النص المفهرس

64
Surah 'Al-‘Imran 3: 38
So, her Lord accepted her, a good acceptance, and
made her grow, a good growth, and made Zakariyya
her guardian. Whenever Zakariyya visited her in the
Arch, he found with her some food. He said: "Maryam,
from where has it come for you?" She said: "It is from
Allah. Surely, Allah gives whom He wills without
measure." [37]
Commentary
In order to fulfil her vow, Sayyidah Maryam's mother took her to
the Mosque of Baitul-Maqdis and talked to the care-takers and wor-
shippers at the Mosque, Sayyidna Zakariyya being one of them, and.
told them that she had vowed to dedicate the child in the service of
God and therefore, she could not keep the child with her. She asked
them to take her and keep her.
Sayyidna 'Imran was the Imam of this Mosque. He had died during
the pregnancy of Maryam's mother, otherwise he would have been the
most deserving person to have taken charge of the child, being the
father and the Imam of the Mosque. Therefore, every keeper and
worshipper of the Mosque wished to take her in his custody. Sayyidna
Zakariyya pleaded his bid for custody by saying that his wife was
Maryam's aunt and she being next to her mother certainly deserved to
keep her. But, people did not agree to prefer him over the others.
Finally, everybody agreed to draw lots, which turned out to be fairly
strange as it would appear later. Here too, it was Sayyidna Zakariyya
.who turned out to be the winner عليه السلام
So, he got custody of Maryam. According to some reports, he em-
ployed a wet-nurse to have her suckled. Other reports say that she
just did not need to be suckled. She grew up able to sit and walk and
Sayyidna Zakariyya WWJILle put her in a good house adjacent to the
Mosque. When he went out, he locked the house and opened it on re-
turn. This has been stated briefly in the present verse.
Verse 38
هُنَالِكَ دَعَا زَكَرِيَّا رَبَّنْ قَالَ رَتٍّ هَبٌ لِىٌ مِنْ لَّدُنْكَ ذُرِيَّةٌ
طَيِّبََّ إِنَّكَ سَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِ (٣٨)
Thereupon, Zakariyya prayed to his Lord. He said: "O

65
Surah 'Al-‘Imran 3: 38
my Lord, grant me from Your own (power) a goodly
progeny. Verily, You are the listener of the prayer." [38]
Commentary
1. While looking at the first sentence of this verse - Es; les we'
(Thereupon, Zakariyya prayed to his Lord) - we should bear in mind
that Sayyidna Zakariyya had no offspring upto that time. He had
grown old and one usually does not have children in that age, although
he firmly believed that Allah, in His ultimate power, could change the
usual phenomenon and bless him with an offspring even at his ad-
vanced age. But he had not personally witnessed the unusual divine
acts - such as he did when he saw unusual and out-of-season eatables
provided for Sayyidah Maryam - and that was why he did not have the
courage to extend his hand of prayer for an offspring. Now when he
saw the miracle with his own eyes, he was persuaded for such prayer
under the belief that Allah, who can provide a servant with out-of-
season fruits, would also bless him with an offspring, even in this late
age, and so he prayed.
2. The second sentence of the verse - ◌ٌقَالَ رَبِّ هُبُ لِىٌ مِنْ لَدُنُكَ ذُرِّيَّةً طَيِّبَة :'He
said: "O my Lord, grant me from Your own (power) a goodly progeny."
- tells us that making prayers to have children is a blessed practice of
the prophets and the righteous.
وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا وُسْلاً مِنُ قَبْلِكَ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُمُ:In another verse Allah Almighty has said
SEGÍ: "And We sent messengers before you and provided them with
wives and children"- (13:38). It means that children are among the
blessings of Allah which were bestowed on the Holy Prophet & as well
as on other prophets.
Now, should someone try to stop the birth of children, by any
means, he will not only rebel against nature but will also deprive him-
self of having acted in harmony with the common and agreed practice
of prophets عليهم السلام .The Holy Prophet of Islam صلى الله عليه وسلم has given
great importance to the question of marriage and children, so much so
that he did not allow anyone to avoid married life and children inspite
of his capability, and refused to take such a person as a member of his
community of followers. He said:
(١) النِّكَامُ مِنْ سُنَّتِى

