Meaning of Tawaffa (توفى) in Lexicons & Dictionaries

Introduction

Tawaffa (توفى) is an Arabic verb that means to take something. When Allah does the Tawaffi of a human, it ONLY means taking of the soul. This can be at the time of death, or sleep if night is mentioned. There is no other meaning for it. It never means taking of the body and soul or flying towards Allah.

This is exactly what the Arabic lexicons explain. Where are they getting this rule from? It comes from the following verse:

اَللّٰہُ یَتَوَفَّی الۡاَنۡفُسَ حِیۡنَ مَوۡتِہَا وَالَّتِیۡ لَمۡ تَمُتۡ فِیۡ مَنَامِہَا ۚ فَیُمۡسِکُ الَّتِیۡ قَضٰی عَلَیۡہَا الۡمَوۡتَ وَیُرۡسِلُ الۡاُخۡرٰۤی اِلٰۤی اَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّی ؕ اِنَّ فِیۡ ذٰلِکَ لَاٰیٰتٍ لِّقَوۡمٍ یَّتَفَکَّرُوۡنَ

Allah takes away the souls of human beings at the time of their death; and of those also that are not yet dead, during their sleep. And then He retains those against which He has decreed death, and sends back the others till an appointed term. In that surely are Signs for a people who reflect.

[Quran 39:42]

Taajul Urus

تَوَفَّاهُ اللهُ: عزَّ وجلَّ: إِذا (قَبَضَ) نَفْسَه، وَفِي الصِّحاحِ، (رُوْحَهُ)

“And Allah took him – Mighty and Majestic – means when He seized his soul. And in Al-Sihaah (Arabic dictionary), it states “[when He seized] his soul.”

[Taajul Urus, vol. 16, pg. 220]

Al-Qamus al-Muhit

والوَفاةُ: المَوْتُ. وتَوَفَّاهُ اللهُ: قَبَضَ رُوحَه

“Al-Wafat means death. Allah took him: God took his soul”

[Qamus al-Muhit, pg. 1343]

Maqayis al-lughah

وَمِنْهُ يُقَالُ لِلْمَيِّتِ: تَوَفَّاهُ اللَّهُ

“From it, it is said of the dead person: ‘Tawaffahu Allah’ (God took his soul).”

[Maqayis al-lughah, pg. 129]

Imam Al-Zamakhshari

وتُوُفِّيَ فلانٌ ، وتوفاه الله تعالى، وأدركته الوفاة

So-and-so was taken, and Allah took him, and death overtook him.

[Asas Balagha, vol. II, pg.348]

والوفاة : المَنِيَّةُ

وتوفي فلان، وتوفاه الله : إذا قَبَضَ نَفْسَهُ .

وقال غيره : تَوَفِّي الميت بمعنى: استيفاء مدته التي كتبت من عدد أيامه وشُهوره وأعوامه في الدنيا

Al-Wafat: Death

So-and-so was taken, and Allah took him: When He (Allah) took his soul

And others said: Tawaffa of the dead person means the completion of his appointed time that was written of his number of days, months and years in this world.

[Tahdhib al-lughah, vol. 11, pg. 468]

Muhit al-Muhit

وتوفاه الله قبض روحه

وتُوفي فلان على المجهول قبضت روحه ومات

فالله المتوفي والعبد المتوفى

And Allah took him means Allah took his soul.

So-and-so was taken in the passive voice means his soul was taken and he died.

So Allah is the One who takes (al-Mutawaffi) and the servant is the one whose soul is taken (al-Mutawaffa).

[Muhit al-Muhit, vol. 9, pg. 531]

Edward William Lane

“تَوَفَّاهُ ٱللّٰهُ God took his soul [either at death, or in sleep. See the Ḳur-án, vi. 60]: or caused him to die.”

[Lane’s Lexicons, vol. 8, pg. 3057]
[Lexicon Website Link]

Isma’il Bin al-Jawhar

وتَوَفَّاهُ الله، أي قبضَ روحه. والوَفاةُ: الموتُ

‘Tawaffahu Allah’ (God took his soul) means taking his soul.

[Al-Sahih Taj al-Lughah, pg. 1259]
[Lexicon website Link]

Reinhart Dozy

توفي: تصحيف، توفي وفي محيط المحيط: توفاه الله قبض روحه وتوفّي فلان على المجهول قبضت روحه ومات

Allah took his soul, and the person passed away, their soul taken into the unknown, and they died. Allah is the one who takes life, and the servant is the one who passes away.

[Reinhart Dozy (d. 1883 CE)]
[Link]

Ahmad Mukhatar Umar

تُوفِّــيَ يُــتو فَّــى، توفّــيًا and the passive participle مُــتوفًّــى

تُوُفِّــي الشَّخصُ He died, Allah caused him to die.

تُوفِّــي إلى رحمة ربّه: He died/passed away to the mercy of his Lord.

[Ahmad Mukhatar Umar]
[Link]

Almaany

تَوَفَّاهُاللَّهُ:

أَخَذَ رُوحَهُ، أمَاتَهُ.

توفّىالله الشّخص:

أماته، قبض روحَه ، ”توفّاه الله وهو في مقتبل العمر- {اللهُ يَتَوَفَّى الأَنْفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا} ”

He (God) took his soul, He caused him to die.

He (God) caused the person to die, He took his soul. Allah caused him to die while he was in the prime of his life.” {Allah takes the souls at the time of their death}[Quran 39:42]

[Almaany Arabic dictionary]

Faraid al-durriyah

تَوَفَّــاهُ اللّٰهُ

God caused him to die

[Arabic-English Dictionary]

Steingass, English to Arabic

Dead – adj. مييت Mayyit (pl. اموات amwât); موتي Mautâ; متوفي mutawaffa.

[English Arabic Dictionary, Steingass]

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is proven that in the Arabic dictionaries and lexicons, Tawaffa is defined as “taking” and when Allah does Tawaffi (تَوَفَّــاهُ اللّٰهُ) of a human, then it always means taking of the soul. There is no other meaning for it. It never means taking body and soul together, or that one physically flew towards God.

Related Articles

• Tawaffa in Quran
• Tawaffa in Hadith
• Quran 3:55
• Quran 5:117

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Tawaffa (تَوَفَّى) mean in Arabic when Allah is the Subject and a human is the Object?

In every major Arabic lexicon (Lisan al-Arab, Taj al-Arus, Qamus, Aqrab al-Mawarid), when God is the subject (Faa’il) and a human soul/being is the object (Maf’ool), Tawaffa means taking the soul at death (causing to die).

Does Tawaffa ever mean bodily ascent to heaven in Arabic lexicons?

There is not a single instance in classical Arabic dictionaries where Tawaffa applied to a living human by God means lifting their physical body alive into the sky.