What is the meaning of "the day I die" in verse 33 of Surah Maryam: "And peace be upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I am raised alive"? And what is the meaning of verse 159 of Surah An-Nisa: "And there is none from the People of the Scripture but that he will surely believe in him before his death; and on the Day of Resurrection, he will be a witness against them"?

The interpretation of Allah's saying: ("And peace be upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I am raised alive.") (Maryam/33): This means the safety of Jesus, peace be upon him, from Satan on the day of his birth, his safety from the horror of the grave on the day of his death, and his safety from terror on the Day of Resurrection. The meaning is that Jesus, peace be upon him, will be safe in his three states: in the world while alive, in the grave after death, and in the Hereafter after being resurrected. This does not negate his death; rather, it speaks of his conditions in these stages.

As for Allah's saying: ("And there is none of the People of the Scripture but that he will surely believe in him before his death; and on the Day of Resurrection, he will be a witness against them.") (An-Nisa/159), there are two interpretations for it:

1. The pronoun in "his death" refers to Jesus, peace be upon him. That is, the People of the Scripture will believe in Jesus before his death when he descends at the end of time, breaks the cross, kills the pigs, and abolishes the jizya, accepting only Islam. At that time, they will know that he had not died before. This is the preferred view according to Al-Tabari, Ibn Kathir, and others, and it is supported by the hadiths about the descent of Jesus, peace be upon him. 2. The pronoun refers to the person from the People of the Scripture himself. That is, the People of the Scripture will believe in Jesus when they witness the throes of death and the manifestation of truths, but this belief will not benefit them at that time.

The verse does not indicate the death of Jesus, peace and blessings be upon him; rather, it speaks of an unseen matter that will occur in the future or of the belief of the person from the People of the Scripture at his death.