66
Surah 'Al-‘Imran 3: 39
(٢) فَمَنْ رَغِبَ عَنُ سُنَّتِىٌ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّئُ
(٣) تَزَوَّجُوا الْوَدُوْدَ الْوَلُؤَدَ فَإِنِّىُ مُكَّانِرًا بِكُمُ الْأُمَمَ
(1) Marriage is my sunnah (way).
(2) So, whoever turns away from my sunnah, he is not from
me.
(3) Therefore, marry a woman who is loving and fertile, for [
shall compete with other communities on the basis of your
numbers.
In another verse, Allah Almighty praises those who pray before
Him to have a wife in marriage, have children and have them grow
good and righteous. He says:
وَالَّذِيْنَ يَقُوْلُوُنَ رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنّا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّتِنَا قُرّةَ أَعْيُنٍ
And those who say: "O our Lord, bless us with such among our
wives and our children as be the delight of our eyes. (25:74)
Hasan al-Basri, Al ", says that the Qur'anic expression - 'qurrata
a'yun' (literally: coolness or lustre of the eyes; meaning someone dearly
loved and cherished) - here means that the maker of prayer sees his
children and wife devoted in obedience to Allah.
It appears in a hadith that Umm Sulaym رضى الله عنها requested the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to pray for his attendant, Sayyidna Anas.
He made the following prayer for him:
اَللَّهُمَّ أَكْثِرُ مَالَهُ وَ وَلَدَهْ وَ بَارِكُ لَهُ فِيْمَا أَعْطَيْتَنْ
O Allah, increase his wealth and his children and make him
prosper in what You have bestowed on him.
It was the outcome of this very prayer that Sayyidna Anas Le Jul,
had about a hundred children and was also blessed with an ample
measure of wealth.
Verse 39
فَنَادَتُّهُ الْلَئِكَةُ وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ تُصَلِّىُّ فِى الْحُرَابِ أَنَّ اللهَ يُبَشِّكَ
بِبَحْنَى مُصَدِّقًا بِكَلِمَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَ سَبِّدًا وَحَصُُورًا وَنَبِيًّا مِنَ
الصُّلِحِيْنَ (٣٩)
So then, the angels called out to him, while he stood

67
Surah 'Al-'Imran 3 : 40-41
praying in the Arch, saying: "Allah gives you the good
news of Yahya (John) who shall come to confirm a word
of Allah and shall be a chief, abstinent (from women), a
prophet and one of the righteous." [39]
Commentary
1. The expression, Jeks : 'a word of Allah' refers to Sayyidna 'Isa
WJI ale . This term is used for him because he was created, in an unu-
sual manner, simply by the will and command of Allah - without a pa-
ternal linkage.
2. The second quality of Sayyidna Yahya has been described by the
word, 'ha sur' translated here as 'abstinent'. It means that he was very
particular about keeping himself shielded from temptations, that is,
from things one habitually enjoys. When we say one abstains from en-
joyments of life, the statement includes abstinence even from fulfilling
the desires of things allowed, for example, good food, good dress and
marital life and things like these. Since the quality of abstinence has
been mentioned here in a positive frame of reference, it obviously
seems to suggest that this is the better way, although ahadith prove
the higher merit of living in the bond of marriage. In this situation,
the considered opinion is that one whose condition is similar to that of
Sayyidna Yahya JI .. and who is so absorbed in the thought of his
life-to-come that he feels no need to have a wife nor has the time and
frame of mind to fulfil the rights of his wife and children, then, for
such a person this is the better choice. It is because of this particular
reason that ahadith which describe the merit of marriage come up with
a restrictive clause as well, that is, HUILE tuml ;< which means that
one who can marry and is capable of fulfilling the due rights of his
wife, should marry, for this is better for him; otherwise, he is not ad-
vised to marry. (Bayan al-Qur'an)
Verses 40 - 41
قَالَ رَتٍّ أَنَّى يَكُوُّنُ لِيُ غُلِمَّ وَقَدْ بَلَغَنِىَ الْكِبرُ وَامْرَاتِىُ
عَاقٍِ، قَالَ كَذَلِكَ اللَّهُ يَفْعَلُ مَا يَشَاءُ ﴿٤﴾ قَالَ رَتِّ اجٌعَلُ
لِّايَةًّ قَالَ ايَتُكَ آَلَ مْكَلِمَ النَّاسَ ثَلْثَةَ آَيَّامٍ إِلَّ رَمُزَّاء وَاذْكُرُ

