Surah Ali 'Imran • Ayah 55

Meaning of `Take YouAllah said,إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَىَّ(I will take you and raise you to Myself) while you are asleep. Allah said in a similar Ayat,وَهُوَ الَّذِى يَتَوَفَّـكُم بِالَّيْلِ(It is He Who takes your souls by night (when you are asleep).) 6:60, and,اللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى الاٌّنفُسَ حِينَ مِوْتِـهَا وَالَّتِى لَمْ تَمُتْ فِى مَنَامِـهَا(It is Allah Who takes away the souls at the time of their death, and those that die not during their sleep.) 39:42.The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to recite the following words when he would awaken;«الْحَمْدُ للهِ الَّذِي أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنَا، وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُور»(All the thanks are due to Allah Who brought us back to life after He had caused us to die (sleep), and the Return is to Him).Allah said,وَبِكُفْرِهِمْ وَقَوْلِهِمْ عَلَى مَرْيَمَ بُهْتَـناً عَظِيماً وَقَوْلِهِمْ إِنَّا قَتَلْنَا الْمَسِيحَ عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَـكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ(And because of their disbelief and allegations against Maryam and because of their saying "We killed Al-Masih `Isa, son of Maryam, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, ـ but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but it appeared that way to them) until,وَقَوْلِهِمْ إِنَّا قَتَلْنَا الْمَسِيحَ عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَـكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُواْ فِيهِ لَفِى شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ مَا لَهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِلاَّ اتِّبَاعَ الظَّنِّ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ يَقِيناً - بَل رَّفَعَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَزِيزاً حَكِيماًوَإِن مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَـبِ إِلاَّ لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيداً(For surely; they killed him not But Allah raised him up unto Himself. And Allah is Ever All-Powerful, All-Wise. And there is none of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) but must believe in him before his death. And on the Day of Resurrection, he `Isa will be a witness against them.) 4:156-159`His death' refers to `Isa, and the Ayah means that the People of the Book will believe in `Isa, before `Isa dies. This will occur when `Isa comes back to this world before the Day of Resurrection, as we will explain. By that time, all the People of the Book will believe in `Isa, for he will annul the Jizyah and he will only accept Islam from people. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Al-Hasan said that Allah's statement,إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ(I will take you) is in reference to sleep, for Allah raised `Isa while he was asleep.Altering the Religion of `IsaAllah said,وَمُطَهِّرُكَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ(And purify save you from those who disbelieve) by raising you to heaven,وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَـمَةِ(And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, till the Day of Resurrection)This is what happened. When Allah raised `Isa to heaven, his followers divided into sects and groups. Some of them believed in what Allah sent `Isa as, a servant of Allah, His Messenger, and the son of His female-servant.However, some of them went to the extreme over `Isa, believing that he was the son of Allah. Some of them said that `Isa was Allah Himself, while others said that he was one of a Trinity. Allah mentioned these false creeds in the Qur'an and refuted them. The Christians remained like this until the third century CE, when a Greek king called, Constantine, became a Christian for the purpose of destroying Christianity. Constantine was either a philosopher, or he was just plain ignorant. Constantine changed the religion of `Isa by adding to it and deleting from it. He established the rituals of Christianity and the so-called Great Trust, which is in fact the Great Treachery. He also allowed them to eat the meat of swine, changed the direction of the prayer that `Isa established to the east, built churches for `Isa, and added ten days to the fast as compensation for a sin that he committed, as claimed. So the religion of `Isa became the religion of Constantine, who built more then twelve thousand churches, temples and monasteries for the Christians as well as the city that bears his name, Constantinople (Istanbul). Throughout this time, the Christians had the upper hand and dominated the Jews. Allah aided them against the Jews because they used to be closer to the truth than the Jews, even though both groups were and still are disbelievers, may Allah's curse descend on them.When Allah sent Muhammad , those who believed in him also believed in Allah, His Angels, Books and Messengers in the correct manner. So they were the true followers of every Prophet who came to earth. They believed in the unlettered Prophet , the Final Messenger and the master of all mankind, who called them to believe in the truth in its entirety. This is why they had more right to every Prophet than his own nation, especially those who claim to follow their Prophet's way and religion, yet change and alter his religion. Furthermore, Allah abrogated all the laws that were sent down to the Prophets with the Law He sent Muhammad with, which consists of the true religion that shall never change or be altered until the commencement of the Last Hour. Muhammad's religion shall always be dominant and victorious over all other religions. This is why Allah allowed Muslims to conquer the eastern and western parts of the world and the kingdoms of the earth. Furthermore, all countries submitted to them; they demolished Kisra (king of Persia) and destroyed the Czar, ridding them of their treasures and spending these treasures for Allah's sake. All this occurred just as their Prophet told them it would, when he conveyed Allah's statement,وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ ءامَنُواْ مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِى الاْرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِى ارْتَضَى لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدّلَنَّهُمْ مّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْناً يَعْبُدُونَنِى لاَ يُشْرِكُونَ بِى شَيْئاً(Allah has promised those among you who believe and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession in the land, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practice their religion which He has chosen for them. And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear (provided) they worship Me and do not associate anything with Me.) 24:55.Therefore, Muslims are the true believers in `Isa. The Muslims then acquired Ash-Sham from the Christians, causing them to evacuate to Asia Minor, to their fortified city in Constantinople. The Muslims will be above them until the Day of Resurrection. Indeed, he, Muhammad , who is truthful and who received the true news, has conveyed to Muslims that they will conquer Constantinople in the future, and seize its treasures.Threatening the Disbelievers with Torment in This Life and the HereafterAllah said,إِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يعِيسَى إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَىَّ وَمُطَهِّرُكَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَـمَةِ ثُمَّ إِلَيَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَأَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ فِيمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ - فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فَأُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَاباً شَدِيداً فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالاٌّخِرَةِ وَمَا لَهُمْ مِّن نَّـصِرِينَ(And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve till the Day of Resurrection. Then you will return to Me and I will judge between you in the matters in which you used to dispute. As to those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe torment in this world and in the Hereafter, and they will have no helpers.)This is what Allah did to the Jews who disbelieved in `Isa and the Christians who went to the extreme over him. Allah tormented them in this life; they were killed, captured, and lost their wealth and kingdoms. Their torment in the Hereafter is even worse and more severe,وَمَا لَهُم مِّنَ اللَّهِ مِن وَاقٍ(And they have no Waq (defender or protector) against Allah) 13:34.وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَاتِ فَيُوَفِّيهِمْ أُجُورَهُمْ(And as for those who believe and do righteous good deeds, Allah will pay them their reward in full) in this life, with victory and domination, and in the Hereafter, with Paradise and high grades,وَاللَّهُ لاَ يُحِبُّ الظَّـلِمِينَ(And Allah does not like the wrongdoers.)Allah then said,ذَلِكَ نَتْلُوهُ عَلَيْكَ مِنَ الآيَـتِ وَالذِّكْرِ الْحَكِيمِ(This is what We recite to you of the verses and the Wise Reminder.) meaning, "What We narrated to you, O Muhammd, regarding `Isa, his birth and his life, is what Allah conveyed and revealed to you, sent down from the Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz (The Preserved Tablet). So there is no doubt in it. Similarly, Allah said in Surah Maryam;ذلِكَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ قَوْلَ الْحَقِّ الَّذِى فِيهِ يَمْتُرُونَ - مَا كَانَ للَّهِ أَن يَتَّخِذَ مِن وَلَدٍ سُبْحَـنَهُ إِذَا قَضَى أَمْراً فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ(Such is `Isa, son of Maryam. (It is) a statement of truth, about which they doubt (or dispute). It befits not Allah that He should beget a son. Glorified be He. When He decrees a thing, He only says to it: "Be!" and it is.)

