the time of sleep; but here the qualifying word "sleep" or "night" has been added (6:61; 39:43). 506 PT. 3 (will exalt thee). is the active participle from ¿v. They say i. e. he raised him or it; he elevated him or it; he lifted it; he uplifted it; he exalted or honoured him; he took it up, etc. Thus is the antonym of s i. e. he put it down; he debased it. The Holy Prophet says: ان الله يرفع بهذا القرآن اقواما ويضع اقواما i. e. Allah will, by means of this Quran, exalt some peoples and humble others (Mājah). Again he says: من تواضع لله رفعه الله الى السماء السابعة i. e. he who truly humbles himself for the sake of God, God would lift him to the seventh heaven, i. e. would exalt him to the highest spiritual station (‘Ummāl, ii. 25). The Quran has described the Day of Resurrection as a meaning, it shall debase some and exalt others (56:4). In the Quran we also have. . in houses with regard to which Allah has commanded that they be exalted (24:37). Again: the i. e. the righteous work of a man exalts him (35:11). Even in our daily Prayers we pray: i. e. O God, exalt me. In fact, when the of a man is spoken of as being to or towards God, the meaning is invariably his spiritual elevation, because God being not material or confined to a place, no physical elevation to Him is possible. Jesus himself has denied the possibility of his rising physically to heaven. Says he: "And no man hath ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven, even the son of man which is in heaven" (John 3:13).