Tafsir of Al Imran 3:55

(When Allah said) is an adverbial modifier for "deceit" (makr) or for a suppressed verb such as "that happened." If one assumes the imperative "Remember" (udhkur), as is the case in similar instances, it is not far-fetched. Its connection to "the schemers" (al-makirin) is distant, as there is no apparent excellence in qualifying the power of the deceit of Allah—Exalted is He—with this specific time.

(O ‘Isa, indeed I will take you and raise you to Me.) Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Qatadah that he said: "This is of the category of the advanced and the postponed, meaning: 'I will raise you to Me and take you'." This is one of the interpretations necessitated by the apparent contradiction between the verse and the famous, explicitly stated fact in another verse, as well as in the saying of the Prophet (ﷺ): "Indeed, ‘Isa has not died, and he shall return to you before the Day of Resurrection."

Second: The meaning is: "I will complete your term and cause you to die a natural death, and I will not grant those who wish to kill you power over you." Thus, the statement is a metonymy for his immunity from the enemies and their intent to harm him—peace be upon him—because the completion of Allah’s term for him and his natural death necessarily implies that.

Third: The meaning is: "I will take you and seize your person from the earth," from the usage of "taking" (tawaffa) in the sense of receiving or seizing wealth.

Fourth: The meaning of death (wafat) here is sleep, for they are "siblings," and each is often used in place of the other. It has been narrated from Al-Rabi‘ that Allah—Exalted is He—raised ‘Isa—peace be upon him—to the heaven while he was asleep out of kindness to him. This view, as well as the previous one, is also reported from Al-Hasan.

Fifth: The meaning is: "I will make you like one who has died," because through his ascension, he resembles the deceased.

Sixth: The meaning is: "I will take you in full, with your soul and body," and thus "and raise you to Me" serves as an explanation for what preceded it.

Seventh: The meaning of death here is the passing of the sensual powers that hinder the soul’s union with the Divine Kingdom (al-malakut).

Eighth: The meaning is: "The future of your affair."

Most of these views are not free from remoteness, especially the last one. It has been said: The verse is taken in its literal sense. Ibn Jarir recorded from Wahb that he said: "Allah—Exalted is He—caused ‘Isa son of Maryam to die for three hours of the day, then He raised him to Himself." Al-Hakim recorded from him that Allah caused ‘Isa to die for seven hours, then revived him; that Maryam conceived him when she was thirteen years old; that he was raised when he was thirty-three; and that his mother lived for six years after his ascension. This has also appeared in a weak report from Ibn ‘Abbas. The correct view, as stated by Al-Qurtubi, is that Allah—Exalted is He—raised him without death or sleep. This is the choice of Al-Tabari. The narration concerning the seven hours, as mentioned by Ibn Ishaq, is from the claims of the Christians.

