[Prophet,] say [to these Nazarenes], "O People of the Book, come towards a word
that is common between us and you that we shall not worship anything except [the
One] God, we shall neither hold anything equal to Him nor shall anyone of us
hold one another as deities[1]
besides the [One] God."[2]
If they persist in turning away [from your call] then say to them: "Be witnesses
that we have submitted [ourselves to the One God only]."[3]
(64)
[The
Jews say that Abraham was a Jew and the Nazarenes say that Abraham was a
Nazarene. Say to them:] "O People of the Book, why do you debate regarding [the
path of] Abraham,[4]
when in fact, the Torah and the Gospel were only revealed after him? Do you not
even understand this [obvious reality]? It is you who have been debating things
that you had some knowledge of, now why are you indulging in debating things of
which you have no knowledge at all. And [the fact is that] God is fully aware
[of all these matters that you are debating about] whereas you do not know
[them]. [And God informs you on the basis of His absolute knowledge that]
Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Nazarene, but was completely devoted in
submission [to the One God] and he was not from amongst the polytheists.[5]
Indeed, the people most deserving of being ascribed to Abraham are those who
followed him [in devotion and submission] and [they are represented by] this
Prophet and those who have believed in him [and have put their trust in God].
And God indeed is the guardian of these believers.[6]
(65 - 68)
[Believers,] a group among these People of the Book wishes to lead you astray,
but [by trying to do so] they are only leading themselves astray and they do not
even realize it. O People of the Book, why do you reject the verses of God [that
are being revealed], while you are [actually] witnesses to their verity?[7]
O People of the Book, why do you embellish the Truth with lies, and hide the
Truth, while you are well aware of it?[8]
(69 - 71)
And [in
their efforts to lead you astray,] a group among these People of the Book says:
"[Pretend to] believe in that which has been revealed upon these believers in
the early part of the day and reject it at the end [of it] so that these
believers too should revert back [to
their previous beliefs].[9]
And do not listen to anyone except those who follow your religion." - Say to
them: "True guidance is only God's guidance" - [And they say, "Do not pay heed
to anyone except the people of your own faith,] or else another people may be
granted the same position[10]
as you have been granted or they may dispute with you in the presence of your
Lord [on the Day of Judgment]."[11]
Say to them: "All the blessings are in the hands of God and He grants them to
whomsoever He pleases [according to His absolute Knowledge and Wisdom], and God
is extremely generous [in granting His blessings] and has complete knowledge [of
who is most deserving of these blessings].[12]
[His decisions are not bound by your preferences, but rather] He selects for His
blessings whomsoever He desires. He indeed possesses infinite blessings. (72 -
74)
And
[how can these People of the Book claim to be the sole beneficiaries of all of
God's blessings, when the fact is that many among them do not even abide by the
basic moral codes?] Among these People of the Book are those whom if you
entrust with a heap of gold they will readily return it to you [when you request
it back]; but among them are also those whom if you entrust with a penny will
not return it to you, unless you importunately pursue them for it. That is
because they say that: "We have no obligation whatsoever [of righteous behavior]
towards the unlettered [Arabs]." And [this is an example of how] they ascribe
falsehood to God, while being fully aware of it. Indeed, [the fact is] whoever
[among these People of the Book] fulfills his covenant with God and lives his
life within the limits prescribed by Him [he surely deserves the blessings of
God], for [indeed] God loves the pious.[13]
[And these claimants of God's blessings must remember that] those who trade away
God's covenant and the oaths[14]
[that they have entered with Him] at a meager price [of worldly gains], they
will have no share [of God's blessings] in the Hereafter. On the Day of
Resurrection, God will neither address them[15]
nor look towards them [with any kindness], nor will He cleanse them [of their
misdeeds].[16]
And [on that day,] they will only receive an agonizing punishment. (75 - 77)
And
among them are also those who would twist their tongues while reciting the Book
[of God], so that you would reckon that what they are saying is from the Book;
whereas it [actually] is not from the Book. And they say that it is [a
directive] from God, whereas it is actually not [a directive] from God. And [in
this way,] they ascribe falsehood to God, while being fully aware of it. [Not
only do they ascribe their lies to God, but also to their prophets. Do they not
see that] it is in no way befitting for a man that God grants him His Book and
[the ability of] judgment [according to the Book] and prophethood and then that
man calls people saying: 'Be my worshippers rather than of God alone.' Instead
[he would only call out to them, saying:] 'Become Godly people, because you read
God's Book and teach it to others'. And he would never instruct people to hold
the angels and the prophets as gods. How, [after all,] can he call you towards
such clear rejection of faith after you have become believers? (78 - 80)
And
[remind them of the time, O Prophet] when God made with them the covenant
relating to His prophets, [saying]: "Because I have blessed you with the Law and
the Wisdom, [now] when a prophet comes to you confirming that which is already
with you, you shall believe in him and shall support him." Then He said: "'Do
you accept this covenant and do you commit [yourselves] to bearing the burden of
this responsibility that I assign you?" They said: "We accept." He said: "Then
be witnesses of this [covenant] and I too shall be a witness [of it]. Now,
whoever turns away from fulfilling this covenant, they indeed are the
disobedient. (81 - 82)
[However, now that the Prophet has come to them, they have brushed aside their
covenant with God.] Do they desire a religion other than God's, while everything
in the heavens and the earth, whether willfully or under compulsion, submits to
Him and to Him it shall be returned[17].
[Let them be averse to God's religion. You should be firm in your submission to
God.] Say: 'We believe in the One God and in whatever has been revealed to us as
well as in whatever was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and to their
descendants; and whatever was given to Moses and to Jesus and to the prophets
from their Lord. We do not make distinctions between any of them [believing in
some and rejecting others]; [They are all God's prophets] and [we believe in all
of them, thus] we submit to Him [completely][18].'
[This is the religion of submission to God.] And whoever desires [for himself] a
religion other than that of submission to God, it shall not be accepted from
him,[19]
and in the Hereafter, he will be among the losers. (83 - 85)
[You
desire that they become believers like you.] How can God bless a people with
guidance [towards His religion], who - after having been convinced [of what the
truth is] -
choose rejection while they are witnesses [to the fact] that the Prophet is true
and while manifest signs [about his truthfulness] have also come to them? And
[the fact is that] God does not guide a people who are bent upon injustice.
Their reward is [only] that upon them be the curse of God, and that of the
angels and of all the people.[20]
They will abide in this [cursed hell] forever. Neither will their punishment
ever be lessened nor will they be given any respite. Except for those who repent
after this [warning] and amend their behavior [they surely shall enjoy the
fruits of God's mercy], for God indeed, is Forgiving, ever Merciful. [On the
other hand,] those who rejected God, after having been fully convinced and then kept increasing in their rejection, [even if they were to project
repentance to save themselves from the punishment at the hands of the believers]
their repentance shall never be accepted [by God]. These indeed are the ones
gone astray. Similarly, those who have rejected [this guidance] and die in this
state of rejection, even if each one of them were to offer an earth full of gold
as their ransom [to escape God's punishment], it would not be accepted from
them. They are the ones for whom there will be a painful punishment. And they
will have no one to help them [there].[21]
(86 - 91)
[In
their rejection, they are only deceived by their belief that their adherence to
their rituals makes them pious in the eyes of God. Inform them:] You shall never
attain piety, unless you spend [in the way of God] out of that which you hold
dear. And remember that whatever you spend [in the way of God, you will be fully
rewarded for it], for God is fully aware of it. (92)
[They
say that if this Prophet confirms the laws of the Torah, why then does he allow
some of the things that were prohibited by the Torah. Tell them:] All eatables
were allowed for the Israelites too, except for those that Israel had prohibited
upon himself, on his own, before the revelation of the Torah. Say to them: Bring
the Torah and recite it, if you are truthful.[22]
Now, whoever ascribes lies in this regard to God even after this
[clarification], they indeed are the unjust. Say: God has informed us of the
Truth. Therefore, now [rather than remaining engrossed in your prejudices,]
follow the path of Abraham, who was completely devoted [to the One God] and was
not one of the polytheists. (93 - 95)
[They also object
against the Ka`bah as the Qiblah. Tell them:] The first house of worship that
was set up for people is indeed the one that is in Makkah, as a great blessing
and [as a center of] guidance for humanity. There are clear signs of this fact:[23]
It is the place where Abraham stayed; whoever enters it is granted impunity; and
whoever has the capability of traveling to it, upon him is the obligation of the
Hajj of this House, for the One God.[24]
[These are all clear signs of the fact that this was the house of worship that
God ordained to be built.] And whoever persists in rejecting this fact, then [he
will surely bear the burden of his rejection. They must remember that] God,
indeed, is clear of any need for the whole world. (96 - 97)
Ask
them: O People of the Book, why do you reject these verses of God, while God is
a witness of whatever you are doing? Ask them: O People of the Book, why do you
hinder those who have believed from taking to the path of God? You persist in
trying to find faults in it, while you are witnesses [of its being the truth].
[You should have been the ones to have preceded all others in believing it] and
[remember] God is not ignorant of what you are doing. (98 - 99)
********************
[1]
In the context of the People of the Book, holding other humans as deities
implies investing authority in certain men to prohibit what is permissible
by God, and sanction what is forbidden by God; but claiming it to be on the
authority of God.
[2]
These are all the elements of faith that, in principle, were agreed upon by
the Nazarenes.