اظہار خودمختاری ٭٭قتادہ رحمہ اللہ وغیرہ بعض مفسرین تو فرماتے ہیں مطلب یہ ہے کہ میں تجھے اپنی طرف اٹھا لوں گا پھر اس کے بعد تجھے فوت کروں گا، ابن عباس رضی اللہ عنہما فرماتے ہیں یعنی میں تجھے مارنے والا ہوں، وہب بن منبہ رحمہ اللہ فرماتے ہیں اللہ تعالیٰ نے آپ کو اٹھاتے وقت دن کے شروع میں تین ساعت تک فوت کر دیا تھا، ابن اسحاق رحمہ اللہ کہتے ہیں نصاریٰ کا خیال ہے کہ اللہ تعالیٰ نے آپ کو سات ساعت تک فوت رکھا پھر زندہ کر دیا، وہب رحمہ اللہ فرماتے ہیں تین دن تک موت کے بعد پھر زندہ کر کے اٹھا لیا، مطر وراق رحمہ اللہ فرماتے ہیں یعنی میں تجھے دنیا میں پورا پورا دینے والا ہوں یہاں وفات موت مراد نہیں، اسی طرح ابن جریر رحمہ اللہ فرماتے ہیں «تَوَّفّٰی» سے یہاں مراد ان کا رفع ہے اور اکثر مفسرین کا قول ہے کہ وفات سے مراد یہاں نیند ہے، جیسے اور جگہ قرآن حکیم میں ہے «وَهُوَ الَّذِيْ يَتَوَفّٰىكُمْ بِالَّيْلِ» [6-الأنعام:60] ‏ وہ اللہ جو تمہیں رات کو فوت کر دیتا ہے یعنی سلا دیتا ہے اور جگہ ہے «اَللّٰهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْاَنْفُسَ حِيْنَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِيْ لَمْ تَمُتْ فِيْ مَنَامِهَا» [39-الزمر:42] ‏ یعنی اللہ تعالیٰ ان کی موت کے وقت جانوں کو فوت کرتا ہے اور جو نہیں مرتیں انہیں ان کی نیند کے وقت، رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم جب نیند سے بیدار ہوتے تو فرماتے [ حدیث ] ‏ «الْحَمْدُ للهِ الَّذِي أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنَا» یعنی اللہ عزوجل کا شکر ہے جس نے ہمیں مار ڈالنے کے بعد پھر زندہ کر دیا، [صحیح بخاری:6312] ‏ اور جگہ فرمان باری تعالٰی «وَبِكُفْرِهِمْ وَقَوْلِهِمْ عَلَىٰ مَرْيَمَ بُهْتَانًا عَظِيمًا وَقَوْلِهِمْ إِنَّا قَتَلْنَا الْمَسِيحَ عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولَ اللَّـهِ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَـٰكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ لَفِي شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ مَا لَهُم بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِلَّا اتِّبَاعَ الظَّنِّ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ يَقِينًا بَل رَّفَعَهُ اللَّـهُ إِلَيْهِ وَكَانَ اللَّـهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا وَإِن مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا» [4-النساء:159-156] ‏ تک پڑھو جہاں فرمایا گیا ہے ان کے کفر کی وجہ سے اور سیدہ مریم علیہ السلام پر بہتان عظیم باندھ لینے کی بنا پر اور اس باعث کہ وہ کہتے ہیں ہم نے مسیح عیسیٰ بن مریم رسول اللہ علیہ السلام کو قتل کر دیا حالانکہ نہ قتل کیا ہے اور نہ صلیب دی لیکن ان کو شبہ میں ڈال دیا گیا «مَوْتِه» کی ضمیر کا مرجع سیدنا عیسیٰ علیہ السلام ہیں یعنی تمام اہل کتاب عیسیٰ پر ایمان لائیں گے جبکہ وہ قیامت سے پہلے زمین پر اتریں گے اس کا تفصیلی بیان عنقریب آ رہا ہے۔ ان شاء اللہصفحہ نمبر1108پس اس وقت تمام اہل کتاب ان پر ایمان لائیں گے کیونکہ نہ وہ جزیہ لیں گے نہ سوائے اسلام کے اور کوئی بات قبول کریں گے، ابن ابی حاتم میں سیدنا حسن رضی اللہ عنہ سے «إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ» کی تفسیر یہ مروی ہے کہ ان پر نیند ڈالی گئی اور نیند کی حالت میں ہی اللہ تعالیٰ نے انہیں اٹھا لیا، [تفسیر ابن ابی حاتم:296/2] ‏ حضرت حسن رضی اللہ عنہ فرماتے ہیں رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے یہودیوں سے فرمایا کہ سیدنا عیسیٰ علیہ السلام مرے نہیں وہ تمہاری طرف قیامت سے پہلے لوٹنے والے ہیں۔ [تفسیر ابن جریر الطبری:7129:مرسل ضعیف] ‏ پھر فرماتا ہے میں تجھے اپنی طرف اٹھا کر کافروں کی گرفت سے آزاد کرنے والا ہوں، اور تیرے تابعداروں کو کافروں پر غالب رکھنے والا ہوں قیامت تک، چنانچہ ایسا ہی ہوا، جب اللہ تعالیٰ نے سیدنا عیسیٰ علیہ السلام کو آسمان پر چڑھا لیا تو ان کے بعد ان کے ساتھیوں کے کئی فریق ہو گئے ایک فرقہ تو آپ کی بعثت پر ایمان رکھنے والا تھا کہ آپ اللہ کے بندے اور اس کے رسول ہیں اور اس کی ایک بندی کے لڑکے ہیں بعض وہ تھے جنہوں نے غلو سے کام لیا اور بڑھ گئے اور آپ کو اللہ تعالیٰ کا بیٹا کہنے لگے، اوروں نے آپ کو اللہ کہا، دوسروں نے تین میں کا ایک آپ کو بتایا، اللہ تعالیٰ ان کے ان عقائد کا ذکر قرآن مجید میں فرماتا ہے پھر ان کی تردید بھی کر دی ہے تین سو سال تک تو یہ اسی طرح رہے۔صفحہ نمبر1109پھر یونان کے بادشاہوں میں سے ایک بادشاہ جو بڑا فلیسوف تھا جس کا نام قسطنطین تھا کہا جاتا ہے کہ صرف اس دین کو بگڑانے کے لیے منافقانہ انداز سے اس دین میں داخل ہوا یا جہالت سے داخل ہوا ہو، بہر صورت اس نے دین مسیح کو بالکل بدل ڈالا اور بڑی تحریف اور تفسیر کی اس دین میں اور کمی زیادہ بھی کر ڈالی، بہت سے قانون ایجاد کئے اور امانت کبریٰ بھی اسی کی ایجاد ہے جو دراصل کمینہ پن کی خیانت ہے، اسی نے اپنے زمانہ میں سود کو حلال کیا اسی کے حکم سے عیسائی مشرق کی طرف نمازیں پڑھنے لگے اسی نے گرجاؤں اور کلیساؤں میں عبادت خانوں اور خانقاہوں میں تصویریں بنوائیں٠ اور اپنے ایک گناہ کے باعث دس روزے روزوں میں بڑھوا دئیے، غرض اس کے زمانہ سے دین مسیح مسیحی دین نہ رہا بلکہ دین قسطنطین ہو گیا، اس نے ظاہری رونق تو خوب دی بارہ ہزار سے زائد تو عبادت گاہیں بنوا دیں اور ایک شہر اپنے نام سے بسایا، ملکیہ گروہ نے اس کی تمام باتیں مان لیں لیکن باوجود ان سب سیاہ کاریوں کے یہودی اس بات پر تلے رہے اور دراصل نسبتاً حق سے زیادہ قریب یہی تھے گو فی الواقع سارے کے سارے کفار تھے اللہ خالق کل کی ان پر پھٹکار ہو، اب جبکہ ہمارے نبی محمد مصطفی صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کو اللہ تعالیٰ نے اپنا برگزیدہ بنا کر دنیا میں بھیجا تو آپ پر جو لوگ ایمان لائے ان کا ایمان اللہ تعالیٰ کی ذات پر بھی تھا اس کے فرشتوں پر بھی تھا اس کی کتابوں پر بھی تھا اور اس کے تمام رسولوں پر بھی تھا پس حقیقت میں نبیوں کے سچے تابع فرمان یہی لوگ تھے یعنی امت محمد صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ، اس لیے کہ یہ نبی امی عربی خاتم الرسول سید اولاد آدم کے ماننے والے تھے اور نبی کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کی تعلیم برحق تعلیم کو سچا ماننے والے تھے، لہٰذا دراصل ہر نبی کے سچے تابعدار اور صحیح معنی میں امتی کہلانے کے مستحق یہی لوگ تھے کیونکہ ان لوگوں نے جو اپنے تئیں عیسیٰ کی امت کہتے تھے تو دین عیسوی کو بالکل مسخ اور فسخ کر دیا تھاصفحہ نمبر1110علاوہ ازیں پیغمبر آخرالزمان کا دین بھی اور تمام اگلی شریعتوں کا ناسخ تھا پھر محفوظ رہنے والا تھا جس کا ایک شوشہ بھی قیامت تک بدلنے والا نہیں اس لیے اس آیت «وَعَدَ اللَّـهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَىٰ لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا» [24-النور:55] ‏ کے وعدے کے مطابق اللہ تعالیٰ نے کافروں پر اس امت کو غالب کر دیا اور یہ مشرق سے لے کر مغرب تک چھا گئے ملکوں کو اپنے پاؤں تلے روند دیا اور بڑے بڑے جابر اور کٹر کافروں کی گردنیں مروڑ دیں دولتیں ان کے پیروں میں آ گئیں فتح و غنیمت ان کی رکابیں٠ چومنے لگی مدتوں کی پرانی سلطنتوں کے تخت انہوں نے الٹ دئیے، کسریٰ کی عظیم الشان پر شان سلطنت اور ان کے بھڑکتے ہوئے آتش کدے ان کے ہاتھوں ویران اور سرد ہو گئے، قیصر کا تاج و تخت ان اللہ والوں نے تاخت و تاراج کیا اور انہیں مسیح پرستی کا خوب مزا چکھایا اور ان کے خزانوں کو اللہ واحد کی رضا مندی میں اور اس کے سچے نبی کے دین کی اشاعت میں دل کھول کر خرچ کئے اور اللہ کے لکھے اور نبی کے وعدے چڑھے ہوئے سورج اور چودھویں کے روشن چاند کی طرح سچے ہوئے لوگوں نے دیکھ لیے، مسیح علیہ السلام کے نام کو بدنام کرنے والے مسیح کے نام شیطانوں کو پوجنے والے ان پاکباز اللہ پرستوں کے ہاتھوں مجبور ہو کر شام کے لہلہاتے ہوئے باغات اور آباد شہروں کو ان کے حوالے کر کے بدحواس بھاگتے ہوئے روم میں جا بسے پھر وہاں سے بھی یہ بےعزت کر کے نکالے گئے اور اپنے بادشاہ کے خاص شہر قسطنطنیہ میں پہنچے لیکن پھر وہاں سے بھی ذلیل خوار کر کے نکال دئیے گئے اور ان شاءاللہ العزیز اسلام اور اہل اسلام قیامت تک ان پر غالب ہی رہیں گے۔ سب سچوں کے سردار جن کی سچائی پر مہر الٰہی لگ چکی ہے یعنی نبی کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم خبر دے چکے ہیں جو اٹل ہے نہ کاٹے کٹے نہ توڑے ٹوٹے، نہ ٹالے ٹلے، فرماتے ہیں کہ آپ کی امت کا آخری گروہ قسطنطنیہ کو فتح کرے گا اور وہاں کے تمام خزانے اپنے قبضے میں لے گا اور رومیوں سے ان کی گھمسان کی لڑائی ہو گی کہ اس کی نظیر سے دنیا خالی ہو۔صفحہ نمبر1111(‏ہماری دعا ہے کہ ہر زمانے میں اللہ قادر کل اس امت کا حامی و ناصر رہے اور روئے زمین کے کفار پر انہیں غالب رکھے اور انہیں سمجھ دے تاکہ یہ اللہ تعالیٰ کے سوا کسی کی عبادت کریں نہ محمد صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کے سوا کسی اور کی اطاعت کریں، یہی اسلام کی اصل ہے اور یہی عروج دینوی کا گر ہے) میں نے سب کو علیحدہ کتاب میں جمع کر دیا ہے، آگے اللہ تعالیٰ کے قول پر نظر ڈالیے کہ «وَمَا لَهُم مِّنَ اللَّـهِ مِن وَاقٍ» [13-الرعد:34] ‏ مسیح علیہ السلام کے ساتھ کفر کرنے والے یہود اور آپ کی شان میں بڑھ چڑھ کر باتیں بنا کر بہکنے والے نصرانیوں کو قتل و قید کی مار اور سلطنت کے تباہ ہو جانے کی یہاں بھی سزا دی اور آخرت کا عذاب وہاں دیکھ لیں گے جہاں نہ کوئی بچا سکے نہ مدد کر سکے گا لیکن برخلاف ان کے ایمانداروں کو پورا اجر اللہ تعالیٰ عطا فرمائے گا دنیا میں بھی فتح اور نصرت عزت و حرمت عطا ہو گی اور آخرت میں بھی خاص رحمتیں اور نعمتیں ملیں گی، اللہ تعالیٰ ظالموں کو ناپسند رکھتا ہے۔ پھر فرمایا اے نبی کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم یہ تھی حقیقت سیدنا عیسیٰ علیہ السلام کی ابتداء پیدائش کی اور ان کے امر کی جو اللہ تعالیٰ نے لوح محفوظ سے آپ کی طرف بذریعہ اپنی خاص وحی کے اتار دی جس میں کوئی شک و شبہ نہیں جیسے سورۃ مریم میں فرمایا «ذَٰلِكَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ قَوْلَ الْحَقِّ الَّذِي فِيهِ يَمْتَرُونَ» ‏ [19-مريم:34] ‏ «‏مَا كَانَ لِلَّـهِ أَن يَتَّخِذَ مِن وَلَدٍ سُبْحَانَهُ إِذَا قَضَىٰ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ» [19-مريم:35] ‏، عیسیٰ بن مریم یہی ہیں یہی سچی حقیقت ہے جس میں تم شک و شبہ میں پڑے ہو، اللہ تعالیٰ کو تو لائق ہی نہیں کہ اس کی اولاد ہو وہ اس سے بالکل پاک ہے وہ جو کرنا چاہے کہ دیتا ہے ہو جا، بس وہ ہو جاتا ہے، اب یہاں بھی اس کے بعد بیان ہو رہا ہے۔صفحہ نمبر1112

آیت 55 اِذْ قَال اللّٰہُ یٰعِیْسٰٓی اِنِّیْ مُتَوَفِّیْکَ وَرَافِعُکَ اِلَیَّ لفظ مُتَوَفِّیْکَکو قادیانیوں نے اپنے اس غلط عقیدے کے لیے بہت بڑی بنیاد بنایا ہے کہ حضرت مسیح علیہ السلام کی وفات ہوچکی ہے۔ لہٰذا اس لفظ کو اچھی طرح سمجھ لیجیے۔ وَفٰی کے معنی ہیں پورا کرنا۔ اردو میں بھی کہا جاتا ہے وعدہ وفا کرو۔ اسی سے باب تفعیل میں وَفّٰی۔ یُوَفِّیْ۔ تَوْفِیَۃً کا مطلب ہے کسی کو پورا دینا۔ جیسا کہ آیت 25 میں ہم پڑھ آئے ہیں : فَکَیْفَ اِذَا جَمَعْنٰہُمْ لِیَوْمٍ لاَّ رَیْبَ فِیْہِقف وَوُفِّیَتْ کُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا کَسَبَتْ وَہُمْ لاَ یُظْلَمُوْنَ تو کیا حال ہوگا جب ہم انہیں اکٹھا کریں گے اس دن جس کے بارے میں کوئی شک نہیں ! اور ہر جان کو پورا پورا بدلہ اس کے اعمال کا دے دیا جائے گا اور ان پر کوئی زیادتی نہیں ہوگی۔ باب تفعّل میں تَوَفّٰی۔ یَتَوَفّٰیکا معنی ہوگا کسی کو پورا پورا لے لینا۔ اور یہ لفظ گویا بتمام و کمال منطبق ہوتا ہے حضرت مسیح علیہ السلام پر کہ جن کو اللہ تعالیٰ ان کے جسم اور جان سمیت دنیا سے لے گیا۔ ہم جب کہتے ہیں کہ کوئی شخص وفات پا گیا تو یہ استعارتاً کہتے ہیں۔ اس لیے کہ اس کا جسم تو یہیں رہ گیا صرف جان گئی ہے۔ اور یہی لفظ قرآن میں نیند کے لیے بھی آیا ہے : اَللّٰہُ یَتَوَفَّی الْاَنْفُسَ حِیْنَ مَوْتِہَا وَالَّتِیْ لَمْ تَمُتْ فِیْ مَنَامِہَا ج الزمر : 42 وہ اللہ ہی ہے جو موت کے وقت روحیں قبض کرلیتا ہے اور جو ابھی نہیں مرا اس کی روح نیند میں قبض کرلیتا ہے۔ اس لیے کہ نیند میں بھی انسان سے خود شعوری نکل جاتی ہے ‘ اگرچہ وہ زندہ ہوتا ہے۔ روح کا تعلق خود شعوری کے ساتھ ہے۔ پھر جب انسان مرتا ہے تو روح اور جان دونوں چلی جاتی ہیں اور صرف جسم رہ جاتا ہے۔ قرآن حکیم نے ان دونوں حالتوں نیند اور موت کے لیے توفّی کا لفظ استعمال کیا ہے۔ اور سب سے زیادہ مکمل تَوَفّی یہ ہے کہ اللہ تعالیٰ حضرت مسیح علیہ السلام کو ان کے جسم ‘ جان اور روح تینوں سمیت ‘ جوں کا توں ‘ زندہ سلامت لے گیا۔ حضرت مسیح علیہ السلام کے رفع سماوی کا یہ عقیدہ مسلمانوں کا ہے ‘ اور جہاں تک لفظ تَوَفّی کا تعلق ہے اس میں قطعاً کوئی ایسی پیچیدہ بات نہیں ہے جس سے کوئی شخص آپ علیہ السلام کی موت کی دلیل پکڑ سکے ‘ سوائے اس کے کہ ان لوگوں کو بہکانا آسان ہے جنہیں عربی زبان کی گرامر سے واقفیت نہیں ہے اور وہ ایک ہی وفات جانتے ہیں ‘ جبکہ ازروئے قرآن تین قسم کی وفات ثابت ہوتی ہے ‘ جس کی میں نے وضاحت کی ہے۔ آیت زیر مطالعہ کے متذکرہ بالا ٹکڑے کا ترجمہ پھر کر لیجیے : یاد کرو جب اللہ نے کہا کہ اے عیسیٰ علیہ السلام میں تمہیں لے جانے والا ہوں اور تمہیں اپنی طرف اٹھا لینے والا ہوں۔وَمُطَہِّرُکَ مِنَ الَّذِیْنَ کَفَرُوْا وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِیْنَ اتَّبَعُوْکَ فَوْقَ الَّذِیْنَ کَفَرُوْآ اِلٰی یَوْمِ الْقِیٰمَۃِ ج یہود جنہوں نے حضرت مسیح علیہ السلام کا انکار کیا تھا اس وقت سے لے کر موجودہ زمانے تک حضرت مسیح علیہ السلام کے پیروکاروں سے مار کھاتے رہے ہیں۔ حضرت مسیح علیہ السلام 30 ء یا 33 ء میں آسمان پر اٹھا لیے گئے تھے اور اس کے بعد سے یہود پر عیسائیوں کے ہاتھوں مسلسل عذاب کے کوڑے برستے رہے ہیں۔ حضرت مسیح علیہ السلام کے رفع سماوی کے چالیس برس بعد 70 ء میں ٹائٹس رومی کے ہاتھوں ہیکل سلیمانی مسمار ہوا اور یروشلم میں ایک لاکھ بیس ہزار یا ایک لاکھ تینتیس ہزار یہودی ایک دن میں قتل کیے گئے۔ گویا دو ہزار برس ہونے کو ہیں کہ ان کا کعبہ گرا پڑا ہے۔ اس کی صرف ایک دیوار دیوار گریہ باقی ہے جس پر جا کر یہ رو دھو لیتے ہیں۔ ہیکل سلیمانی اوّلاً بخت نصر نے چھٹی صدی قبل مسیح میں مسمار کیا تھا اور پورے یروشلم کی اینٹ سے اینٹ بجا دی تھی۔ اس نے لاکھوں یہودی تہ تیغ کردیے تھے اور لاکھوں کو قیدی بنا کر اپنے ساتھ بابل لے گیا تھا۔ یہ ان کا اسارت Captivity کا دور کہلاتا ہے۔ حضرت عزیر علیہ السلام کے زمانے میں یہ فلسطین واپس آئے تھے اور معبد ثانیتعمیر کیا تھا ‘ جو 70 ء میں منہدم کردیا گیا اور انہیں فلسطین سے نکال دیا گیا۔ چناچہ یہ مختلف ملکوں میں منتشر ہوگئے۔ کوئی روس ‘ کوئی ہندوستان ‘ کوئی مصر اور کوئی یورپ چلا گیا۔ اس طرح یہ پوری دنیا میں پھیل گئے۔ یہ ان کا دور انتشار Diaspora کہلاتا ہے۔ حضرت عمر فاروق رض کے دور میں جب عیسائیوں نے ایک معاہدے کے تحت یروشلم مسلمانوں کے حوالے کردیا تو حضرت عمر رض نے اسے کھلا شہر open city قرار دے دیا کہ یہاں مسلمان ‘ عیسائی اور یہودی سب آسکتے ہیں۔ اس طرح ان کی یروشلم میں آمد و رفت شروع ہوگئی۔ البتہ عیسائیوں نے اس معاہدے میں یہ شرط لکھوائی تھی کہ یہودیوں کو یہاں آباد ہونے یا جائیداد خریدنے کی اجازت نہیں ہوگی۔ چناچہ حضرت عمر رض کے زمانے سے خلافت عثمانیہ کے دور تک اس معاہدے پر عمل درآمد ہوتا رہا اور یہودیوں کو فلسطین میں آباد ہونے کی اجازت نہیں دی گئی۔ یہودیوں نے عثمانی خلفاء کو بڑی سے بڑی رشوتوں کی پیشکش کی ‘ لیکن انہیں اس میں کامیابی نہ ہوئی۔ چناچہ انہوں نے سازشیں کیں اور خلافت عثمانیہ کا خاتمہ کروا دیا۔ اس لیے کہ انہیں یہ نظر آتا تھا کہ اس خلافت کے ہوتے ہوئے یہ ممکن نہیں ہوگا کہ ہم کسی طرح بھی فلسطین میں دوبارہ آباد ہو سکیں۔ انہوں نے 1917 ء میں برطانوی وزیر بالفور Balfor کے ذریعے بالفور ڈیکلریشن منظور کرایا ‘ جس میں ان کو یہ حق دیا گیا کہ وہ فلسطین میں آکر جائیداد بھی خرید سکتے ہیں اور آباد بھی ہوسکتے ہیں۔ اس ڈیکلریشن کی منظوری کے 31 برس بعد اسرائیل کی ریاست وجود میں آگئی۔ یہ تاریخ ذہن میں رہنی چاہیے۔ اب ایک طرح سے محسوس ہوتا ہے کہ یہودی دنیا بھر میں سیاست اور اقتدار پر چھائے ہوئے ہیں ‘ تعداد میں ڈیڑھ کروڑ سے بھی کم ہونے کے باوجود اس وقت دنیا کی معیشت کا بڑا حصہ ان کے کنٹرول میں ہے۔ لیکن معلوم ہونا چاہیے کہ یہ سب کچھ عیسائیوں کی پشت پناہی کی وجہ سے ہے۔ اگر عیسائی ان کی مدد نہ کریں تو عرب ایک دن میں ان کے ٹکڑے اڑا کر رکھ دیں۔ اس وقت پوری امریکی حکومت ان کی پشت پر ہے ‘ بلکہ White Anglo Saxon Protestants یعنی امریکہ اور برطانیہ تو گویا ان کے زرخرید ہیں۔ دوسرے عیسائی ممالک بھی ان کے اشاروں پر ناچتے ہیں۔ بہرحال اب بھی صورت حال یہ ہے کہ اوپر تو عیسائی ہی ہیں اور یہ معنوی طور پر سازشی انداز میں نیچے سے انہیں کنٹرول کر رہے ہیں۔

The word, مُتَوَفِّيكَ 'Mutawaffi' in إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ takes 'tawaffi' as its verbal noun with its root being 'wafyun.' Lexically, the word means 'to take in full'. This being its real meaning, its derivations wafa, ifa' and 'istifa' are used to convey that sense. In fact, the real meaning of tawaffi is 'to take in full' which is universally confirmed by all lexicons of the Arabic language. Since man completes his appointed time at the hour of death and the spirit or soul given by Allah is taken back fully and conclusively, it is in that context that this word is also used figuratively in the sense of death. A simple form of death is the daily sleep of human beings. For this too, the Holy Qur'an uses the same word when it says:اللَّـهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْأَنفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَا'Allah takes away lives of the living at the time of their death and of those that do not die, in their sleep'. (39:42)Hafiz Ibn Taimiyyah says in al-Jawab al-Sahihالتوفی فی لغۃ العرب معناھا القبض والا ستیفاء و ذلک ثلاثۃ انواع، احدھا التوفی فی النوم، والثانی توفی الموت، ولثالث توفی الروح والبدن جمیعاAl-tawaffi, in the Arabic language, means: to exact fully or take in full. It takes three forms; the first: to take in sleep; the second: to take in death; and the third: to take the soul and the body all together.In Kulliyat Abu al-Baqa', it is said:التوفی الامانۃ و قبض الروح ، وعلیہ استعمال العامۃ او الاستیفاء، واخذ الحق وعلیہ استعمال البلغٓاءAl-tawaffi is putting to death and exacting of the soul in common usage while, in the classical usage, it is taking in full and the exacting of the due right.Therefore, the majority of scholars have translated the word, 'mutawaffika' in the verse under study in the sense of 'taking in full'. This means that Allah will not leave Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) in the hands of the Jews, rather He would take him away which would be in the form that he would be risen unto Him in the heavens.This is how the words 'I am to take you in full' have been interpreted by the majority of the scholars. However, some authentic commentators of the Holy Qur'an have interpreted these words in the sense of 'giving death' also, but they do not mean that the death of Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) will occur at the hands of his enemies. The true meaning of the verse, according to these commentators is as follows:Allah Almighty said two things to comfort Jesus at a time when the Jews were bent on killing him. One: That his death will come, not at their hands in the form of killing, but that it would be a natural death. Two: In order to rescue him from the evil designs of those people, Allah Almighty will, at that time, raise Jesus towards Him. This explanation is exactly what has been reported from Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ as quoted by