Tafheem ul Quran
Surah 3 Ali 'Imran, Ayat 64-71
قُلۡ يٰۤـاَهۡلَ الۡكِتٰبِ تَعَالَوۡا اِلٰى كَلِمَةٍ سَوَآءٍۢ بَيۡنَـنَا وَبَيۡنَكُمۡ اَلَّا نَـعۡبُدَ اِلَّا اللّٰهَ وَلَا نُشۡرِكَ بِهٖ شَيۡـئًا وَّلَا يَتَّخِذَ بَعۡضُنَا بَعۡضًا اَرۡبَابًا مِّنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰهِؕ فَاِنۡ تَوَلَّوۡا فَقُوۡلُوا اشۡهَدُوۡا بِاَنَّا مُسۡلِمُوۡنَ
﴿3:64﴾
يٰۤـاَهۡلَ الۡكِتٰبِ لِمَ تُحَآجُّوۡنَ فِىۡۤ اِبۡرٰهِيۡمَ وَمَاۤ اُنۡزِلَتِ التَّوۡرٰٮةُ وَالۡاِنۡجِيۡلُ اِلَّا مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِهٖؕ اَفَلَا تَعۡقِلُوۡنَ
﴿3:65﴾
هٰۤاَنۡـتُمۡ هٰٓؤُلَآءِ حٰجَجۡتُمۡ فِيۡمَا لَـكُمۡ بِهٖ عِلۡمٌ فَلِمَ تُحَآجُّوۡنَ فِيۡمَا لَـيۡسَ لَـكُمۡ بِهٖ عِلۡمٌؕ وَاللّٰهُ يَعۡلَمُ وَاَنۡـتُمۡ لَا تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ
﴿3:66﴾
مَا كَانَ اِبۡرٰهِيۡمُ يَهُوۡدِيًّا وَّلَا نَصۡرَانِيًّا وَّ لٰكِنۡ كَانَ حَنِيۡفًا مُّسۡلِمًا ؕ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الۡمُشۡرِكِيۡنَ
﴿3:67﴾
اِنَّ اَوۡلَى النَّاسِ بِاِبۡرٰهِيۡمَ لَـلَّذِيۡنَ اتَّبَعُوۡهُ وَهٰذَا النَّبِىُّ وَالَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا ؕ وَاللّٰهُ وَلِىُّ الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ
﴿3:68﴾
وَدَّتۡ طَّآئِفَةٌ مِّنۡ اَهۡلِ الۡكِتٰبِ لَوۡ يُضِلُّوۡنَكُمؕۡ وَمَا يُضِلُّوۡنَ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡفُسَهُمۡ وَمَا يَشۡعُرُوۡنَ
﴿3:69﴾
يٰۤـاَهۡلَ الۡكِتٰبِ لِمَ تَكۡفُرُوۡنَ بِاٰيٰتِ اللّٰهِ وَاَنۡـتُمۡ تَشۡهَدُوۡنَ
﴿3:70﴾
يٰۤـاَهۡلَ الۡكِتٰبِ لِمَ تَلۡبِسُوۡنَ الۡحَـقَّ بِالۡبَاطِلِ وَتَكۡتُمُوۡنَ الۡحَـقَّ وَاَنۡـتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ
﴿3:71﴾
(3:64) Say:56 'People of the Book! Come to a word common between
us and you:57 that we shall serve none but Allah and shall associate
none with Him in His divinity and that some of us will not take others as lords
beside Allah.' And if they turn their backs (from accepting this call), tell
them: 'Bear witness that we are the ones who have submitted ourselves exclusively
to Allah.' (3:65) People of the Book! Why do you dispute with us about Abraham even
though the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed until after the time of Abraham?
Do you not understand?58 (3:66) Behold, you are those who have disputed greatly concerning matters
which you knew; why are you now disputing about matters that you know nothing
about? Allah knows it whereas you do not know. (3:67) Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian; he was a Muslim, wholly
devoted to God.59 And he certainly was not amongst those who associate
others with Allah in His divinity. (3:68) Surely the people who have the best claim to a relationship with Abraham
are those who followed him in the past, and presently this Prophet and those
who believe in him; Allah is the guardian of the men of faith. (3:69) A party of the People of the Book would fain lead you astray, whereas
in truth they lead none astray except themselves, but they do not realize it.
(3:70) O People of the Book! Why do you reject the signs of Allah even though
you yourselves witness them?60 (3:71) People of the Book! Why do you confound Truth with falsehood, and
why do you conceal the Truth knowingly?
Notes
56. This marks the beginning of the third discourse of this surah. Its contents
invite the conclusion that the surah was revealed sometime between the battles
of Badr and Uhud. The subjects of these three discourses are so closely interrelated
that some commentators have wrongly understood the verses which follow to be
part of the foregoing discourse. From the whole tenor of the discourse which
now begins, however, it is evident that it is addressed to the Jews.
57. The invitation here is for the two parties to agree on something believed
in by one of them, the Muslims, and the soundness of which could hardly be denied
by the other party, the Christians. For this was the belief of their own Prophets
and had been taught in their own scriptures.
58. That is, both Judaism and Christianity came into existence after the
Torah and the Injil had been revealed; Abraham had lived much earlier than that.
Thus it can easily be grasped that the religion of Abraham could not have been
that of either Judaism or Christianity. If Abraham was on the right path and
had attained salvation it is obvious that one need not follow either, Judaism
or Christianity in order to be on the right path and to attain salvation. (See
also (Surah 2, nn. 135 and 141 above.)
59. The word hanif denotes someone who turns his face away from all other
directions in order to follow one particular course. We have tried to convey
this sense through the expression: 'a Muslim, wholly devoted to God'.
60. Another rendering of this could be, 'and you yourselves bear witness'
to Muhammad's prophethood. However it is translated the sense remains the same.
In fact, the impeccable purity of the life of the Prophet, the astounding impact
of his teachings and training on the lives of his Companions, and the loftiness
of the teachings of the Qur'an all constituted such illustrious signs of God
that it was very difficult for anyone conversant with the lives of the Prophets
and the tenor of Divine Scriptures to doubt the prophethood of Muhammad (peace
be on him).
It is a fact that many Jews and Christians (especially their scholars) came,
to recognize in their hearts that Muhammad was the very Prophet whose coming
had been announced by the preceding Prophets. This fact was so overwhelming
that, despite their intransigence, they could not help but give verbal expression,
at times, to the truth of the Prophet's teachings. This is why the Qur'an repeatedly
blames them for maliciously misrepresenting the signs of God which they saw
with their own eyes and to which they themselves attested.