In Ayah 3:55 the majority of Muslims consider rafa’ as “raise up” and tawaffika as “to take”, on the contrary Jama’t-e-Ahmadiyyah stresses different meanings according to their needs. Sometimes English and Urdu translations vary alot in meanings as well. They might says Raf’a means “raising up after death” or if required they’ll change their stance and say it means “raised his level in Jannah”, these kind of meanings change while you are in a debate with them. If Allah meant to say “ranks” he would say “ranks” not “maqaam” or “makaan”. Do you think Allah would confuse people playing with words?
This article will discuss with example the word raf’a and Part 2 will contain the word tawaffa.
In Ayah 2:253 Allah says:
“and He raised some of them in degree”
See the word “rafa’” has been used with “darajaat”. Allah said degree or ranks over here, because He meant ranks. He would not confuse people by playing with words.
4:154 “And We raised over them the mount for [refusal of] their covenant”
12:76 “We raise in degrees whom We will”
12:100 “And he raised his parents upon the throne, and they bowed to him in prostration”
Physically, raised them up while rest of the people bowed down in prostration.
19:57 ”And We raised him to a high station”
24:36 ”[Such niches are] in mosques which Allah has ordered to be raised and that His name be mentioned therein;”
40:15 ”[He is] the Exalted above [all] degrees“
43:32 “have raised some of them above others in degrees”
49:2 “O you who have believed, do not raise your voices“
52:5 ”And [by] the roof raised high“
55:7 ”And the heaven He raised and imposed the balance”
56:3 “it will bring down [some] and raise up [others].”
56:34 “And raised couches;”
58:11 ”Allah will exalt in degree those of you who believe”
79:28 “He raised its ceiling and proportioned it.”
88:13 “Within it are couches raised high“
88:18 “And at the sky – how it is raised?“
94:4 “And raised high for you your repute.“
8 Responses to “Part-1 Word “Raf’a””
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Allah surely doesn’t want to confuse people, but you do. Most of the references of rafa you have given above also talk about ranks, degrees and status. Nowhere above Allah says rafaoka ilayya, meaning raising to myself. So even if in the verses above some literally mean raising up, they don’t mean raising up to Allah.
To understand the meaning of a statement, we must see who is performing the action and what is the subject
if i say, “i raised a baby” then it certainly means i raised a baby physically. But if i say “I raised my game”, then it is the quality of the game that has gone up.
In a same way when Allah says “I raised up heavens” then it means heavens are above us, but when Allah says “i raised Jesus towards me” then it certainly means
the spiritual status and rank of Jesus.
So if a subject is a person and rafa is being done by Allah then it has to mean spiritual and not physical. To prove my point, please see the verse about balam baoor.
7:176: And if We had pleased, We could have exalted him thereby; but he inclined to the earth and followed his evil inclination.
@Danish,
Quote, “In a same way when Allah says “I raised up heavens” then it means heavens are above us, but when Allah says “i raised Jesus towards me” then it certainly means
the spiritual status and rank of Jesus.”
I find it hard to interpret this way. I believe this is incorrect. For thousand of years scholars of Islam were united and interpreted the way RasulAllah s.a.w.s has taught them. Ahmadis went astray by following ignorant and lying MGA who boasted several false claims including messiah/mahdi/prophethood etc.
This is why one has to be very careful of where they get their information. The holy Quran and several Hadith clearly state that Jesus (Isa) a.s was not crucified but raised to Allah s.w.t and he will return before the end of times. Anything else which the Qadiyanis state is based on innovation and heretic teachings of MGA. This is why Ahmadiyyat is not Islam and their teachings are not the authentic teachings of Islam.
“The holy Quran and several Hadith clearly state that Jesus (Isa) a.s was not crucified but raised to Allah s.w.t and he will return before the end of times”
we ahmadis totally believe in that but unfortunately you are ignorant of the true teachings of ahmadiyyat its not us but your so called ulamas who misinterprets Quran
by the words “RAISED TO ALLAH” you people have adopted the meanings of raised towards the sky. which is completely wrong.
do you think that Allah is only present in the sky?
may Allah bless with you with the true knowledge of Quran and guide you to the right path.
@ Let it Go
Quote: “For thousand of years scholars of Islam were united and interpreted the way RasulAllah s.a.w.s has taught them.”
2:171: And when it is said to them, ‘Follow that which Allah has sent down,’ they say: ‘Nay, we will follow that wherein we found our fathers.’ What! even if their fathers had no sense at all and no guidance?
This applies to Ahmadies rather than Muslims.
Let me clarify to you again, we follow what Allah s.w.t & His Messenger s.a.w.s taught us and not what Mirza and his followers taught to you.
Surat Al-K?fir?n: (…………For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.”)
I will be thankfull for some kind of personal dialogue.
I am non ahmedy. Thanks. Wassalam
@ let it go – brother please do not mention innovations – if you follow this logic then most of pakistan is heretical as they pray to graves, adorn them with expensive shawls , tie ribbons to gates of graveyards etc… – the list is endless. Although our Saudi Wahabbi brothers have tried to knock some sense into Pakistanis it has been to no avail
“Allah has used “rafa’” in meaning of raising up something physically and if He’s not mentioning the physicality then it has been mentioned exactly what its being raised. Example if He’s saying rafa’ to raise somebody in Rank He has said rank. Same is the case with Sky, voice, couches and earth.
Are you saying that Allah has raised the sky physically up and before that it was happened to be down somewhere?
you have mentione 19:57 ”And We raised him to a high station” this verse is talking about Hazrat Idrees AS according to your meaning Allah has physically raised him and put him to a high station. which is clearly against the context and also there is no reason for this.
you are actually misinterpreting Quran and doing this intentionally just to prove that whatever ahmadis believe it should be wrong.
you have the right to disagree with any belief but you cant prove something wrong by just saying that because ahmadi believes this that is why it is wrong
The article is proving one of the two things about the author
1. he is ignorant of the ahmadiya beliefs.
or 2. he deliberately hiding the truth.
with the very beginning of the article he starts with wrong information about ahmadis that we translate the word rafa as “raising up after death” or “raised his level in Jannah”
because we translate it as “raising up”.
now the argument he made to prove that rafa means raising up physically in the Ayah 3:55 is also not proving the point. as i mentioned above
But just for the sake of argument if i agree with him that in Ayah 3:55 rafa means raise up physically even then it is not proved that Hazrat Isa AS was raised up ” to the heaven” because it is not mention in the Ayah.