Tafsir surah al imran 55-58

إِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يعِيسَى إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَىَّ وَمُطَهِّرُكَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَـمَةِ 3:55 And (remember) when Allah said: "O `Isa! I will take you and raise you to Myself and purify (save) you from those who disbelieve, and I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve till the Day of Resurrection. ثُمَّ إِلَيَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَأَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ فِيمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ Then you will return to Me and I will judge between you in the matters in which you used to dispute.'' فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فَأُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَاباً شَدِيداً فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالاٌّخِرَةِ وَمَا لَهُمْ مِّن نَّـصِرِينَ 3:56 "As to those who disbelieve, I will punish them with severe torment in this world and in the Hereafter, and they will have no helpers.'' وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَاتِ فَيُوَفِّيهِمْ أُجُورَهُمْ 3:57 And as for those who believe and do righteous good deeds, Allah will pay them their reward in full. وَاللَّهُ لاَ يُحِبُّ الظَّـلِمِينَ And Allah does not like the wrongdoers. ذَلِكَ نَتْلُوهُ عَلَيْكَ مِنَ الآيَـتِ وَالذِّكْرِ الْحَكِيمِ 3:58 This is what We recite to you of the verses and the Wise Reminder. Top Next 59-63

 Meaning of "Take You"

Allah tells,

إِذْ قَالَ اللّهُ يَا عِيسَى ...

And (remember) when Allah said: "O `Isa!

... إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَيَّ ...

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 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 بُهْتَانًا عَظِيمًا

وَقَوْلِهِمْ إِنَّا قَتَلْنَا الْمَسِيحَ عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولَ اللّهِ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَـكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُواْ فِيهِ لَفِي شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ مَا لَهُم بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِلاَّ اتِّبَاعَ الظَّنِّ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ يَقِينًا

بَل رَّفَعَهُ اللّهُ إِلَيْهِ وَكَانَ اللّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا

وَإِن مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ إِلاَّ لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا

And because of their saying, "We killed Al-Masih `Isa, son of Maryam, the Messenger of Allah,'' but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but it appeared as that to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no (certain) knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture. 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, but must believe in him, before his death. And on the Day of Resurrection, he 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.