68
Surah 'Al-'Imran 3 : 40-41
ع
◌َّبَّكَ كَثِيْرًا وَسَبِّحُ بِالْعَشِّ وَالْإِبْكَارِ ﴿٤١﴾
He said: "O my Lord, how shall I have a boy when old
age has come upon me and my wife is barren?" Said He:
"That is how Allah does what He wills." [40]
He said: "O my Lord, set for me a sign." Said He: "Your
sign is that you shall not be able to speak to people for
three days except through gestures. And remember
your Lord much and proclaim His purity at evening
and at morning." [41]
Commentary
We have already seen that Sayyidna Zakariyya WI de believed in
the absolute power of Allah and had seen its manifestation repeatedly
and that he had himself made the prayer and knew of its acceptance
as well, what then, did he mean by asking: 'how shall I have a boy?'
The truth of the matter is that the question asked by him was not be-
cause of any doubt in the absolute power of Allah. Quite contrary to
this, the purpose of the question was to find out the state in which this
was to happen: whether the present extreme old age of both of them
would remain just as it was, or would that state be changed. The elo-
quent reply given in ◌ُكَذَلِكَ اللَّهُ يَفْعَلُ مَايَشَاء (That is how Allah does what He
wills) makes it clear that they were to remain at the same age and
that they would have an offspring in that very state. This resolves any
doubt that may be entertained at this point. (Bayan al-Qur'an)
2. With reference to verse 41, Sayyidna Zakariyya's purpose behind
requesting a sign (of pregnancy) was to be happy at the prospect and
thus be enabled to show their gratitude all along even prior to the ac-
tual birth of the child. So, Allah gave him the sign stated above.
The sign given was remarkably suitable to its purpose. His request
for a sign was prompted by his wish to show his gratefulness. Now, the
sign set for him leaves him incapable of doing anything but this. Even
a hundred signs would have not done what this one sign did and, of
course, the noble purpose he had on his mind was all too well-
accomplished. (Bayan al-Qur'an)
3. The last phrase: (3%) (except through gestures) in this verse
tells us that in a situation where speech is not possible because of a

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Surah 'Al-'Imran 3 : 44
valid reason, gesture would be deemed as its substitute. Consequently,
it appears in a hadith that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم asked a
maid-servant: All ('Where is Allah?'). She pointed out towards the
sky. He said: "This maid-servant is a Muslim.' (al-Qurtubi)
Verses 42 - 43
وَإِذْ قَالَتِ الْمُِّكَةُ يُمَرْيَمُ إِنَّ اللّهَ اصْطَفْكِ وَطَفَرَكِ وَاصْطَفْكِ
عَلَى نِسَآءِ الْعُلَمِيْنَ ﴿٤٢) يُمَرِّيَمُ اقْنُتِى لِرَبِّكِ وَاسْجُدِىُ
وَارُكَعِىٌ مَعَ الَرَّاكِعِيْنَ ﴿١٤٣
And when the angels said: "O Maryam, Allah has chosen
you and purified you and chosen you over the women
of all the worlds. [42] O Maryam, stand in devotion to
your Lord, and prostrate and bow down with those
who bow." [43]
Commentary
1. In verse 42, the sentence : ◌َوَاصْطَفَكٍ عَلمى نِسَآءِ الْعُلَمِيْن (and has chosen you
over women of all the worlds) refers to all women in that period of
time. Therefore, the statement سَيِّدَةُ نِسَاءٍ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ فَاطِمَة (Fatimah is the fore-
most among women of the Paradise) appearing in hadith does not con-
tradict it.
2. It will be noticed that, in the last sentence of verse 43: 552535
3 Sl (and bow down with those who bow) while giving an order to
bow down, the imperative has been qualified with the words "with
those who bow"- but no such qualification appears while giving an or-
der of prostration. This apparently seems to hint that people general-
ly do not observe due concern while making ruku' (bowing). They tend
to bend a little, then resume the standing position (as if in a hurry).
This kind of ruku' (bowing) is closer to standing (qiyam). As said earli-
er, it apparently seems to suggest that Allah Almighty, by mentioning
the qualification 'those who bow', has given a model to be followed so
that one's bowing in prayer could become similar to those who bow ful-
ly and perfectly as due.
Verse 44
ذُلِكَ مِنْ آَنْجَاءِ الْغَيْبِ نُؤْحِيْهِ إِلَيْكَ* وَمَا كُنْتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ يُلْفُونَ

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Surah 'Al-'Imran 3 : 44
اَقْلَامَهُمْ آَيُّهُمْ يَكْفُلُ مَرْيَمَص وَمَا كُنْتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ يَخْتَصِمُونَ ﴿٤٤﴾
This is a part of the news of the unseen We reveal to you.
And you were not with them when they were casting their
pens (to decide) who from among them should be the guar-
dian of Maryam, nor were you with them when they were
quarreling. [44]
Commentary
This verse presents an argument to prove the prophethood of
Sayyidna Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم by referring to happenings in the
lives of Sayyidna Zakariyya and Sayyidah Maryam WJI Lule . These
took place in the remote past and there is no likelihood of their being
, صلى الله عليه وسلم seen or heard or read, specially so, by the Holy Prophet
which by itself proves that his being so informed of the unknown was
beyond the ordinary course of learning. He had just no way of finding
out such details by any obvious means at his command. Hence, the
truth is that this information was revealed to him as part of the
message he gave to others. The text very eloquently states that the
Holy Prophet ~ was not there to see them drawing lots (by throwing
their reed pens in water, based on prior agreement that the owner of
the pen which flows against the current shall be the winner), nor was
he present on the scene when they were initially quarreling about the
custody of Maryam before agreeing upon the drawing of lots.
The rule governing Qur'ah (s) (to the drawing of lots) according to
Hanafi jurists, is that Qur'ah (drawing of lots) cannot be given a deci-
sive role in determining the rights known and fixed in Islamic Law.
Drawing lots in such a situation is included under Qim ar (gambling).
For example, if something is jointly owned by several persons and a lot
is drawn to decide that the one whose name comes out in the lot shall
take the whole thing; or, in the case of a child whose parentage is dis-
puted, a lot is drawn and the one whose name comes out in the lot
drawn is taken to be the father. Drawing lots in such cases is not al-
lowed in Shari'ah. As for rights which depend upon opinion, Qur'ah is
permissible in them, for instance, while alloting portions of a joint
property, A is given the eastern portion and B, the western, by draw-
ing a lot. This is permissible because this was permissible even with-
out having to draw lots by a mutual agreement of the parties con-

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Surah 'Al-‘Imran 3 : 45-46
cerned or by a decree of a judge. (Bayan al-Qur'an)
In other words, it can be said that in a situation where the rights of
all parties are equal and the purpose of the lot is only to allocate equal
portions to each of them and to decide as to which portion is for whom,
then drawing a lot is permissible.
Verses 45 - 46
إِذْ قَالَتِ الْمُلْفِكَةُ يُمَرْيَمُ إِنَّ اللهَ يُبَشِّرُكِ بِكَلِمَةٍ ◌ِنْهُ اسْمُهُ الْسِيْمُ
عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ وَجِيْهًا فِى الدَّنِّيَا وَالآخِرَةِ وَمِنَ الْمَقَرَّبِيْنَ ﴿٤٥﴾
وَيُكَلِّمُ النَّاسَ فِى الْهَدِ وَكَهُلَا وَمِنَ الصُّلِحِيْنَ ﴿٤٦﴾
When the angels said: "O Maryam, Allah gives you the good
news of a word from Him whose name is Masih 'Isa, the son
of Maryam (the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary) a man of status
in this world and in the Hereafter and one of the nearest.
[45] And he shall speak to the people in the cradle as well as
in the middle age, and shall be one of the righteous." [46]
The previous verse (44) appeared parenthetically between the
present verses 45 - 46 and verses 42 - 43 and the purpose was to affirm
the prophethood of Sayyidna Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم . The present
verse resumes with the story of Sayyidah Maryam which actually pre-
pares the ground for a fuller account of the birth, mission and miracles
. عليه السلام of Sayyidna Isa
Commentary
One of the qualities of Sayyidna 'Isa WILL mentioned in this
verse is that 'he shall speak in the cradle' which means that he will
speak while still a child, although no child has the ability to do so.
When soon after the birth of infant Jesus, as mentioned in another
verse, people chided Sayyidah Maryam on the basis of a false accusa-
tion, this new-born infant, Sayyidna 'Isa >JILL spoke up, saying:
Wlue (I am a servant of Allah). Then following immediately, it was said
that he will also talk to people when he will be in the later middle of
his age (kahl). It is worth noting here that the incidence of speaking in
infancy was certainly a sign and a miracle and it is quite appropriate
to mention it at this point. But, speaking to people during one's middle
age is very normal, something everyone does no matter whether he is

72
Surah 'Al-Imran 3 : 47
a Muslim, or a non-Muslim, learned or illiterate. Why has this been
mentioned here as something special? What could it mean?
One answer to this question appears in Bayan al-Qur'an by Maula-
na Ashraf 'Ali Thanavi who says that the real purpose here is to par-
ticularly focus on the miraculous nature of meaningful infant speech.
The reference to the speech in the middle age is there to indicate that
his childhood speech too would not be the usual baby-talk, rather it
would be rational, even learned and eloquent, as man does in his ad-
vanced years. If we were to look into the true historical background of
Sayyidna 'Isa, we would discover that this reference to him as speak-
ing to people in his middle age provides a great standing argument in
favour of the Islamic position which, according to the Qur'anic belief, is
that Sayyidna 'Isa >JI ale has been raised alive onto the heavens.
Hadith narrations prove that Sayyidna 'Isa WJI de, while so raised,
was in the approximate age bracket of 30-35 years which is youth at
its best. Middle age, kahl in Arabic, was something he never reached
during his life in this world. So, his talking to people in his middle age
can happen only when he were to grace this world once again with his
presence. Therefore, the way his childhood speech was a miracle, his
speech in the middle age could be nothing else but another miracle.
Verse 47
قَالَتُ رَبٍّ أَنّْى يَكُوْنُ لِىُّ وَلَدٌ وَلَمُ يَمْسَسُنِىُ بَشَرْ، قَالَ كَذَلِكِ اللّهُ
يَخُلُقُ مَايَشَآءُ، إِذَا قَضَى آَمْرًّا فَتََّ يَقُوْلُ لَهْ كُنْ فَيَكُوُنُ ﴿٤٧)
She said: "O my Lord, how shall I have a son while no hu-
man has ever touched me?" Said He: "That is how Allah
creates what He wills." When He decides a matter, He sim-
ply says to it "Be", and it happens." [47]
The glad tidings given by the angel (verse 46) regarding the birth of
Sayyidna 'Isa WJI ul without a father surprised Sayyidah Maryam as
she was a virgin. She wondered how would it happen. Would that be a
Divine miracle or would she be asked to marry a man? The Divine an-
swer eliminates the latter possibility. Not restricted by it, 'Allah
creates what He wills', that is, His will is all sufficient to bring some-
thing into existence. He needs no medium or cause. It is only His com-

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Surah 'Al-'Imran 3 : 48-51
.
mand "be" which makes things come into existence.
Verses 48 - 51
وَيُعَلِّمُهُ الْكِتْبَ وَالْحُكْمَةَ وَالتَّوْرِيَةَ وَالْإِنْجِيْلَ ﴿٤٨﴾ وَرَسُوْلًا
إِلى بَنِّ إِسْرَاءِيْلَ ا آَنِّيْ قَدْ جِتُكُمُ بِيَةٍ مِنْ تَبِّكُمْ آَنِىٌّ آَخْلُقُ
لَكُمُ ◌ِنَ الطِيْنِ كَهَيْئَةِ الطَّْرِ فَانْفُخُ فِيْهٍ فَيَكُنُ طَيْرًا بِإِذْنٍ
اللّهِ وَأُبْرِئُ الْأَكْمَهَ وَاُلْآَبْرَصَ وَأُحُىِ الْمَوْتِى بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ
وَأُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا تَأْكُلُوُنَ وَمَا تَدَّخِرُوُنَ فِىْ بُيُوتِكُمُ ◌ُ إِنَّ فِىْ ذُلِكَ
لَآيَةٌ لَّكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُؤْمِنِيْنَ ﴿٤٩﴾ وَمُصَدِّقًّالمّا بَيْنَ بَدَتَ مِنَ
التَّوُريّةِ وَلِأُحِلَّ لَكُمُ بَعْضَ الَّذِيُ حُدِّمَ عَلَيْكُمُ وَجِتْهُكُمُ بِاِيَةٍ
مِنُ رَبِّكُمُ دَ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِبُعُنٍ ﴿٩٥ إِنَّ اللّهَ رَبِّئْ وَرَبُّكُمْ
فَاعْبُدُوُهُ﴿ هَذَا صِرَاطٌ مُسْتَقِيْمٌ ﴿٥١﴾
And He shall teach him the Book and the Wisdom, and
the Torah and the Injil, [48] and (shall make him) a mes-
senger to the Children of Isra'il (who will say to them):
"I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, that is,
I create for you from clay something in the shape of a
bird, then I blow in it, and it becomes a living bird with
the will of Allah; and I cure the born-blind and the lep-
er and I cause the dead to become alive with the will of
Allah; and I tell you of what you eat and what you store
in your homes. In it there is surely a sign for you, if you
are believers." [49]
"And (I have come to you) confirming what is before
me, the Torah, and to make permissible for you some of
what was prohibited to you. And I have come to you
with a sign from your Lord. So, fear Allah and obey me.
[50] Allah is surely my Lord and your Lord. So, worship
Him. This is the straight path." [51]
1. Verse 48 recounts the august virtues of Sayyidna 'Isa who would
be born blessed with the honour of learning from Allah: Scriptures,
Wisdom and specially the Torah and the Injil; and that he will be sent
as a Messenger of Allah to all of the Children of Israil.

