The True Meaning of Rafa (رفع) of Isa (AS)

Introduction

When Allah raises (Rafa’a) humans, He only raises their souls. Never their bodies.

Rafa is an Arabic word that means to raise, honor, or elevate. Whenever Allah raises a human being in the Quran and Hadith, it always means spiritual honor. It never means launching a mortal physical body into the sky.

Yet non-Ahmadi Muslims claim that Prophet Isa (AS) flew up into the clouds. They claim he has been sitting alive in outer space for two thousand years.

To prove this, they rely on one single passage in Surah An-Nisa (Quran 4:157-158):

وَقَوْلِهِمْ إِنَّا قَتَلْنَا الْمَسِيحَ عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَٰكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ ۚ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ لَفِي شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا لَهُم بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِلَّا اتِّبَاعَ الظَّنِّ ۚ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ يَقِينًا

بَل رَّفَعَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا

“And their saying: ‘We did kill the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah;’ whereas they slew him not, nor crucified him, but he was made to appear to them like one crucified; and those who differ therein are certainly in a state of doubt about it; they have no definite knowledge thereof, but only follow a conjecture; and they did not convert this conjecture into a certainty;

Rather, Allah raised him up to Himself. And Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.”

[Quran 4:157-158]

From this verse, modern clerics make two bold claims: 1. Since Isa (AS) was not killed and not crucified, he must be alive in the sky. 2. “Allah raised him to Himself” (Bal Rafa’ahullahu Ilayh) means physical levitation into the clouds.

Both claims are completely false. There is zero Quran and zero Hadith to support them.

• This article is part of our comprehensive study: What Does Rafa Mean in Islam? The Complete Theological Guide.

Refutations of the Physical Ascension Theory

1) Not Killed and Not Crucified Does Not Mean Alive in the Sky!

Non-Ahmadi clerics build their entire argument on a logical fallacy.

They say: “He was not killed and not crucified, so he must be alive in the sky!”

Think about this claim for a second.

Countless human beings were never killed and never crucified. – Was Prophet Muhammad ﷺ crucified? No. – Was Abu Bakr (RA) crucified? No. – Were millions of righteous believers crucified? No.

Does the fact that they were not crucified mean they are floating alive in outer space? Of course not. They lived out their natural lives and died natural deaths.

Why did Allah specifically mention crucifixion? Because the Jews claimed they killed Isa (AS) on the cross. Under Jewish law, dying on a cross is an accursed death (Deuteronomy 21:23). The Jews wanted to prove that Isa (AS) was a false prophet cursed by God.

The Quran steps in to defend his prophetic honor. Allah denies their false claim: – He was not killed. – He was not crucified to death. – He survived the cross and died a natural death years later.

Denying an accursed death on a cross does not mean he never died a natural death!

2) Does the Verse Mention the Sky or Heavens?

Look at the exact Arabic words of Quran 4:158:

بَل رَّفَعَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ

“Rather, Allah raised him up to Himself.”

Read the verse carefully. Where does it say “to the sky” (Ila al-Sama’)? Nowhere.

Where does it say “to heaven” or “to paradise” (Ila al-Jannah)? Nowhere.

The text says Ilayh (“to Himself”). Allah is not a physical body living in the clouds. Raising to Allah means spiritual exaltation and divine closeness. Adding the words “sky” or “outer space” into the verse is adding words to the Quran that Allah never revealed.

For a full breakdown on why raising to Allah cannot mean flying upward into the sky, read: Where Is Allah? Was Jesus Raised to Allah?.

3) Does the Verse Mention He Was Raised Alive?

Ask any cleric to show you the word “alive” in Quran 4:158.

The word “alive” (Hayy or Hayyan) is completely absent from the verse. – Does it say: Rafa’ahullahu Ilayhi Hayyan (“Allah raised him to Himself alive”)? No. – Does any verse in the entire Quran say he was taken up alive? No.

The word “alive” only exists in the imagination of modern clerics. Claiming that Isa (AS) flew up with flesh and bones while alive has zero Quranic support.

The True Meaning of Rafa in Islam

4) Rafa Happens After Tawaffa (Natural Death)

When did this Rafa take place? It happened after his natural death.