al-Suyuti in his al-Durr al-Manthur on the authority of several narrators.The gist of this tafsir or explanation is that tawaffi does mean giving death, but there is the element of precedence and sequence in the words used. The fact of وَرَ‌افِعُكَ (I shall raise you) will come first and that of مُتَوَفِّيكَ (I shall give you death) later. Now at this point, the wisdom behind mentioning the phenomenon of the earlier lies in the hint that it gives about the events which are to come later on. It means that raising towards Allah will not last forever; it would be temporary and then, he would return to the mortal world and prevail over enemies and later on, death will come to him in a natural way.Thus, the event of his return from heaven and his death after having established his victory in the world was not only a miracle but a consummation of the honour and integrity of Jesus (علیہ السلام) . In addition to that, the unfounded Christian belief in the divinity of Jesus was also refuted. Had it not been so, the event of Jesus being raised towards the heavens alive would have further strengthened their false belief that he too was Living and Eternal like Allah. Therefore, by introducing the word (pointing out to his death) first, all those mis-conceptions which might have arisen from 'raising of Jesus' have been refuted in advance.The reality is that disbelievers and polytheists have always been vehemently opposed to prophets, And parallel to that there has been the customary practice of Allah - when a people unto whom a prophet has been sent stick to their own opinion, do not listen to the prophet and do not believe in him even after having witnessed the miracles, then, one of the following two counter-actions were taken: Either those people were annihilated through some natural calamity as was done with ` Ad and Thamud and the peoples of Prophets لوط Lut and صالح Salih (علیہما السلام) or, alternatively Allah would instruct His prophet to migrate from the habitat of disbelievers and go to some other place. It was there that they were provided with such power and glory that they finally achieved victory against the people whom they were sent to. For example Prophet Ibrahim, (علیہ السلام) migrated from Iraq and sought refuge in Syria. Similarly, Prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) (Moses) migrated from Egypt and came to Madyan. Finally, the Last prophet, Muhammad ﷺ migrated from Makkah and came to Madinah. It was from there that he finally attacked Makkah and conquered it. This raising of Jesus to the heavens to outmaneuver the threatening designs of the Jews was, in fact, an act of emigration in its own way following which he would return to this world and achieve total victory over the Jews.Now comes the question as to why this emigration of his, quite separate from the rest, has the heavens as the destination? So, for that matter, Allah Almighty has Himself said about him that his case is like that of Adam (علیہ السلام) . The way in which Adam's birth differs from the normal birth of the rest of creation, (i.e., without a father and a mother) so it is that the birth of Jesus (علیہ السلام) took a miraculous form different from the normal birth of human beings; and his death too, taking a unique and unmatched form, will materialize after hundreds of years following his return to the world -- unprecedented indeed. Why then, should one be surprised if his emigration too follows some such unique pattern?These marvels of nature led the ignorant among Christians into believing and declaring that he was God, while deliberation into the various aspects of these very marvels, are clear proofs of his servitude as a human being to God, obedience to the Divine will and the demonstration of human traits. It is for this reason that the Holy Qur'an has made a pointed reference to the refutation of belief in the Godhood of Jesus (علیہ السلام) on all such occasions. The raising towards the heavens would have made this doubt all the more strong. Therefore, by bringing the word mutawaffika (I am to take you in full) earlier, this doubt was totally eliminated. Thus we come to realize that this verse, no doubt, aims at negating the Jewish plans since they were all set to crucify and kill Jesus, and that Allah Almighty made their plans come to nothing. Moreover, this precedence and sequence of words became the mode of refuting the Christians as well, that Jesus (علیہ السلام) was no God who was never to die but that a time will come when he too will meet his death.In his Tafsir Imam al-Razi (رح) has said that such precedence and sequence occurs frequently in the noble Qur'an in order to cover similar expedient considerations under which an event due later has been mentioned first while an event due earlier has been placed after that. (al-Tafsir al-Kabir, v. 2, p. 48)As for رَ‌افِعُكَ إِلَيَّ (And I shall raise you towards Me), the meaning is clear. Addressing Jesus (علیہ السلام) here, it has been said: 'I shall raise you towards Me'. Everyone knows that Jesus is not the name of just the spirit but that of the spirit and the body of Jesus. Now taking the raising of Jesus (علیہ السلام) in the sense that the act of raising was spiritual only, and not physical, is all wrong. As far as the word, raf رَ‌فِعُ raising) is concerned, there are occasions when it is also used to indicate raising of 'ranks as it appears in the following verses of the noble Qur'an:وَرَ‌فَعَ بَعْضَكُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَ‌جَاتٍAnd raised some of you in ranks over others (6:165).