Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part V — Page 519
REPLY TO THE DOUBTS RAISED BY RASHID AHMAD GANGOHI 519 before him. If then he dies or is slain, would you give up the religion of Islam?' As I have just explained, it is not right that the word خلت khalat when applied to all other Prophets, means 'to cause to die, but when it comes to Hadrat 'Īsā, may peace be upon him, it means that God Almighty raised him to heaven with his elemental body. Such claim is utterly baseless, and no evidence has been presented to support it. In fact, everywhere in the Holy Quran that the word خلت khalat has been used, it has only been used to connote death. No one can pro- duce a single example from the Holy Quran where this word has been used to mean that someone was raised to heaven with his elemental body. Moreover, as I have just explained, in these very verses Almighty God has Himself explained the word خَلَت ]khalat and has confined it only to death or murder. And this is the noble verse on whose authority the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, reached the ijmā [consensus] that all the Prophets and Messengers had died and none of them was going to return to this world. In fact the real purpose of this ijmā was to assert that it is not possible for anyone to return to this world. The objective of this ijmā was to dispel the notion that had developed in the mind of Hadrat 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, would return to this world and cut off the noses and ears of the hypocrites. This being the context, it is obvious that had Islam admit- ted the possibility of any Prophet to return to this world, it would not have been possible to dispel the thought of Hadrat 'Umarra by reciting this verse, not to mention that it would entail a denigration of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Indeed in such a case it would have been out of place for Hadrat Abu Bakrra to even recite this verse. In short, this verse is also one such wonderful verse that proclaims aloud the death of Hadrat 'Īsā, may peace be upon him. فالحمد لله على ذالك ]God be praised for this[. Then there is another verse that proves the death of Hadrat 'Isā, may peace be upon him. Allah the Exalted says: