Surah Ali 'Imran 3:64-71 - Quran Translation Commentary

(3:64) Tell them, 'O people of the Book! Come to an equitable term between us and you:¹⁰⁸ that we worship none but Allah and associate not aught with Him,¹⁰⁹ and some of us do not declare others as Lords besides Allah.’¹¹⁰ But if they turn their backs, say, 'Bear witness that we are Muslims.’

(3:65) O People of the Book! Why do you dispute with us concerning Ibrahim¹¹¹ while the Tawrah and the Injil were not revealed but after him?! Do you not reason?

(3:66) Here you are disputing in matters that you have some knowledge of, why then do you dispute touching matters you have no knowledge of? Allah knows, you know not.¹¹²

(3:67) Ibrahim in truth was neither a Jew nor a Christian, rather, he was a Muslim, pure of faith.¹¹³ And certainly, he was never of the idolaters.

(3:68) Surely, the nearest of the people to Ibrahim are those who followed him, and this Prophet (Muhammad),¹¹⁴ and those who believe.¹¹⁵ And Allah is the Protector of the believers.

(3:69: A section of the people of the Book wish to deviate you (O Muslims, but), they deviate not but their own selves. But they perceive not.

(3:70) O people of the Book! Why do you reject the signs of Allah while you bear witness?¹¹⁶

(3:71) O people of the Book! Why do you confound the truth with falsehood?,¹¹⁷ and conceal the truth while you know?¹¹⁸

Commentary

108. This verse was revealed when the Jews and Christians were presented with the arguments about the Oneness of Allah and the truth of Islam, but they refused to submit or acknowledge. It summed up and closed the doors for further arguments with them. (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, Imam Razi and others).

According to Qatadah and Rabi`, what is meant by "sawa'un" of the original is (that we come to an agreement that will assure) "justice" (to both of us) Ibn Jarir, Razi, Ibn Kathir.

To Abu al `Aliyyah however, it refers to the central principle, "There is no god but Allah," in which case (adds Ibn Kathir) the word "kalimah" will be understood to mean "a sentence" (Ibn Jarir). Zamakhshari and Shawkani are very near to it when they say that the words following it, i.e., "We worship none but Allah and associate not aught with Him, and do not declare some of us others as Lords, apart from Allah," explain what is meant by the term kalimah.

109. (The New Testament is witness: Au.) "Thou shall worship the Lord thy God, and Him only thou shall serve" (Matthew: 4: 10) – Majid.

110. Asad remarks: ".. the above call is addressed not merely to the Christians, who attribute divinity to Jesus and certain aspects of divinity to their saints, but also to the Jews, who assign a quasi divine authority to Ezra and even to some of their great Talmudic scholars."

Regarding the last part of the verse: "And some of us do not take others as Lords besides Allah," Ibn Jurayj's opinion was that it means, "let not some of us obey others in disobedience of Allah," while to `Ikrimah it means, "Let not some of us prostrate ourselves before others" (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

Ibn Jurayj's opinion is supported by a hadith in Tirmidhi narrated by `Adiyy b. Hatim (who was formerly a Christian) who reported:

عَنْ عَدِيِّ بْنِ حَاتِمٍ قَالَ أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَفِي عُنُقِي صَلِيبٌ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ فَقَالَ يَا عَدِيُّ اطْرَحْ عَنْكَ هَذَا الْوَثَنَ وَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقْرَأُ فِي سُورَةِ بَرَاءَةٌ اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ قَالَ أَمَا إِنَّهُمْ لَمْ يَكُونُوا يَعْبُدُونَهُمْ وَلَكِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا إِذَا أَحَلُّوا لَهُمْ شَيْئًا اسْتَحَلُّوهُ وَإِذَا حَرَّمُوا عَلَيْهِمْ شَيْئًا حَرَّمُوهُ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ لَا نَعْرِفُهُ إِلَّا مِنْ حَدِيثِ عَبْدِ السَّلَامِ بْنِ حَرْبٍ وَغُطَيْفُ بْنُ أَعْيَنَ لَيْسَ بِمَعْرُوفٍ فِي الْحَدِيثِ

“I went to the Prophet (while still a Christian) with a golden cross hanging by my neck. He said, “O `Adiyy, get rid of that idol.” Then I heard him recite out of the Surah Bara’ah, “The took their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah.” He added, "They did not worship them literally, but when they declared something lawful (which was not lawful), they accepted it as lawful; and when they declared something unlawful (which was lawful), they accepted it as unlawful” Zamakhshari, Alusi.