يَرْ‌فَعِ اللَّـهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ... and Allah will raise up in rank those of you who believe and those who have been given knowledge (58:11).So, it is obvious that the word, رَ‌فِعُ raf: raising; in the sense of the raising of rank or status has been used figuratively in view of the context of the aforementioned verses. There is no reason here to ignore the real meaning and go by that which is figurative. Moreover, by using the word, إِلَيَّ ila: (towards) alongwith the word, raf (رَ‌فِعُ : raising), at this particular place, the possibility of such a figurative meaning has been totally eliminated. What is said in this verse is رَ‌افِعُكَ إِلَيَّ : rafi` uka ilaiyya: I shall raise you towards Me. Then there is the verse from Surah al-Nis-a' (4:158), which refutes the belief of Jews; there too, what was said وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ يَقِينًا بَل رَّ‌فَعَهُ اللَّـهُ إِلَيْهِ ; that is, the Jews certainly did not kill Jesus (علیہ السلام) ، instead, Allah raised him towards Himself. This later expression is used for nothing but the raising alive of the spirit and the body.Explained this far were the words of the verse.Allah Almighty's Five Promises to JesusIn the verse under reference, Allah Almighty made five promises to ` (علیہ السلام) vis-a-vis the Jews:1. The first promise was that his death will not come at the hands of the Jews through killing. It will be a natural death coming at its appointed time and that appointed time will come close to the Day of Doom, when ` Isa (علیہ السلام) will come down from the heavens onto the earth as reported in details in sound ahadith transmitted through unbroken chains, part of which will appear later.2. The second promise was to raise him towards the heavens in the existing situation. This was fulfilled right then. The report of this fulfillment was given in Surah al-Nisa' (4:158) by saying:وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ يَقِينًا ﴿157﴾ بَل رَّ‌فَعَهُ اللَّـهُ إِلَيْهِCertainly, the Jews did not kill him, instead; Allah Almighty raised him towards Himself.1. The third promise was: وَمُطَهِّرُ‌كَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُ‌وا ، that is, to have him cleansed of false accusations brought on him by his enemies. That promise was fulfilled when the last of the prophets (علیہم السلام) came and refuted all false accusations of the Jews. For instance, the Jews threw slanders on the parentage of Sayyidna lsa (علیہ السلام) because of his having been born without a father. The noble Qur'an refuted this slander by declaring that he was born without a father because such was the power and will of Allah. And that too does not call for much of a surprise. More surprising is the birth of Adam (علیہ السلام) since he was born without both a father and a mother.2. The Jews accused Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) of claiming to be God.There are many verses in the noble Qur'an in which, contrary to this accusation, Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) has been reported to have' publicly confessed his being human and a servant and bondsman of Allah. The fourth promise appears in وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُ‌وا (and placed those who follow you above those who disbelieve) which means that his followers will be made to overcome those who deny and oppose him. This promise was fulfilled in the sense that following here means the belief in and confession of the prophethood of Sayyidna ` Isa۔ (علیہ السلام) The belief in and the practice of all injunctions ascribed to him is not a pre-condition. Thus the Christians and the Muslims both fall in this category as they believe in the prophethood and messenger-ship of Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) . However, this is a different matter that holding this much of belief is not enough to bring forth salvation in the Hereafter. Instead, the salvation in the Hereafter depends on believing in all injunctions brought by Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) . One of the instructions given by Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) was that his followers should believe and have faith in the last of the Prophets (ﷺ), who would come after Jesus departs. The Christians did not follow this instruction in matters of faith and belief, therefore, they deprived themselves of salvation in the Hereafter while Muslims acted in accordance with that too, therefore, they became deserving of salvation in the Hereafter۔ But, part of the promise which relates to having dominant authority over Jews was dependent on the prophethood of Sayyidna ` tsa (علیہ السلام) only. That dominance in the world has always been the 'fate of Christians and Muslims vis-a-vis the Jews, and surely, so shall it be through the Day of Judgment.From the time when Allah Almighty made this promise right upto now, it has always been the case that the Christians and Muslims have dominated the Jews. The world has seen the establishment of their empires. The existence of the present state of Israel cannot make the truth of this position doubtful for several reasons. To begin with, and in reality, this state is no more than a manifestation of the military might of Russia and the Christians of Euro-American origin which they have established and maintained against Muslims. As soon as Russia, America and countries of Europe withdraw their patronage, the world will itself witness the instant collapse of this state and its disappearance from the map of the world. Therefore, people who can see the reality do realise the actual position of Israel or the Government of the Jews. It is by no means a manifestation of the domination of Jews. If, just for the sake of argument, it is taken to be their own state, even then, who would - in his right frame of mind - deny that, given the totality of Christians and Muslims, they are wielders of lesser influence and are