Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 2 Al-Baqarah, Ayat 139-139

قُلۡ اَ تُحَآجُّوۡنَـنَا فِى اللّٰهِ وَهُوَ رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّکُمۡۚ وَلَنَآ اَعۡمَالُـنَا وَلَـكُمۡ اَعۡمَالُكُمۡۚ وَنَحۡنُ لَهٗ مُخۡلِصُوۡنَۙ‏ ﴿2:139﴾

(2:139) Say (O Prophet): “Will you then dispute with us concerning Allah when He is our Lord and your Lord?138 Our deeds are for us and your deeds are for you. And it is Him that we serve exclusively.”139


Notes

138. The one principle that the Prophet and his followers unreservedly stood for was that God alone should be served. Does that call for dispute and quarrel? If anyone, it is the Muslims who are entitled to quarrel with the Jews and Christians, for it is they rather than the Muslims who insist that others beside God should also be made objects of service and adoration.

An alternative translation of this portion could be: 'Would you then dispute with us for the sake of Allah?' In this case the meaning of the verse would be that if their dispute was sincere, it was easy to put an end to it by, agreeing to serve none but God.

139. They are told that everyone is responsible for his own conduct. If they have earmarked a part of their service and devotion to others than God, let them do so and see for themselves what it leads to. The Muslims did not want to keep them from error by force. As for themselves, they had consecrated their service, obedience and worship to God alone. If the Jews and Christians could bring themselves to recognize the right of the Muslims to do so, the dispute could automatically be brought to an end,