There is an ayah in the Qur’an that most of us have heard all our lives.
We have recited it. We have heard it in the khutbah. It has passed through our ears a thousand times.
Most of us have never stopped to hear what it actually says.
إِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يَا عِيسَىٰ إِنَّي مُتَوَفَّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَيَّ وَمُطَهِّرُكَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ
“Behold! Allah said: O Issa! I will take thee and raise thee to Myself, and clear thee of the falsehoods of those who blaspheme. I will make those who follow thee superior to those who reject faith, to the Day of Resurrection. Then shall ye all return unto Me, and I will judge between you of the matters wherein ye dispute.”
Surah Al-Imran 3:55 | quran.com/3/55
Who is speaking here?
Allah. Not a prophet speaking about Allah. Not a scholar interpreting Allah. Allah Himself, addressing Issa al-Masih by name.
What does He promise?
Four things.
I will take you and raise you to Myself.
I will clear you of the falsehoods of those who blaspheme.
I will make those who follow you superior to those who reject faith, to the Day of Resurrection.
Then all shall return to Me, and I will judge.
What does “superior” mean in the Arabic?
The word is fawqa. Above. Over. Higher than.
There is no softer reading of this word. I have gone to the lexicons. I have consulted the tafsir. Fawqa means what it means.
Allah is not saying the followers of Issa will be good. Not better. Superior. And this is not for a season. It runs to the Day of Resurrection. The end of all time.
Is this promise given to the followers of any other prophet?
Search. You will not find it.
Not for the followers of Musa. Not for the followers of Daoud. Not for the followers of Nuh or Ibrahim or any messenger who came before.
Only for the followers of Issa. And the promise comes from the mouth of Allah.
What does the Arabic say about “I will take thee”?
The word is mutawaffeeka. From the root tawaffa. In the Qur’an, this word is consistently used for death. The taking back of a soul.
Compare the Qur’an’s speech about Idris.
وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ إِدْرِيسَ إِنَّهُ كَانَ صِدِّيقًا نَّبِيًّا وَرَفَعْنَاهُ مَكَانًا عَلِيًّا
“And mention in the Book the case of Idris. He was a man of truth, a prophet. And We raised him to a lofty station.”
Surah Maryam 19:56-57 | quran.com/19/56
For Idris, one word. Rafa’a. Lifted up.
For Issa, two words in order. Tawaffa, then rafa’a. Taken, then lifted. The sequence is not accidental. The Arabic is precise.
From the Injil
“Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Injil, John 8:12 | bible.com/bible/111/JHN.8.12
The Qur’an says his followers will be made superior, to the Day of Resurrection. The Injil says his followers will have the light of life. These are not two competing messages. They are one promise, preserved in two books.
And the Qur’an itself commands us to believe both.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا آمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ مِن قَبْلُ
“O you who believe, believe in Allah and His messenger, and the scripture which He has sent down to His messenger, and the scripture which He sent down before.”
Surah An-Nisa 4:136 | quran.com/4/136
A Parable
A man of great wealth had many servants. He was just to all of them. He paid them fairly. He gave them shelter and bread.
But to one of them, before the whole household, he made a promise he made to no other.
This servant, he said, will sit at my right hand. Those who serve alongside him will eat at my table. When guests come, they will see it, and none shall be able to dispute it. I have spoken this before all of you so it cannot be denied.
The other servants were puzzled. What has this one done to deserve this, they whispered to each other.
The wisest among them said, do not ask what he has done. Ask what the master has spoken. The master has spoken clearly, before witnesses. The honour is from him. It is not ours to argue against.
Some of the servants honoured the one the master had honoured. And in doing so, they found themselves welcome at the master’s table in a way they had never been before.
Others refused. He is no different from us, they said. We will treat him as one of us, no more.
When the master returned, he asked each servant a single question. Did you honour the one I honoured?
Allah has said it. Are you among those who follow him?
This is not our claim. It is written in the Qur’an, in the words of Allah Himself.
If the answer does not come easily, do not force it. Leave the question with Allah tonight. Return to it at Fajr. Ask Him, in your own words, what He is asking of you.