Al-Jawāb as-Sahīh li-man baddala dīn al-Masīh - Ibn Taimiya - (4/38)

—a clarification that Allah raised him up alive, spared him from being killed, and informed us that they will certainly believe in him before he dies.

Likewise, His words: “and I shall purify you from those who disbelieve.”

Had he actually died, there would be no distinction between him and anyone else.

In Arabic usage the term tawaffī means to take and receive in full, and it occurs in three forms:

the taking that occurs during sleep;
the taking that occurs at death; and
the taking of both soul and body together. Through this last kind of taking a person departs from the ordinary state of earthly people, who need food, drink, clothing and sleep, and from whose bodies come excrement and urine. The Messiah, peace be upon him, was taken by Allah in this manner while he is in the second heaven until the time he descends to the earth. His condition there is unlike that of the earth-dwellers with respect to food, drink, clothing, sleep, defecation, urination, and the like.

Third response: They say that by “his death” what is meant is the death of the nasūt (human nature). On their own principles they ought to have said instead: “what He meant by ‘My taking him’ was the taking of the nasūt.” Whether one says “his death” or “his taking,” it refers to nothing other than the nasūt; there is nothing else besides it that was not taken. And Allah, Exalted is He, said:

بَيَانٌ أَنَّ اللَّهَ رَفَعَهُ حَيًّا وَسَلَّمَهُ مِنَ الْقَتْلِ، وَبَيَّنَ أَنَّهُمْ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَمُوتَ. وَكَذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ: وَمُطَهِّرُكَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا. وَلَوْ مَاتَ لَمْ يَكُنْ فَرْقٌ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ غَيْرِهِ. وَلَفْظُ التَّوَفِّي فِي لُغَةِ الْعَرَبِ مَعْنَاهُ: الِاسْتِيفَاءُ وَالْقَبْضُ، وَذَلِكَ ثَلَاثَةُ أَنْوَاعٍ: أَحُدُهَا: تَوَفِّي النَّوْمِ، وَالثَّانِي: تَوَفِّي الْمَوْتِ، وَالثَّالِثُ: تَوَفِّي الرُّوحِ وَالْبَدَنِ جَمِيعًا، فَإِنَّهُ بِذَلِكَ خَرَجَ عَنْ حَالِ أَهْلِ الْأَرْضِ الَّذِينَ يَحْتَاجُونَ إِلَى الْأَكْلِ وَالشُّرْبِ وَاللِّبَاسِ وَالنَّوْمِ، وَيَخْرُجُ مِنْهُمُ الْغَائِطُ وَالْبَوْلُ، وَالْمَسِيحُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ تَوَفَّاهُ اللَّهُ وَهُوَ فِي السَّمَاءِ الثَّانِيَةِ إِلَى أَنْ يَنْزِلَ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ، لَيْسَتْ حَالُهُ كَحَالَةِ أَهْلِ الْأَرْضِ فِي الْأَكْلِ وَالشُّرْبِ وَاللِّبَاسِ وَالنَّوْمِ، وَالْغَائِطِ وَالْبَوْلِ، وَنَحْوِ ذَلِكَ. الْوَجْهُ الثَّالِثُ: قَوْلُهُمْ: إِنَّهُ عَنَي بِمَوْتِهِ عَنْ مَوْتِ النَّاسُوتِ، كَانَ يَنْبَغِي لَهُمْ أَنْ يَقُولُوا عَلَى أَصْلِهِمْ: عَنَي بِتَوَفَّيْتُهُ عَنْ تَوَفِّي النَّاسُوتِ، وَسَوَاءٌ قِيلَ مَوْتُهُ أَوْ تَوَفَّيْتُهُ فَلَيْسَ هُوَ شَيْئًا غَيْرَ النَّاسُوتِ، فَلَيْسَ هُنَاكَ شَيْءٌ غَيْرَهُ لَمْ يُتَوَفَّ، وَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى قَالَ: