How do different interpretations of Rafa (exaltation) amongst Muslims cause religious persecution?

        The meaning of the Arabic word Rafa^[1] in the context of Jesus’ ascension brings up the question of whether Jesus was physically or spiritually exalted.  This question or, rather, this difference in interpretation has caused division in the religion of Islam.  Ahmadi Muslims^[2] interpret Rafa as spiritual rising rather than literal rising, whereas non-Ahmadi Muslims believe Jesus’ body was elevated to heaven where he is alive now.  This research paper will explore different interpretations of Rafa between the two Muslim groups, and discuss the persecution caused by this difference.

Abrahamic religions interpret Jesus’ death in different ways based on their Holy Books. John 11:25-26 ^[3] states, “Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”  According to all four gospels, Jesus was crucified.  People of the Christian faith believe his death on the cross symbolizes sacrifice for the sins of all humankind (Mevorach, 2). They also believe that Jesus rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion, with his resurrection embodying the belief that the future of the Christians is safe and secure, and that Jesus is the Son of God. 

The different books of God in each Abrahamic religion guide its believers as to how to interpret the death of Jesus, along with many more teachings. What about believers that share the same book of God but interpret it differently?  This is the case amongst Ahmadi Muslims and non-Ahmadi Muslims. Both groups use the term Rafa’, but interpret it differently.

The term Rafa’ is generally translated as “taken up” or “raised”, but it is incorrect to assume that it is in reference to a physical body in the case of Jesus’ ascension. Examining Rafa’ amongst multiple verses of the Holy Quran will prove why this assumption is incorrect (Masroor Ahmed, 2009). 

In a speech given in 2010, by the then Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stated that Muslims held that Jesus’ body had ascended to heavens, and that a bloody Mahdi will return to the earth to make the world Muslim (Ahmadinejad, 2010).  The president’s view represented the non-Ahmadi Muslim’s view on Jesus’ ascension and return. 

According to F. Peter Ford Jr., the end of Jesus’ mission and the honor of God in the Qur’an, majority of Muslims (non-Ahmadis) interpret this verse to mean that Jesus’ body was physically elevated to heaven where he is alive now.  Then, at the “end of the world”, he will come back down to earth and kill all pigs and smash all crosses (Ford, 2013). This assumption that Jesus will come back down and “kill all pigs and smash all crosses” is created based on accounts that Jesus will come down near the end of the world. However, these accounts are from questionable sources and are deemed inconsistent, suggesting that the non-Ahmadi Muslims twist what this verse means by making assumptions which they cannot support. (Shaltout, 1993).

As chapter Al-Nisa [4]of the Holy Quran states, “…And for their saying. We have killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of God, and they killed him not; nor did they crucify him, but a likeness of him was shown to them. And certainly, those who differ therein are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge about it, but only follow a conjecture, and they killed him not for certain. Nay, God exalted him in His presence. And God is ever Mighty, Wise” (4:158-159).

If we look at chapter Al-Imran of the Holy Quran, we find that there is no reference to the physical exaltation of Jesus, along with the assumption that he will make a return.  Surah Al-Imran states, “But when Jesus perceived disbelief on their part, he said “Who will be my helpers in God’s way?” The disciples said: We are God’s helpers. We believe in God, and bear thou witness that we are submitting ones. Our Lord, we believe in that which Thou hast revealed and we follow the Messenger, so write us down with those who bear witness. And they (the Jews) planned, and God (also) planned. And God is the Best of planners.  When God said, `O Jesus, I will cause thee to die and exalt thee in My presence and clear thee of those who disbelieve and make those who follow thee above those who disbelieve to the day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return, so I shall decide between you concerning that wherein you differ” (3:51-54).

According to Shaikh Mahmoud Shaltout from Al-Azhar University, connecting Al-Imran’s verse “…O Jesus, I will cause thee to die, and exalt thee in My presence…” with Al-Nisa’s verse”…Nay, God exalted him in His presence…”  we find that the promise from God indicated in Al-Imran is fulfilled in Al-Nisa.  The promise was that God would cause the death of Jesus, exalt him, and clear him of the charges of those who disbelieve (Shaltout, 1993).  Although Chapter Al-Nisa (4:158-159) does not make any reference to God clearing Jesus of his charges, it does address the fact that Jesus was indeed exalted in God’s presence.  However, when interpreted with Chapter Al-Imran, the promise remains consistent and means that God actually did cause the death of Jesus, exalted him in his presence, and cleared him of those who disbelieved (Chaudry, 1993).

In addition, according to Quranic exegesis al-Alusi, the sentence “will cause thee to die” is interpreted in a way as to mean that God made Jesus complete his life and die a natural death without being abandoned by God to the enemies to torture and kill him (Alusi, 1852).  Thus, when examining Rafa’ in the context of Jesus’ ascension with the support of these verses, due to Rafa’ being mentioned in the verse after the word death, it means exaltation of Jesus, not the elevation of his body to heaven (Ghulam Ahmed, 1908).

 According to the Review of Religions[5], the word used in connection with Jesus can reveal one sense only, the sense of care and protection by God. Any other interpretation would do injustice to the Qur’an and would only appear as unfounded stories and fabricated narratives (1993).

Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad^[6] stated in his sermon given on July 10, 2009 that all prophets of God are raised/exalted in a spiritual sense. This holds true with Jesus, who is seen as a prophet of God to the Ahmadi Muslims, when he was exalted/raised is to exonerate him from the accusation levied on him by the Jews of the time. That he did not die on the Cross, which would have been, God forbid, an accursed death in the eyes of the Jews.

The key difference is that Ahmadi Muslims believe that the Promised Messiah (also referred to as the Mahdi in some texts) of the latter days has arrived and he established the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in 1889. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community  is a revivalist movement that has no new religious laws or teachings as it seeks to rejuvenate the true Islam as taught by the Holy Prophet Muhammad. Non-Ahmadis are still waiting for a reformer to come.

The difference in interpretation of the ascension of Jesus is one of the key differences between what makes a Muslim Ahmadi and non-Ahmadi.  In South Asia, specifically Pakistan, Muslims live in turmoil everyday due to this difference in interpretation.  Ahmadi Muslims are murdered every day simply because they identify as Ahmadi Muslim.  According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, non-Ahmadis view Ahmadis as heretics because of the difference in belief.   In 1984, Pakistan adopted a legal ordinance making it a criminal offense for Ahmadis to refer to themselves as Muslims (United States Commission on International Freedom). This government restriction fuels the non-Ahmadi’s hatred for Ahmadi Muslims.  Since 1984, over 260 Ahmadis have been killed, with the most recent attack being the burning of an Ahmadi Mosque in Faisalabad, which left 30 injured (Chaudary, 2018).

 Ali Akhtar Tariq, a 38-year-old aeronautical engineer who served in Pakistan’s Armed Forces for over a decade was “demoted, threatened, and eventually dismissed” after he converted to the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam (Aljazeera, 2021).  He stated, “Those who used to eat and drink with me stopped talking to me. One time I was reading prayers, and my Air Force colleagues tried to force me out of the room.”  This account is one of many but is representative of how Ahmadis are treated daily. 

Hundreds of Ahmadis seek refuge and are forced to relocate because of this discrimination.  Shazia Shamoon, an Ahmadi mother, relocated to Rabwah after her son and nephew were abducted then jailed, her home was stoned, and her daughter was harassed at university, and she has been refused service at markets multiple times for her hijab style that is distinctive to Ahmadi women (Chaudary, 2018).  Dr. Abdul Mannan Sidique, a physician from America would visit remote rural areas of Sindh^[7] every month to provide free medical care to the poor.  Just for being Ahmadi, he was shot and killed on September 8, 2008, in front of his wife and 2 children by a motorcyclist.

Having your religion being shunned by the government in the country you live in, the constant fear of being killed/tortured while performing daily activities, and your place of worship being destroyed is the reality 500,000 Ahmadi Muslims face in Pakistan.  The interpretation of Rafa’ in the context of Jesus’ ascension is the key difference between what makes a Muslim Ahmadi and non-Ahmadi.  Is this disagreement on whether Rafa’ stands for physical exaltation rather than spiritual exaltation worth the hundreds of Ahmadis being persecuted daily? The understanding of the language of the Quran plays a vital role in the beliefs of Muslims across the world.  However, difference in belief does not always have to be supported, but should be respected no matter what. 

Works Cited

Al Jazeera. “‘When the Blood Starts’: Spike in Ahmadi Persecution in Pakistan.” Religion News Al Jazeera, 27 July 2021, www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/26/ahmadi-persecution-pakistan-blasphemy-islam.

“Crucifixion in the Jewish Literature.” Islam Ahmadiyya, www.alislam.org/articles/crucifixion-in-jewish-literature.

F. Peter Ford Jr (2013) The end of Jesus’ mission and the honor of God in the Qur’an: the search for common ground between Muslims and Christians, Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations, 24:1, 15-26, DOI: 10.1080/09596410.2013.720869

Friday Sermon. “Friday Sermon 10 July 2009 (Urdu).” YouTube, 10 Sept. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=GihnZgphIiA.

Levering, Matthew, ‘The Strangeness of Jesus’ Resurrection’, Did Jesus Rise from the Dead? Historical and Theological Reflections (Oxford, 2019; online edn, Oxford Academic, 17 Apr. 2019), https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198838968.003.0004,

Mevorach, Ian. “Qur’an, Crucifixion, and Talmud: A New Reading of Q 4:157-58.” (2017).

Qadiani, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. Jesus in India. Ahmadiyya Muslim Community , USA, 2022.

“Surviving as an Ahmadi in Pakistan.” Pulitzer Center, pulitzercenter.org/stories/surviving-ahmadi-pakistan.

“The ‘Ascension’ of Jesus.” Islam Ahmadiyya, www.alislam.org/articles/ascension-of-jesus.

Tschannen, Rafiq. “The True Meaning of Rafa‘A: Proof That Jesus Has Passed Away.” The Muslim Times, 17 Jan. 2021, themuslimtimes.info/2021/01/17/the-true-meaning-of-rafaa-proof-that-jesus-has-passed-away.

 United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. “Ahmadiyya Muslims” Fact sheet. The White House. Washington, D.C. n.d. Web.

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^[1] Exaltation

^[2]  An Islamic revival group originating in Punjab, British India in the late 19th century founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmed

^[3] One of the gospels in the Bible’s New Testament

[4] Chapter of the Holy Quran describing the death of Jesus, relating to verse Al Imran, described later in this paper

[5] Academic journal used in the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

^[6] Current Imam of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

^[7] Town in Pakistan