Tirmidhi cast doubt on perfect health of the hadith. It does not appear in any other trustworthy Hadith collection (Au.).

Qurtubi adds: Far from prostration, Islam does not even allow someone to bow down before others. A hadith preserved by Ibn Majah reports Anas b. Malik:

يا رسول الله أينحني بعضنا لبعض؟ قال ( لا ). قلنا أيعانق بعضنا بعضا؟ قال ( لا . ولكن تصافحوا ) - قال الشيخ الألباني: حسن

"We asked: Messenger of Allah. Can we bow down to each other?" He said: "No." We asked: "Shall we hug each other?" He said: "No. But you may shake hands."

Majid quotes: (Christian scholars have not denied the prevalence of saint worship among the Christians: Au.) 'In the long period of twelve hundred years ... the worship of saints and relics corrupted the pure and perfect simplicity of the Christian model' (GRE., III. pp 200 210)ز

Alusi has another point. He says: In the words, 'And do not declare some of us others as Lords,' is a hidden question. How can those who are "of us," and "like us," become gods unto some of us?"

Rashid Rida writes: "The above verse establishes Tawhid (Oneness of Allah) in its completeness. Tawhid has two aspects: "Tawhid al Uluhiyyah" (Unity of God head) and "Tawhid al Rububiyyah" (Unity of Lordship). Now "Tawhid al Uluhiyyah" is contained in the statement: 'We worship none but Allah and associate not aught with Him,' and "Tawhid al Rububiyyah" is contained in: 'Some of us do not take others as Lords besides Allah.'"

(And the importance of this verse as the basis, foundation and central principle of Islam can be gauged from the fact: Al Manar) that the Prophet used to quote it (as in the reports of Bukhari and Muslim), without the first word "say," in his letters to the rulers such as when he wrote to the Roman emperor Heraclius to whom he had sent Dihya al Kalbi (Ibn Kathir, Shawkani).

"Compare and contrast the tenets of orthodox Christianity: 'The church of Christ is the fellowship of all those who accept and profess all the articles transmitted by the Apostles and approved by General Synods. Without this visible Church there is no salvation. It is under the abiding influence of the Holy Ghost, and therefore cannot err in the matters of faith' (EBR. XVI, pp. 939 940) – Majid.

Sayyid Qutb comments: "In this world, whatever earthly system of life a people might follow be it the most advanced democratic system, or a dictatorial one some people always act as Lords over others besides Allah. The first and the major right of Allah, when He is accepted as the Lord, is the right to regulate the lives of the people, which includes the Law, values and the organization of life and society in general. Now, in all earthly systems, the people are made subservient to others, one way or the other. The affair of regulating the life is ultimately handed over to a small group of people among them. This group designs the system, determines the values and regulates the daily affairs of the masses. Thus the rest of the people submit to them and allow them to assume what is the right of Allah alone. In this sense they take them as Lords besides Allah and worship them, even if they do not prostrate themselves before them.

"It is only in a truly Islamic system that the people are liberated from others. Each individual is on the same footing as the other, all at one level, obeying a single Lord.

"It is Islam of this meaning that every Prophet brought to mankind: to free the people from the worship of others and bind them to the worship of Allah alone."

111. "I.e., as to whether the principles he followed were those of the Jewish faith, according to which the Torah is considered to be the final Law of God, or of Christian faith, which conflicts with the former in many cases" (Asad).

112. Shawkani says: The verse teaches us that there is no use in engaging oneself in polemics, especially when the opponent is an ignorant person. In fact, according to a hadith one should not engage in polemics even with those who have knowledge (for one cannot win people to his point through polemics: Au.). One may enter into debates only when one is certain of convincing an opponent, following the Qur'anic dictum (29: 46):

وَلَا تُجَادِلُوا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ [العنكبوت : 46]

"Dispute not with the People of the Book save in the fairest manner."

113. This verse was revealed, as reported by Ibn Ishaq through Ibn `Abbas, when members of the Najran Christian delegation claimed that Ibrahim was a Christian while the Jews asserted that he was a Jew (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir). It says in other words that the Jews and Christians are not on the religion of Ibrahim, nor was he a follower of the Judaism or Christianity of their definition, even though Ibrahim, Musa and `Isa followed the same din al hanif (Razi).

Rashid Rida adds: "Ibrahim (asws) was not a follower of our Prophet Muhammad (saws) either, leading his life by every detail of the Law as revealed to him, since this was also not revealed but after him. Hence, he was not a Muslim in the sense in which we are Muslims. Rather, he was a Muslim in the sense that he had given up false gods and was completely devoted to Allah in his life and its multifarious activities. Most Muslims have forgotten this reality, and think of Ibrahim as one belonging to their racial or national denomination."