[3]
i.e., this is the Truth that we have submitted to and towards which we have
invited you. However, if you still do not accept it and persist in rejecting
it, then we have nothing more to say to you. We have submitted to the One
God, accepting this manifest Truth.
[4]
Both the Jews and the Nazarenes claimed Abraham (pbuh) to be one of them.
The Qur'an, in response to their claims, has only referred to the fact that
the birth of both the Jewish and the Nazarene religions took place centuries
after the advent of Abraham (pbuh). How then could Abraham (pbuh) have been
a Jew or a Nazarene?
[5]
All three groups in the environment of the revelation of the Qur'an - the
Jews, the Nazarenes and the Polytheists of the Banu Ishmael - claimed to be
the true followers of the path of Abraham (pbuh). The Qur'an has
unequivocally stated that neither of these groups is correct in its claim,
as Abraham (pbuh) was not a Jew, or a Nazarene or a polytheist. On the
contrary, Abraham (pbuh) was devout in his submission to the One God only.
[6]
Thus, these believers will ultimately dominate all of their adversaries, as
was witnessed in the Arabian Peninsula immediately after the conquest of
Makkah.
[7]
That is, having been aware of the previous revelations of God, you are not
only aware of all the basic teachings entailed in this new book (i.e. the
Qur'an), but you were actually made witnesses of these teachings to the rest
of the human kind.
[8]
Especially relating to Abraham's (pbuh) connection with the Ka`bah and
relating to the prophecies made by the previous prophets of God about the
advent of the last Prophet (pbuh).
[9]
Being the possessors of God's previous guidance, the Jews and the Nazarenes
were held in great regard by the Arabs It was to take advantage of this
prestige that they enjoyed among the Arabs, these people of the Book would
conspire in various ways to revert those who had accepted the call of the
new Prophet (pbuh) Here the Qur'an has referred to one of their
conspiracies. By pretending to have accepted in the morning and then
rejecting it later in the day, the People of the Book would give the
impression that even though they had accepted Islam in their sincerity
towards God, they could not find any truth in this religion and had,
therefore, decided to revert back to their original faith.
[10] i.e., the position of being the bearers of God's
guidance to man.
[11] These people of the Book would foolishly suggest
to their followers that no one should say or hold anything in favor of this
new Prophet (pbuh), as it may give an argument in the hands of the
believers, which they would present in the presence of God, on the Day of
Judgment.
[12] That is, God is not influenced in His decisions
by your petty prejudices. On the contrary, God's decisions are based on His
unbound generosity and His absolute knowledge of who is most deserving of
this generosity.
[13] Even though God's general blessings in the life
of this world are common to both believers and non-believers, the criterion
of success in the life hereafter is to remain faithful in God's submission
and to fulfill the covenants that man has made with him. Ascription or
non-ascription to any particular group holds no importance in this regard.
The covenant referred to here relates to the covenant made by the People of
the Book made in regard to believing in the last Prophet of God. Detailed
reference to this incident will come in the following verses.
[14] This is especially with reference to the
covenant and promises of the Israelites regarding believing and supporting
the last Prophet of God. This covenant is mentioned in detail in verse 81,
below.
[15] God's refusal to address them directly,
signifies His dislike and His repulsion for such people. Such people will
not be worthy of God's attention and address.
[16] Their sin is so grave that they cannot be
cleansed of it with anything less than eternal punishment in the fires of
hell.
[17] Everything is bound by the natural limits God
imposed upon it and there is no escaping these limits even after death; for
death will only return everything back to its Creator.
[18] This is a basic tenet of the religion of Islam -
complete submission to the One God. A Muslim - one who submits completely to
the One God - believes in all the revelations of God and does not make a
distinction between any one or other of the prophets of God.
[19] God has only required man to submit to Him.
Therefore, no other religion except for the religion of complete submission
to Him is acceptable to God.
[20] All the people will curse them on the Day of
Judgment. The believers among people will curse them for their enmity
towards the truth of God, while the rejecters will curse them because they
were guided towards rejection and disbelief by them.
[21] Neither their self-proclaimed gods nor their
ancestors, whom they are relying on, will be of any help to them, against
God's punishment.
[22] That is, you can see for yourself that none of
these things were prohibited for the Israelites during the times of Abraham
(pbuh).
[23] That is, there are clear signs of the fact that
this was the house of God's worship made by Abraham (pbuh).
[24] The Qur'an has brought to attention three signs
that clearly substantiate the fact that the Ka`bah was constructed by
Abraham (pbuh): firstly, Makkah was Abraham's (pbuh) abode; secondly, the
age old status of a sanctuary that has always been respected and honored by
the Arabs; and finally, the practice of the Hajj of the Ka`bah which had
been transmitted among the Arabs through consensus and practical
perpetuation as a religious obligation initiated by Abraham (pbuh).