much subjugated with fear. Even if we were to leave this aspect aside, we know that a temporary domination by the Jews close to the Day of Judgment has been reported in the authentic reports of the Holy Prophet ﷺ Now if this world is destined to exist for any considerable period of time and if the Day of Judgment is close, that domination too is not contrary to the reports which Muslims consider authentic. Moreover, such short-lived occupation cannot be given the name of a state or government especially when it is based on -a conspiracy hatched by the Christians and the communists.5. The fifth promise, that of giving a decision in respect of such conflicts in faith on the Day of Judgment will certainly be fulfilled on its appointed time as it has been indicated in the verse:وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَـٰكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمْThen, to Me is your return, whereupon I shall judge between you. (3:55)JESUS: The question of his life and second coming:The Jews are the only people in the world who say that Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) was crucified, killed and buried following which he never returned to life. What happened really and truly has been clarified in verse 158 of Surah al-Nis-a' in the Holy Qur'an. Then, in وَمَكَرُ‌وا وَمَكَرَ‌ اللَّـهُ (And they made a move, and Allah made a move.) of the present verse, it has been pointed out that Allah Almighty made the sinister move of the enemies of ` Isa recoil upon those who had gone into the house to kill Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) . It was one of them that Allah Almighty changed to look exactly like Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) and then He raised Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) alive onto the heavens. The words of the verse are as follows:وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَـٰكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمْAnd they did not kill him and they did not crucify him, but they were deluded by resemblance (4:157).Details regarding this will appear under the commentary on Surah al-Nis-a'.The Christians said that Jesus was, no doubt, killed on the cross but was brought back to life once again and raised onto the heavens. The verse under reference has refuted this false notion as well. It is stressed here that similar to the Jews who were rejoicing after killing their own man, the Christians fell a victim to the same mistaken identity by believing that it was Jesus who got killed on the Cross, and as such, the Christians too became the victims of mistaken identity. This is obvious from the Qur'anic statement شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ (they were deluded by re-semblance) just like the Jews were deceived by mistaken identity.As opposed to the view of these two groups, there is the Islamic belief, stated here in this verse and in several other verses clearly, which says that Allah Almighty raised him alive onto the heavens in order to rescue him from the Jews. He was not to be killed and he was not to be crucified. He is in the heavens alive and it will be close to the Day of Judgment when he shall come down from the heavens, lead the Muslims to victory over the Jews, and finally, he will die a natural death.There is a consensus of the entire Muslim community on this belief. Hafiz ibn Hajr, in his Talkhis al-Habir, has reported this consensus (page 319). This belief, and the consensus of the community on it, stands proved on the authority of several verses of the Holy Qur'an and reports from متواتر mutawatir ahadith transmitted through an unbroken chain of reporting. However, this is not the place for its detailed discussion, and not necessary either. The reason being that scholars of the community have already taken up this question in special books with full clarity giving detailed answers to those who dispute in the Ascension of the Christ. For instance, the Arabic work, ` Aqidatul islam fi Hayati ` Isa (علیہ السلام) by Hujjatu l'Is1am Maulana Sayyid Muhammad Anwar Shah al-Kashmiri, Hayat-e-` Isa (علیہ السلام) (the Life of Jesus) in Urdu by Hadrat Maulana Badr ` Alam Muhajir Madani, Hayat-e-Masih (علیہ السلام) in Urdu by Maulana Sayyid Muhammad Idris and hundreds of other books or essays dealing with this question have been widely published and circulated. While carrying out the orders of his respected teacher, Maulana Sayyid Muhammad Anwar Shah al-Kashmiri, this writer had collected more than one hundred متواتر mutawatir ahadith identified by him which prove in an undeniable manner that Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) was raised alive and that he will return close to the Day of Judgment. This collection in book form and entitled, Al-Tasrih bima Tawatara fi Nuzul al-Masih has been recently published from Beirut with marginal notes and commentary by ` Allama ` Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah, a revered scholar of Allepo, Syria.Hafiz ibn Kathir while explaining the verse وَإِنَّهُ لَعِلْمٌ لِّلسَّاعَةِ of Surah Al-Zukhruf (43:61) has said:و قد توارت الاحادیث عم رسول اللہ ﷺ انہ اخبر بنزول عیسیٰ (علیہ السلام) قبل یوم القیامۃ اماما عادلاً الخThere are ahadith from the Holy Prophet ﷺ narrated in an uninterrupted succession, that he proclaimed the coming of ` Isa (علیہ السلام) ، before the Day of Judgment as a just leader.At this stage I would like to draw the attention of the reader to a point which, if noticed even with a small measure of sanity and justice would leave no room for any doubt regarding this question. The point is that in the eleventh section of Surah 'Al-` Imran, Allah Almighty while referring to past prophets deemed it sufficient to refer to prophets Adam, Nuh, 'Al-Ibrahim and 'Al-` Imran (علیہم السلام) briefly in one single verse. After that, it was in nearly three sections and twenty two verses that refer-ence was made to Sayyidna 'Isa (علیہ السلام) and his family with meticulous detail something which has not been made in that manner even in respect of the Last of the prophets ﷺ to whom the Qur'an was revealed. Note the detailed mention of the grandmother of Jesus (علیہ السلام) ، her pledge, the birth of his mother, her name, her upbringing, the conceiving of Jesus by his mother then the detailed narrative of his birth, followed by the description of what his mother ate and drank, after child birth, her return to the family with the newborn child, their blames and curses, first the gift of eloquence to the newborn as his miracle, then his growing up and call to his people, opposition faced and the help of disciples, the hostile attempts by the Jews to trap and kill him, his being raised alive onto the heavens - then complete details of his additional traits, his looks, physique, dress and its likes - these are accounts which have not been taken up in the whole spectrum of the Qur'an and Hadith in respect of any prophet or messenger with that much of detail. This point is an open invitation to everyone to think as to why did this happen and what was the wisdom behind it.Even a moment's reflection here makes it clear that the Last of the prophets ﷺ being the final prophet and messenger with no apostle to come after him, took special care to guide his community about conditions that it was going to face right through the Day of Judgment. He therefore, took upon himself to identify those who would be worthy of the community's following. He, as a matter of principle, described them with a profile of their general qualities. There were other blessed people whom he identified by name and emphatically asked the community to follow them. Other than these, he also marked out the astray and the deviating who posed a danger to the faith of the community.Of the mischief-makers who were to come after the Holy Prophet ﷺ the most notorious was Dajjal (the anti-Christ) the imposter of the Messiah, whose disturbing wickedness was terribly deviation-prone. Therefore, the Prophet ﷺ related many details of his profile, attending conditions and distinguishing traits, so that there remains no room for the community to doubt about his being a mischief monger whenever he appears. Similarly, among the later day religious reformers and power-worthy elders, Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) is the most distinguished whom Allah Almighty blessed with the station of prophethood, kept him alive in the heavens to come to the rescue of the Muslim community during the wicked period of Dajjal (anti-Christ) and appointed him to kill Dajjal close to the Day of Judgment. This is why it was deemed necessary that the community should be given the most clear indications of his person and qualities as well, so that no human being remains in doubt while identifying Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) when he comes, the second time.There are many elements of wisdom in this treatment.Firstly, should the community find it difficult to identify ` Isa (Jesus Christ) (علیہ السلام) the very purpose of his coming will be negated. If the Muslim community will not identify and cooperate with him, how could he help and support them? Secondary, although Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) will not come into the world at that time designated as Prophet (علیہ السلام) ، but he would come to lead the Muslim community as the Khalifa (vice-regent) the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، the personal station of prophethood that he has will not be taken from him. Instead, he would be like the governor of a province or state who continues to hold that position even if he has gone out to visit some other province or state for some reason. Therefore, even though he is not as a governor in that province, the office of the governorship has not been ipso facto taken away from him. Similarly, Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) will not be without his attribute of prophethood at that time, and the way the rejection of his prophethood was infidelity earlier, so infidelity it shall be at that time. Now the Muslim community which has already nursed and shown its faith in his prophethood as based on the guidance of the Qur'an would fall into the grievous error of rejection, if it fails to recognize him when he comes. So, clarifying his signs and attributes in a greater measure was extremely necessary.Thirdly, since the event of the coming of Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) will take place towards the later years of this mortal world, chances were - given the ambiguity in his marks of identification that some other person could come up with the claim of being Messiah, the son of Mary, in which case, these indicators will serve well to refute and reject any such claim. This is what happened in pre-partition India where Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian claimed that he was the promised Messiah. The scholars of the Muslim community refuted his claim on the basis of these very much cited indicators.In short, here and at other places, the very fact of such detailed description concerning Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) is in itself indicating that his reappearance is due close to the Day of Judgment and that he would return to the world. This humble writer has taken up this subject in full details in his Urdu treatise entitled مسیح موعود کی پہچان Masih Maw` ud ki pahchan (Identifying the Promised Messiah) which may be consulted for these details.