Ibn Jarir reports the story of Zayd b. `Amr (one of the four in Makkah who had adopted the din al hanif (the "pure religion," before the advent of Islam: Au.) that he went to Syria seeking a religion to adopt. He met a rabbi to whom he expressed his desire. He told him: "You can't adopt Judaism without agreeing to bear a part of God's anger." Zayd told him he did not have the strength to do that. "Then you better adopt," the rabbi told him, "the religion of Ibrahim the Hanif." Next he met a Christian priest to whom he expressed the same desire. He told him, "You cannot possibly become a Christian without agreeing to share a part of God's curse." Zayd told him he wasn't ready to do that. He was told, "Then adopt the religion of Ibrahim who was a Hanif." Zayd headed back to Makkah promising himself that he would not die but a Hanif. (The concept then prevalent in Arabia of a Hanif was that it was someone who had abandoned all religions, their customs and practices, and had devoted himself to one God: Au.).

114. Sa`id bin Mansur has reported Ibn Mas`ud, and so has Tirmidhi and Bazzar, (Hakim evaluating it as a trustworthy report: Shawkani) with some variations both in the chain of narrators as well as in the text, that the Prophet (saws) said:

إِنَّ لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ وُلَاةً مِنْ النَّبِيِّينَ وَإِنَّ وَلِيِّي أَبِي وَخَلِيلُ رَبِّي. ، ثمّ قَرَأَ: إنّ أولَى النّاسِ بِإِبْرَاهِيمَ لَلّذِينَ اتّبَعُوهُ وَهَذَا النّبيّ وَالذِينَ آمَنُوا والله وَلِيّ المُؤْمِنِينَ

"Every Prophet has friends from among the previous Prophets. My friend from among them is my progenitor and the Khalil of my Lord (i.e. Ibrahim)." Then he recited this verse: "Surely, the nearest of the people to Ibrahim are those who followed him and this Prophet and those who believe (in this new Prophet)" Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir.

Ibn Abi Hatim has also reported that the Prophet addressed his own tribe thus:

يَا مَعْشَرَ قُرَيْشٍ إِنَّ أَوْلَى النَّاسِ بِالنَّبِيِّ الْمُتَّقُونَ فَكُونُوا أَنْتُمْ بِسَبِيلِ ذَلِكَ فَانْظُرُوا أَنْ لا يَلْقَانِي النَّاسُ يَحْمِلُونَ الأَعْمَالَ، وَتَلْقَوْنِي بِالدُّنْيَا تَحْمِلُونَهَا فَأَصُدَّ عَنْكُمْ بِوَجْهِي , ثُمَّ قَرَأَ عَلَيْهِمْ هَذِهِ الآيَةَ: " إِنَّ أَوْلَى النَّاسِ بِإِبْرَاهِيمَ لَلَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ وَهَذَا النَّبِيُّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَاللَّهُ وَلِيُّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ " تفسير ابن أبي حاتم - (3 / 37)

"O Quraysh. People closest to Ibrahim are the godfearing. Follow this path, and it should not happen that people come to me (on the Day of Judgment) bearing good deeds and you come to me loaded with this world so that I divert my looks from you." Then he recited this verse.

Hasan (al Basri) has added: "Every believer is Ibrahim's friend: both from the past nations as well as those who follow (until the end of the world) Shawkani.

115. Majid quotes a Western scholar as witness. 'The true heir of Jewish thoughts', observes a Christian historian of recent times, 'is Islamism, the modern religion of the Semitic races. By depriving Christianity of its Greek elements, by setting aside the ideas of the incarnation of the Divine in humanity, which spanned the gulf between God and man, Muhammad restored Semitic monotheism to its pristine severity' (HHW. II. p. 171).

116. According to Suddi and Qatadah, this refers to those sections of the revelation in the Qur'an which are common with those in the Jewish and Christian Scriptures (Qurtubi). However, it could also refer to the denial of the truth of Islam by the Jews and Christians when confronted with their followers while they admitted its truths in their hearts. Yet another possibility is ‘their rejection of the implications of the texts in Tawrah and Injil, which is tantamount to the rejection of those Scriptures’ (Razi).

117. Qatadah, Rabi` and Ibn Jurayj say that the people of the Book used to bundle teachings of Judaism, Christianity and Islam into one whole to confuse the Muslims (Ibn Jarir).

118. As do the innovators (ahl al bid`ah) in our times concealing the well researched works of the scholars from their ignorant followers (Razi).