They have in this station speech from which skins shudder; they claim it is in the Gospel. Allah forbid, for it is nothing but a great fabrication and slander. There is no harm in quoting and refuting it, for that provides a refutation of their claims regarding his divinity in the most complete manner. We say: They said: "While the Messiah was sitting with his disciples on Friday night, thirteen nights having passed in the month of Nisan, Judas Iscariot—one of the twelve—came with a group carrying swords and clubs from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Judas had told them: 'The man whom I approach is he; seize him.' When Judas saw the Messiah, he said: 'Peace be upon you, Teacher,' and they seized him. Jesus said: 'As if against a robber you have come out with swords and clubs, while I was with you in the Temple every day teaching, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is the hour and the power of darkness.' They took him to the high priest where the elders had gathered. Peter followed him from afar, entered the courtyard with him at night, and sat in a corner, disguised, to see what would become of him. The elders sought false testimony against Jesus to kill him. Two false witnesses came and testified that Jesus said: 'I am able to destroy the Temple of God and build it in three days.' The high priest said to him: 'What do you answer to your own defense?' But Jesus remained silent. The high priest adjured him by the Living God: 'Are you the Messiah?' He replied: 'You have said it; and I tell you, from now on you will not see the Son of Man until you see him sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. And some of those standing here will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.' When the high priest heard this, he tore his clothes and said: 'What need do we have for witnesses? You have heard it; what do you judge regarding his matter?' They said: 'He deserves death.' Then they spat in his face, struck him, beat him, and mocked him, saying: 'Prophesy to us, who struck you?' The next day, they handed him over to Pilate the governor. The whole crowd cried out: 'Crucify him, crucify him!' Pilate was reluctant to kill him and said: 'What evil has he done?' The elders said: 'His blood be upon us and our children.' Then the governor’s soldiers led him to the Praetorium, the crowd gathered around him, stripped off his clothes, put a red robe on him, wove a crown of thorns and placed it on his head, and put a reed in his hand. They knelt before him, mocking him and saying: 'Peace be upon you, King of the Jews!' They began to spit on him and strike him on the head. Then they took him, carrying his cross, to a place known as the Skull, crucified him, and nailed his hands to the wood. He asked for a drink of water, so they gave him vinegar mixed with gall. He tasted it but would not drink it. The guards sat down, cast lots for his clothes, and placed a sign above his head: 'This is Jesus, King of the Jews,' mocking him. Then they brought two robbers and placed them on his right and left to degrade him. The Jews said to him: 'You who destroy the Temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God as you claim, come down from the cross.' The Jews said: 'This man claims he saved others, how can he not save himself? If he is trusting in God—Exalted is He—let Him deliver him from where he is.' When it was the sixth hour of Friday, Jesus cried out from the cross with a loud voice: 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani,' meaning: 'My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?' The Jews took a sponge, soaked it in vinegar, one of them raised it on a reed, and gave him a drink. Another said: 'Let him be, so we may see if someone will save him.' Jesus cried out, bowed his head, and gave up the spirit. The veil of the Temple was torn, the rocks split, the graves opened, and many of the saints rose from their graves, entered the Holy City, and appeared to many. When evening came, a man from his followers named Joseph came with clean linen, laid him in a grave he had hewn in the rock, and placed a great stone at the door of the grave. The elders of the Jews came the day after Friday to Pilate the governor and said: 'Sir, we remember that that deceiver said to his disciples: "I will rise after three days." So if you command someone to guard the grave until the time has passed, his disciples might not come and steal him, then spread the rumor among the people that he has risen, and the second deception be worse than the first.' The governor said to them: 'Go, secure it and guard it as you wish.' They went and did what they wanted. On the evening of the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave."

In the Gospel of Mark, it says Mary came on Sunday at dawn, and an angel had descended from heaven with a great earthquake, rolled the stone away from the grave, and sat by it, wearing white clothes like lightning. The guards nearly died from the awe of him. He then said to the women: "Do not be afraid, I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen. Come, see the place where the Lord was, and go and tell his disciples that he has gone before you to Galilee." They went and told the disciples. The guards went and reported the news to the chief priests, who said: "Do not speak of this," and bribed them with silver to hide the matter. They took it from them and spread the rumor that the disciples had come and stolen him, and the elders justified their story before the governor. The eleven disciples went to Galilee, though some doubted. Jesus came to them, spoke to them, and said: "Go, baptize all nations, and teach them what I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you until the end of the world." End quote.

Here, there are several points: First: It is said to the Christians: Do you report this claim of the killing and crucifixion of the Messiah via tawatur (consecutive reports by an indeterminate multitude) or via ahad (isolated reports)? If they claim it is ahad, the argument is complete and knowledge is not established, as isolated reports are not immune to oversight, negligence, or collusion in falsehood. If isolated reports are susceptible to this, how can they be used as proof in matters of dogma? If they attribute it to tawatur, we say to them: One of the conditions of tawatur is that the beginning, end, and middle must be equal, such that reports in every layer come from those who cannot possibly collude in a lie. If you claim the report of the Messiah’s killing is such, you have lied against the texts of the Gospel in your hands; for the reporters who recorded it for you—and upon whom you rely—stated that the one seized for killing was among a small band of his disciples. When he was seized, they all fled, and no one followed him except Peter from afar. When he entered the house where they were gathered, a servant girl looked at him, recognized him, and said: "This one was with Jesus." He swore that he did not know Jesus nor follow his teachings. He deceived them until they left him, and he went away. It is said that another young man followed him wearing a linen garment, but they grabbed him, so he left the garment in their hands and fled naked. These were his companions and followers; not one of them attended, according to the testimony of the Gospel. As for his enemies, the Jews, whom you claim attended the matter, we do not concede that they reached the number required for tawatur. Rather, they were isolated individuals who were enemies, and collusion in lying about their enemy is possible to make it appear that they had triumphed and achieved their desires. Thus, the condition for tawatur is broken. This is supported by the fact that the chief priests, by your own account, bribed the guards. It is not unlikely that this band of Jews crucified a person from among the followers of Jesus and deceived people into thinking he was the Messiah to achieve their ends. Furthermore, historians have mentioned that Nebuchadnezzar killed the scholars of the Jews in the east and west because they corrupted the Torah, added to it, and subtracted from it, until only a remnant remained. Thus, the reporters did not reach the level of tawatur in the middle layer either.

Second: In this chapter, there is that which common sense declares false, which makes the bereaved mother laugh, and which reason considers remote. Examples include: his saying to the priests: "From now on you will not see the Son of Man,"—intending "Son of Man" to mean the Lord, Exalted is He—for it was never intended to apply that to Him, Glorified be He, in any book. And his saying: "Some of those standing here," for no one standing there passed away before ‘Isa—peace be upon him—came in his kingdom. And the angel’s saying to the women: "Come, see the place where the Lord was," for it is said of Him: "Is the Lord buried? Is the God placed in a grave?" Fie upon the dust that covers the face of this god! Woe to the shroud that hides his features! How strange that the heavens did not perish, while He is the one who raised them! How did the earth not vanish, while He is the one who holds it! How did the seas not dry up, while He is the one who sets them in motion! How did the mountains not crumble, while He is the one who anchors them! How did the animals not perish, while He is the one who feeds them! How did the universe not collapse, while He is the one who originated it! Glory to Allah! How can existence remain if the Lord is in the grave? How does the world stay on its system if the God is in the dirt? (To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return) regarding the tragedy of this "Lord" and the affliction of this "God." His mother has lost him, and he is nonexistent—no father to you!—to his people. And his saying: "My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?" violates contentment with the bitterest of decrees and contradicts submission to the commands of the Wise; this is not befitting for the righteous, let alone the messengers. Moreover, it invalidates the claim of divinity that you support and the godhead that you believe in. And their saying: "Many of the saints rose from their graves," is an explicit lie; for if it were true, people would have unanimously reported it, and doubt would have vanished from those multitudes concerning the matter of Jesus. And their saying: "The eleven disciples went to Galilee," indicates that the lamp of the twelfth disciple was extinguished, as required by the Messiah’s saying: "Woe to him who betrays the Son of Man." Yet, according to your claim, Jesus said to his twelve disciples—among them Judas Iscariot who handed him over to death—"You shall sit on the Day of Resurrection on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." And their saying that he asked for a drink of water is extremely remote, because the Gospel explicitly states that the Messiah fasted for forty days and forty nights, and one like him does not despair from the lack of water for an hour, especially when he used to say to his disciples: "I have food that you do not know about," and so on.

Third: What they mentioned about the Messiah rising from his grave on Saturday night, despite his crucifixion on Friday, contradicts what Matthew narrated in his Gospel. He said therein: The Jews asked the Messiah to show them a sign, and he said: "A wicked and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah the Prophet," meaning Jonah—peace be upon him—because he stayed in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights. "So also shall the Son of Man be in the belly of the earth for three days and three nights."

Fourth: This story contains what clearly indicates that the crucified one was the one who resembled him, and that Allah—Exalted is He—protected the Messiah—peace be upon him—from crucifixion, as will be clarified for you with further verification when discussing the words of the Exalted: (But they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but another was made to resemble him to them). This [phrase in the verse] emphasizes the previous judgment out of concern for it, or because the power of the disbelievers over him made the situation a place for believing that they would kill him. By saying (and raise you to Me), the Exalted One meant: Raise you to My heaven, or it is said: To My honor. In any case, the statement involves the suppression of a genitive (mudaf), as it is known that the Creator—Exalted is He—is not located in a direction. There is disagreement as to which heaven he was raised to. Many of the Gnostics have chosen the view that he was raised to the fourth heaven. It is narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them both—that He raised him to the lowest heaven, where he praises with the angels; then Allah—Exalted is He—will cause him to descend upon the rock of Bayt al-Maqdis at the appearance of the Dajjal.

In Al-Khazin, it is stated that when He raised him—peace be upon him—to Himself, He clothed him in feathers, draped him in light, and severed from him the pleasure of food and drink. He flew with the angels and is with them around the Throne, having become a human-angelic, earthly-celestial being. Some have raised issues here, such as: Allah—Exalted is He—had supported him with Jibril—peace be upon him—as He said: (And We supported him with the Pure Spirit). Yet, a tip of one of Jibril’s wings is enough to cover the world; how could it not suffice in preventing those Jews from him? Also, since he—peace be upon him—was capable of reviving the dead and healing the blind and the leper, why could he not cause them to die, remove their power, or cause them to fall ill with infirmity or paralysis so they would be incapable of harming him? Furthermore, when He saved him from the enemies by raising him to heaven, what is the benefit in casting his likeness upon another?

It is answered for all of this that the basis of obligation (taklif) is upon free will. If Allah—Exalted is He—had enabled Jibril or ‘Isa—peace be upon them—to repel the enemies, or if He had raised him to heaven without casting his likeness, the miracle would have reached the limit of coercion. The claim that opening the door of casting likenesses would require the loss of security regarding perceived objects, or that it leads to the collapse of laws and the invalidation of tawatur, and that it involves deception and confusion—which does not befit the Wisdom of Allah—is baseless. Firstly, casting the appearance of one person upon another, though possible in itself, is not the default state; each animal has its own form that is unique to it. Yes, if the Truthful One reports that one form was cast upon another, we affirm it and believe it. In that case, security is not lost; rather, perceived objects remain on their default state in matters where the Truthful One has not reported otherwise. Furthermore, the invalidation of tawatur by opening this door is forbidden; for it is not a condition of a report that it be about a fixed matter in essence; it is sufficient that it be about a perceived matter, as stated by some researchers. As for the second point, regarding the deception and confusion: if it were against the enemies, we do not concede that it is inconsistent with Wisdom, even if salvation could have occurred without casting the likeness. If it were against his allies, we do not concede that casting the likeness is deception, for they were certainly aware that the one sought was the likeness, not ‘Isa—peace be upon him—as you will know, if Allah—Exalted is He—wills. The claim that it has been established via tawatur that the one sought remained alive for a long time—and if it were not ‘Isa, he would have shown distress and identified himself, and had he done so, it would have been famous and transmitted via tawatur—is also baseless. Firstly, the claim of tawatur regarding the crucified person remaining alive for a long time is not proven by any proof. What is established is that the crucified person was crucified in the second hour of Friday and died in the sixth hour of that day, then was taken down and buried. Four hours is not considered a long time, as is not hidden. Secondly, the crucified person not identifying himself is either because he was overcome by a shock that prevented him from speaking and explaining, or because Allah—Exalted is He—took his tongue so he could not inform about himself, to protect His Prophet—peace be upon him—from the man speaking clearly about his affairs, or because, due to his truthfulness (siddiqiyya), he preferred the Messiah with his own self and did so by a covenant he had made to him, desiring martyrdom. This is why it is narrated in the response that the Christians quoted in the story, as the Messiah—peace be upon him—had promised the disciples before, according to what they quoted, saying: "If we were led to death with you, we would die." The one who resembled him was among them, so he fulfilled what he had promised of himself, according to the custom of the righteous companions of the prophets—peace be upon them—for he is of (men who have been true to what they covenanted with Allah). Those who went to the view that the one who resembled him was from among the enemies, not the allies, narrated that he kept saying to the Jews during the crucifixion: "I am not the Messiah, I am only your companion," but they did not listen and paid no attention to his words, and they crucified him. The claim that if this were so, it would have been transmitted via tawatur is not hidden for those who have mastered what we mentioned. So reflect.

