Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:116-120 - Quran Translation Commentary

116. And when Allah will say: “O Eesa, son of Maryam! Did you say to the people, ‘take me and my mother for two gods beside Allah?”²⁷⁹ He will say: “You are Immaculately pure.²⁸⁰ Never could I say what I had no right²⁸¹ (to say). Had I said such a thing, You would indeed have known it, You know what is in my heart, though I know not what is in Yours, verily You alone know in full what is hidden.

117. “Never did I say to them anything except what You commanded me to say, that ‘worship Allah my Lord and your Lord’;²⁸² And I was a witness over them as long as I remained amongst them; when You took me in your possession,²⁸³ You were watchful over them, and You are a witness to all things.

118. “If you punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, You are the Mighty, the Wise.”²⁸⁴

119. Allah will say: “This is a day on which the truthful will benefit from their truthfulness;²⁸⁵ theirs are gardens with rivers flowing beneath, they will live therein for ever; Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Allah,” This is the great success.

120. To Allah belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is therein, and He has power over all things.

Commentary

279. The Christians not only worship the Christ, but they also worship his mother, Maryam or Mary, and this is the inevitable result of their belief that prophet Eesa is the son of God. When prophet Eesa is considered as God (Allah gives us refuge from this blasphemy), then why not his mother, who gave birth to him, be considered another god. Accordingly she was given the title of Mother of God:

“It was at Ephesus, the city of the goddess, that the earliest proof is found of an established cult of the Virgin Mary as the Mother of God, and in the council held at Ephesus in A.D.431 this cult was definitely established as a feature of the orthodox ritual.” –(Ency. of Religion and Ethics,Vol. IX p.908). It should be noted that at the time of the revelation of Quran the protestant sect of the Christian had not existed.

It came into existence centuries after the advent of Islam. At that time Catholic and other sects existed, e.g. Jacobites, Nastorian, Marian, etc. There were differences in beliefs among these sects. Some said that God had come as the Messiah, therefore the person of the Christ is the person of God. Some believed in Trinity, i.e. Father, Son and the Holy Spirit all three were combined in godhood. Some considered the Holy Spirit as god in place of Maryam, and some thought along with the three components of trinity, Maryam was also worthy of worship being Mother of God. (Please see Arazul Quran (Urdu) by Sayed Sulaiman Nadavi Vol. II pages 196 to 199).

280. That is: You are completely free and pure from any partnership or association in your Godhood.

281. This is the statement of denial that prophet Eesa will give in the Hereafter in the court of Allah, which Quran is presenting to the world in advance, particularly for the information of the Christians that they must realize that the invented things which are being ascribed to the Christ have 387 S.5 no substance whatsoever.

282. For explanation, please see Note No.76, Surah Al-i-Imran.

283. In the text the word “tawaffaitani” has been used, which here means to take or to seize or to end the time. The explanation of this word has been given in Note No.82, Surah Al-i- Imran.

Since Prophet Eesa was raised up alive in the heaven by Allah, the words uttered by him ‘You took me in Your possession, interpret the event correctly instead of the words “You caused my death.” Similarly the words ‘I remained amongst them’ are more appropriate than the words “I was alive amongst them”.

284. This statement of the Christ is pathetic as well as responsible. He will not intercede in favour of the Christians, because intercession or appeal for mercy for the polytheists is not permissible. Instead he will entrust their case to Allah, who has the power and authority to decide whatever He pleases, and His decision will essentially be just. This refutes the statement of the Bible in which it is stated:

“The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the son,” (John 5:22)

On the Day of Judgment when the worshippers of Christ will see that Allah Himself is conducting the court and Christ has no authority whatsoever in the Court and that he has appeared merely as a witness, then the whole edifice of their belief in Christianity will collapse and they will receive the shock of their life.

This statement of the Christ is so realistic and so effective that it can melt the most hard-hearted men. what a pity that the worshippers of Christ do not ponder over this!

285. That is: Today only those will reach their goal who were truthful in the world, who believed firmly in the oneness of God, and who did not introduce or follow any innovations in the Religion of Allah.