We know this directly from Surah Aal-e-Imran (3:55):

إِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يَا عِيسَىٰ إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَيَّ وَمُطَهِّرُكَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا

“When Allah said: ‘O Jesus, I will cause thee to die a natural death and will exalt thee to Myself, and will clear thee from the charges of those who disbelieve…'”

[Quran 3:55]

Notice the exact divine sequence: 1. Mutawaffika: Allah causes Isa (AS) to die a natural death. 2. Rafi’uka: Allah raises his soul to Himself. 3. Mutahhiruka: Allah clears his honor from false accusations.

Tawaffa is an Arabic verb that means to take something. When Allah takes (does Tawaffi of) a human, it ONLY means taking of the soul. It never means the taking of the body & soul.

Allah took the soul of Isa (AS) after a full natural lifespan. Then Allah granted him Rafa—the exalted raising of his soul.

• For the full proof of this verse, read: Quran 3:55: Mutawaffika wa Rafi’uka Explained.

5) Al-Rafi Is One of the 99 Attributes of Allah

One of the 99 attributes of Allah is Al-Rāfi’ (الرافع — The Exalter).

Allah raises and exalts believers every single day. Does Allah launch righteous Muslims into the clouds?

The classical authority Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 505 AH) explains this divine attribute in Al-Maqsad al-Asna:

الْخَافِضُ الرَّافِعُ: هُوَ الَّذِي يَخْفِضُ الْكُفَّارَ بِالشَّقَاوَةِ وَيَرْفَعُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِالسَّعَادَةِ، وَيَرْفَعُ أَوْلِيَاءَهُ بِالتَّقْرِيبِ إِلَيْهِ

“Al-Khafid, Ar-Rafi: The One Who Abases the Unbeliever and Exalts the Believer. He is the One who abases the unbelievers through misfortune and exalts the believers through blessedness. He exalts His elect by drawing them near to Him.“

[Al-Maqsad al-Asna fi Sharh Ma’ani Asma’ Allah al-Husna]

Imam Ghazali makes it crystal clear. Rafa is an act where Allah brings believers spiritually closer to Himself. This closeness is purely spiritual proximity, never spatial elevation.

6) How Does One Draw Near to Allah?

How does a person get closer to Allah?

The Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ explained this in an authentic Hadith Qudsi:

يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: أَنَا عِنْدَ ظَنِّ عَبْدِي بِي … وَإِنْ تَقَرَّبَ إِلَىَّ بِشِبْرٍ تَقَرَّبْتُ إِلَيْهِ ذِرَاعًا، وَإِنْ تَقَرَّبَ إِلَىَّ ذِرَاعًا تَقَرَّبْتُ إِلَيْهِ بَاعًا، وَإِنْ أَتَانِي يَمْشِي أَتَيْتُهُ هَرْوَلَةً

“The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Allah says: ‘…if he comes one span nearer to Me, I go one cubit nearer to him; and if he comes one cubit nearer to Me, I go a distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him; and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running.'”

[Sahih al-Bukhari 7405]

Does Allah physically run across physical space? No. It is a metaphor for spiritual closeness and divine love.

Every Muslim also asks for Rafa multiple times every single day. In our daily prayers, between the two prostrations, the Sunnah supplication is:

قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ بَيْنَ السَّجْدَتَيْنِ فِي صَلاَةِ اللَّيْلِ: رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَارْحَمْنِي وَاجْبُرْنِي وَارْزُقْنِي وَارْفَعْنِي

“Between the two prostrations, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to say: ‘O Lord, forgive me, have mercy on me, improve my situation, grant me provision, and raise me [Warfa’ni].'”

[Sunan Ibn Majah 898]

When you say Warfa’ni (“O Allah, raise me”), are you asking Allah to fly your body into space?

Of course not! You are asking Allah to raise your spiritual status and forgive your sins. That is the exact same word used for Isa (AS).

7) Rafa in Hadith and Used by the Sahabah (RA)

The Companions of the Prophet ﷺ understood Rafa perfectly.

They even used the exact phrase Fa-Rafa’ahu Ilayh (“He raised him to Himself”) for Prophet Muhammad ﷺ!

Hazrat Anas bin Malik (RA) stated concerning the demise of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ:

عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿فَإِمَّا نَذْهَبَنَّ بِكَ فَإِنَّا مِنْهُمْ مُنْتَقِمُونَ﴾ قَالَ: أَكْرَمَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ نَبِيَّهُ أَنْ يُرِيَهُ فِي أُمَّتِهِ مَا يَكْرَهُ، فَرَفَعَهُ إِلَيْهِ وَبَقِيَتِ النِّقْمَةُ

“Hazrat Anas bin Malik (RA) said regarding the verse: ‘Whether We take thee away, We shall surely exact retribution from them’: Allah honored His Prophet (ﷺ) by not letting him see in his nation what he would dislike, so He raised him to Himself [Fa-Rafa’ahu Ilayh], and the punishment remained.”

[Shu’ab al-Iman, Hadith 1410]

Look at those words: Fa-Rafa’ahu Ilayh.

Hazrat Anas (RA) used the exact same words for Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as the Quran used for Isa (AS) in 4:158 (Bal Rafa’ahullahu Ilayh).

Did Prophet Muhammad’s physical body fly into space? No. His body was laid to rest in Medina. His soul was raised to Allah in supreme honor.

Furthermore, Hazrat Umar (RA) narrated in Musnad Ahmad:

يَقُولُ اللَّهُ: مَنْ تَوَاضَعَ لِي هَكَذَا رَفَعْتُهُ هَكَذَا، وَجَعَلَ بَاطِنَ كَفِّهِ إِلَى الأَرْضِ، ثُمَّ جَعَلَ كَفَّهُ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ وَرَفَعَهَا نَحْوَ السَّمَاءِ

“Allah, Blessed and Exalted, said: ‘Whoever humbles himself before Me in this way’ — the narrator lowered his palm to the ground — ‘I raise him in this way’ — and he raised his palm toward the sky.“

[Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 309]

Raising the hand toward the sky is a universal gesture signifying spiritual honor, dignity, and acceptance before Allah. It does not mean launching a mortal body into orbit.

Conclusion & Key Takeaways

The claim that Isa (AS) is physically alive in the sky has zero basis in Islam.

Here is the bottom line: – No crucifixion death: Isa (AS) was saved from the accursed death on the cross. That does not mean he never died a natural death. – No sky mentioned: Quran 4:158 says Ilayh (“to Himself”). It never mentions the sky (Samaa) or space. – No mention of alive: The word Hayy (“alive”) is completely absent from the verse. – Clear divine sequence: Quran 3:55 confirms that natural death (Tawaffa) precedes spiritual exaltation (Rafa). – Same phrasing for Muhammad ﷺ: The Sahaba used Fa-Rafa’ahu Ilayh for Prophet Muhammad ﷺ when his soul was raised to Allah upon death.

When Allah raises humans, He raises their souls, their honor, and their status. He never launches mortal bodies into the sky.

To explore the linguistic and theological proofs of Rafa across all classical sources, read our master pillar guide:
👉 What Does Rafa (رفع) Mean in Islam? The Complete Theological Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

What does “Bal Rafa’ahullahu Ilayh” mean in Quran 4:158?

“Bal Rafa’ahullahu Ilayh” means “Rather, Allah raised him up to Himself.” It means Allah rescued Isa (AS) from the accursed death of crucifixion and elevated his soul and spiritual status to Himself in honor.

Does Quran 4:158 state that Jesus was raised to the sky?

No. The verse explicitly says Ilayh (“to Himself”). The Arabic words for sky (Samaa) or outer space do not appear in the verse. Raising to Allah means spiritual elevation, not physical altitude.

Does the Quran say Isa (AS) was raised while alive?

No. The word “alive” (Hayy) does not appear in Quran 4:158 or anywhere else describing his raising. The claim that he was taken bodily alive is an unverified myth with zero textual proof.

How does Quran 3:55 explain the sequence of Rafa?

In Quran 3:55, Allah says Inni Mutawaffika wa Rafi’uka. Natural death (Tawaffa) is stated first, followed by raising to Allah (Rafa). The raising of Isa (AS) occurred after his natural death.

Did the Companions use “Rafa’ahu Ilayh” for Prophet Muhammad ﷺ?

Yes. In Shu’ab al-Iman (Hadith 1410), Hazrat Anas bin Malik (RA) used the exact phrase Fa-Rafa’ahu Ilayh (“so He raised him to Himself”) to describe Prophet Muhammad’s passing. His body remained in Medina while his soul was raised to Allah.