(And I will purify you from those who disbelieved): It is possible that his purification—peace be upon him—was by distancing him from them through ascension, and it is possible that it was by saving him from what they intended to do to him, which was killing. In the first, they were made as if they were impurities, and in the second, their action was made as such. The first is the most apparent, and the second was the view held by Al-Jubba’i.

The "one who" (al-mawsul) refers to the Jews. He brought the noun (al-dhir) instead of the pronoun, as some said, as a sign of the cause of the impurity, which is disbelief.

Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Al-Hasan that the "one who" refers to the Jews, Christians, Magians, and the disbelievers of his own people.

(And I will make those who follow you): Qatadah, Al-Hasan, Ibn Jurayj, and a multitude said: They are the people of Islam, who followed him in his religion and his natural disposition (fitra), from the nation of Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—(to be) above those who disbelieved, who are the Jews or all whom this concept encompasses; for the believers overcome them with argument or the sword in the majority of cases. Ibn Jarir recorded from Ibn Zayd that the first "one who" refers to the Christians, and the second to the Jews, and that Allah—Exalted is He—has placed the Christians above the Jews; so there is no country containing Christians where they are not above the Jews in the east and west of the world. According to this, "the followers" means mere claim and love, and the Muslims' victory over them does not harm their victory over the Jews. If the followers is meant to include the Muslims, and this "following" can correctly be intended to include the Muslims and the Christians generally—everyone who believed in him before the coming of our Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and the abrogation of his law, and those who believed in his claim after that. Sometimes "the followers" refers to those in the first sense, so it is permissible that "the followers" refers to the Muslims and the first group of Christians. Restricting the followers to this nation and interpreting "the followers" as coming after is not how the Holy Book should be interpreted, just as making the address to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and that the pause on (those who disbelieved) (until the Day of Resurrection) is related to the "making" or the "establishment" presumed in the adverbial phrase. The meaning is not that this ends then and "those who disbelieved" will be free from humiliation, but that the followers will be above them until that limit, and as for after that, Allah—Exalted is He—will do what He wills.

Some people interpreted the "above" (fawqiyya) as elevation in rank and superiority in honor, and made the qualification "until the Day of Resurrection" for duration, as in their saying: "As long as the heaven remains and the spheres rotate," based on the assumption that the lack of the cessation of the believers' elevation and the disbelievers' humiliation until that day necessitates this making, but it is not so.

(Then to Me is your return): That is, your destiny and return after the Day of Resurrection. The pronoun refers to ‘Isa—peace be upon him—and the two groups. Therein is dominance (taghlib) in the most apparent view. (Then) is for delay. Advancing the adverbial phrase is for restriction, which provides emphasis on the promise and the threat. It is possible that the pronoun refers only to those who followed and those who disbelieved, and in it is a shift (iltifat) to indicate the intensity of the desire to deliver reward and punishment, for the address indicates care.

(Then I will judge between you): That is, I will judge between you after your return to Me and your destination before Me (in that over which you used to differ) regarding matters of religion or the matter of ‘Isa—peace be upon him. The adverbial phrase is related to what follows it, and it was advanced out of consideration for the verse endings.