to them. Indeed, those who differ concerning him are surely in doubt about him. They have no knowledge of it, following only conjecture. They certainly did not kill him. Rather, Allah raised him to Himself.’ His words here, ‘Rather, Allah raised him to Himself,’ make clear that He raised him in body and soul, just as it is authentically established that he will descend in body and soul. Had his death been intended, the wording would have been: ‘They did not kill him or crucify him; rather, he died …’

“This is why some scholars said that ‘I shall take you’ means ‘I shall take possession of you’—that is, take your soul and body. One says of an account, ‘I collected it and received it in full.’

“The word tawaffī does not, in itself, entail taking the soul apart from the body, nor taking the two together; either meaning requires separate contextual evidence.

“It may also refer to the taking that occurs in sleep, as Allah Most High says: ‘Allah takes the souls at the time of their death’ [al-Zumar: 42]; ‘He is the One Who takes you by night and knows what you commit by day’ [al-Anām: 60]; and ‘When death comes to one of you, Our messengers take his soul’ [al-Anām: 61] (1).”

This study, however, is not concerned with the raising of Jesus, peace be upon him. It has been mentioned only to establish that he was raised in body and soul, that he is now alive in heaven, that he will descend at the end of time, and that those among the People of the Book who are then alive will believe in him, as Allah Most High says: “There is none among the People of the Book but will surely believe in him before his death.”

Ibn Jarīr said: “Ibn Bashshār related to us; he said: Sufyān related to us from Abū Hasīn, from Saīd ibn Jubayr, from Ibn Abbās: ‘There is none among the People of the Book but will surely believe in him