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Surah 'Al-‘Imran 3 : 52-53
2. The message he will carry to them will be his argument in fa-
vour of his prophethood. In order that they believe, enumerated in
verse 49, there are four signs or miracles that he would perform, being
enough for willing believers.
3. Verse 50 says that Sayyidna 'Isa WI ute will declare that he has
come to confirm Torah which was revealed before his coming and to
make lawful what remained unlawful for them in the law of Moses.
This means that the unlawfulness of some things in the earlier code
would stand abrogated by the new one, (that of Sayyidna 'Isa) whose
station of prophethood was the conclusive argument for that claim of
abrogation. The proof of his truth were the signs from their Lord.
4. Once his prophethood is established, verse 51 states that Sayyid-
na 'Isa Wul ale will ask them to beware of any contravention of Divine
commandments, fear Allah, and follow his teachings in matters of re-
ligion which, in a nutshell, are that 'Allah is my Lord and your Lord'
(the ultimate in belief) and 'Worship Him' (the ultimate in deeds).
This, then, is the straight path which helps perfect the ideal combina-
tion of beliefs and deeds, leads to the way of salvation and is the
source of communion with Allah.
Ruling:
Making the shape of a bird was the making of a picture, something
permitted in that Shari'ah. In our Shari'ah, its permissibility was abro-
gated.
Verses 52 - 53
فَلَمَّا أَحَسَ عِيْسِى مِنْهُمُ الْكُفْرَ قَالَ مَنُ انْصَارِىٌّ إِلَى اللَّهِءُ
قَالَ الْخَوَارِتُّونَ نَحْنُ أَنْصَارُ اللَّهِهَ امَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَاشْهَدُ بِأَنَّا
مُسْلِمُونَ ﴿٥٢﴾ رَبَّنَاَ امَنَّا بِمَا آَنْزَلْتَ وَاتَّبَعُنَا الرَّسُوْلَ فَاكُهُنَا
مَعَ الشَّهِدِيْنَ ﴿٥٣﴾
So, when 'Isa sensed disbelief in them, he said: "Who are
my helpers in the way of Allah?" The disciples said: "We
are helpers of Allah. We believe in Allah; and be wit-
ness that we are Muslims." [52]
"Our Lord, we have believed in what You have re-

75
Surah 'Al-'Imran 3 : 52-53
vealed, and we have followed the messenger. So, write
us down with those who bear witness." [53]
Following blessed predictions mentioned earlier, Sayyidna 'Isa Lie
>JI was born with all promised signs. As a messenger sent to Bani
Isra'il, he presented his call to them supported by miracles to prove
his prophethood. But, the Bani Isra'il were adamant and kept on re-
jecting him as a prophet, even going to the limit of being physically
hostile to him.
The text now identifies the very first followers of Sayyidna 'Isa Le
WI, brings to light their real creed, expressed first before their proph-
et and then (in verse 53), reiterated it in the form of a prayer before
their Lord.
Commentary
The word, 'hawariyy (singular of 'al-hawariyyun') appearing in verse
52 (translated as 'the disciples'), is a derivation from hawar which lexi-
cally means whiteness. In the religious terminology, the title of
'hawariyy' has been given to the sincere disciples or companions of
Sayyidna 'Isa WILL either because of their sincerity or the purity of
their heart, or because of their white dress. Likewise, the Companions
of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم have been called, sahabiyy (plural,
sahabah).
Some commentators have given the number of the disciples as
twelve. Incidentally, the word 'hawariyy' is also, at times, used in the
absolute sense of 'helper' or 'supporter'. It is in this very sense that it
was said in a hadith: "Every prophet has a hawariyy, that is, a sincere
companion; Zubair is my hawariyy' (Tafsir al-Qurțubi)
An Important Note:
Verse 52 states that Sayyidna 'Isa looked for helpers in the way of
Allah only when he sensed hostility from disbelievers, and not at the
initial stage of his call. As obvious, he had risen to the task all alone
obeying the command of his Lord without worrying about setting up a
'party' in advance. When came the need, he found a group around him.
A little thought here would show that every worthy mission demands
such determination and courage.

76
Surah 'Al-‘Imran 3 : 54-55
Verses 54 - 55
وَ مَكَرُوْا وَمَكَرَ اللَّهُ، وَاللّهُ خَيْرُ الْأَكِيْنَ ﴿٥٦) إِذْ قَالَ اللهُ
يُعِبْشَى إِنِّيُ مُتَوَقِّئُكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَىَّ وَمُطَهِّرُكَ مِنَ الَّذِيْنَ
كَفَرُوا وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِيْنَ اتَّبَعُوُكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُؤْا إِلَى يَوُمِ
الْقِيْمَةِ، ثُمَّ إِلَتََّ مَرْجِعُكُمُ قَاحُكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ فِيْمَا كُنْهُمْ فِيْهِ
تَخْتَلِفُونَ ﴿٥٠﴾
And they made a move, and Allah made a move. And
Allah is the best of those who make moves. [54]
When Allah said: "O 'Isa, I am to take you in full and
raise you towards Myself, and cleanse you of those who
disbelieve, and place those who follow you above those
who disbelieve, upto the Day of Doom. Then to Me is
your return, whereupon I shall judge between you in
what you have been differing in." [55]
Commentary
In these verses the miraculous event of the Ascension of Sayyidna
‘Īsa (Jesus Christ) has been mentioned. "And they made a move" refers
to the evil designs of the Jews who planned to arrest him and to get
him crucified.
The next sentence i.e. "and Allah made a move" refers to the plan
designed by Allah Almighty to save his prophet 'Isa from their ill de-
signs. They sent one of them to Sayyidna 'Isa >JI ule to arrest him and
Allah changed his face totally and made him resemble Sayyidna 'Īsa
Llule and raised Sayyidna 'Isa to heavens, while that person was
crucified under the mistaken identity. How Allah had planned to save
'Isa WJI u from their clutches was disclosed to him when his enemies
came to arrest him. The details of these disclosures have been men-
tioned in verse 55.
Explanation of important words in the verse
Some sects which deny, contrary to the belief of the entire Muslim
community, the Ascension of Sayyidna 'Isa (Jesus Christ), his being
alive in the heavens and his descension towards the later times, have

77
Surah 'Al-‘Imran 3 : 54-55
worked through the words and meanings of these verses to open doors
of distortion in the Qur'anic text. Therefore, it seems appropriate that
these words be explained in some details.
Let us begin with 33sig Al translated as 'and Allah is the best of
those who make moves'. The word, makr in Arabic denotes a subtle
and secret move or plan. If this is for a good purpose, it is good; and if
this is for a bad purpose, it is bad. It was why the restriction of saiyy
وَلَا يَحِيْقُ الْكُرُ السَّتِىُّ الَ: move, plan) in: مكر) evil) was placed with makr : سيئ)
det (And evil plan besets none but its perpetrator - 35:43).
The Qur'anic word, makr, is used exclusively for conspiracy, evil
plan and strategy in the everyday idiom of the Urdu language (in
which this commentary was originally written), therefore, it should
not be equated with the Arabic usage. This is the reason why Allah
has been called: 32 sips : 'Khair al-Makirin' here.
The verse means that the Jews started making a series of conspira-
cies and secret schemes against Sayyidna 'Isa WJI ule going to the limit
of convincing the ruler of the time that he was a heretic (God forbid)
all bent upon changing the Torah and was going to make apostates of
everybody. The ruler ordered the arrest of Sayyidna 'Isa. While this
was the scene on one side, the subtle and secret move made by Allah
Almighty was countering their evil plans more effectively, which has
been mentioned in the verses coming next.
The word, 'Mutawaffi' in cha! ¿ takes 'tawaffi' as its verbal noun
with its root being 'wafyun.' Lexically, the word means 'to take in full'.
This being its real meaning, its derivations wafa, ifa' and 'istifa' are
used to convey that sense. In fact, the real meaning of tawaffi is 'to
take in full' which is universally confirmed by all lexicons of the Arabic
language. Since man completes his appointed time at the hour of
death and the spirit or soul given by Allah is taken back fully and con-
clusively, it is in that context that this word is also used figuratively in
the sense of death. A simple form of death is the daily sleep of human
beings. For this too, the Holy Qur'an uses the same word when it says:
اللَّهُ يَتَوَقَّى الْآَنْفُسَ حِيْنَ مَؤْتِهَا وَ الَّتِىُ لَمْ تَمُ فِىُّ مَنَامِهَا
'Allah takes away lives of the living at the time of their death
and of those that do not die, in their sleep'. (39:42)

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Surah 'Al-‘Imran 3 : 54-55
Hafiz Ibn Taimiyyah says in al-Jawab al-Şahih (v. 2, p. 83):
التوفى فى لغة العرب معناها القبض والا ستيفاء وذلك ثلاثة انواع،
أحدها التوفى فى النوم، والثانى توفى الموت، والثالث توفى الروح والبدن
جميعًا
Al-tawaffi, in the Arabic language, means: to exact fully or
take in full. It takes three forms; the first: to take in sleep; the
second: to take in death; and the third: to take the soul and
the body all together.
In Kulliyat Abu al-Baqa', it is said:
التوفى الاماتة وقبض الروح، وعليه استعمال العامة او الاستيفاء واخذ
الحق وعليه استعمال البلغاء
Al-tawaffi is putting to death and exacting of the soul in com-
mon usage while, in the classical usage, it is taking in full and
the exacting of the due right.
Therefore, the majority of scholars have translated the word, dass:
'mutawaffika' in the verse under study in the sense of 'taking in full'.
This means that Allah will not leave Sayyidna 'Isa in the hands of the
Jews, rather He would take him away which would be in the form that
he would be risen unto Him in the heavens.
This is how the words 'I am to take you in full' have been interpret-
ed by the majority of the scholars. However, some authentic commen-
tators of the Holy Qur'an have interpreted these words in the sense of
'giving death' also, but they do not mean that the death of Sayyidna
'Isa >JI ale will occur at the hands of his enemies. The true meaning of
the verse, according to these commentators is as follows:
Allah Almighty said two things to comfort Jesus at a time when
the Jews were bent on killing him. One: That his death will come, not
at their hands in the form of killing, but that it would be a natural
death. Two: In order to rescue him from the evil designs of those peo-
ple, Allah Almighty will, at that time, raise Jesus towards Him. This
explanation is exactly what has been reported from Sayyidna Ibn
'Abbas as Ul , as quoted by al-Suyuți in his al-Durr al-Manthur v. 2,
p. 36 on the authority of several narrators.

79
Surah 'Al-Imran 3 : 54-55
The gist of this tafsir or explanation is that tawaffi does mean giv-
ing death, but there is the element of precedence and sequence in the
words used. The fact of @ft; (I shall raise you) will come first and that
of auf! (I shall give you death) later. Now at this point, the wisdom be-
hind mentioning the phenomenon of the earlier lies in the hint that it
gives about the events which are to come later on. It means that rais-
ing towards Allah will not last for ever; it would be temporary and
then, he would return to the mortal world and prevail over enemies
and later on, death will come to him in a natural way.
Thus, the event of his return from heaven and his death after hav-
ing established his victory in the world was not only a miracle but a
consummation of the honour and integrity of Jesus, WI Je. In addi-
tion to that, the unfounded Christian belief in the divinity of Jesus
was also refuted. Had it not been so, the event of Jesus being raised to-
wards the heavens alive would have further strengthened their false
belief that he too was Living and Eternal like Allah. Therefore, by in-
troducing the word @%' (pointing out to his death) first, all those mis-
conceptions which might have arisen from 'raising of Jesus' have been
refuted in advance.
The reality is that disbelievers and polytheists have always been
vehemently opposed to prophets, >JI +1. And parallel to that there
has been the customary practice of Allah - when a people unto whom a
prophet has been sent stick to their own opinion, do not listen to the
prophet and do not believe in him even after having witnessed the mir-
acles, then, one of the following two counter-actions were taken: Either
those people were annihilated through some natural calamity as was
done with 'Ad and Thamud and the peoples of Prophets Lut and Salih
JIple ; or, alternatively Allah would instruct His prophet to migrate
from the habitat of disbelievers and go to some other place. It was
there that they were provided with such power and glory that they fi-
·nally achieved victory against the people whom they were sent to. For
example Prophet Ibrahim, WJILL migrated from Iraq and sought ref-
uge in Syria. Similarly, Prophet Musa (Moses) WJI Lle, migrated from
Egypt and came to Madyan. Finally, the Last prophet, Muhammad
migrated from Makkah and came to Madinah. It was from there that
he finally attacked Makkah and conquered it. This raising of Jesus to
-
..... ..

80
Surah 'Al-'Imran 3 : 54-55
the heavens to outmaneuver the threatening designs of the Jews was,
in fact, an act of emigration in its own way following which he would
return to this world and achieve total victory over the Jews.
Now comes the question as to why this emigration of his, quite sep-
arate from the rest, has the heavens as the destination? So, for that
matter, Allah Almighty has Himself said about him that his case is
like that of Adam, WJILL . The way in which Adam's birth differs from
the normal birth of the rest of creation, (i.e., without a father and a
mother) so it is that the birth of Jesus took a miraculous form different
from the normal birth of human beings; and his death too, taking a
unique and unmatched form, will materialize after hundreds of years
following his return to the world -- unprecedented indeed. Why then,
should one be surprised if his emigration too follows some such unique
pattern?
These marvels of nature led the ignorant among Christians into
believing and declaring that he was God, while deliberation into the
various aspects of these very marvels, are clear proofs of his servitude
as a human being to God, obedience to the Divine will and the demon-
stration of human traits. It is for this reason that the Holy Qur'an has
made a pointed reference to the refutation of belief in the Godhood of
Jesus on all such occasions. The raising towards the heavens would
have made this doubt all the more strong. Therefore, by bringing the
word mutawaffika (I am to take you in full) earlier, this doubt was to-
tally eliminated. Thus we come to realize that this verse, no doubt,
aims at negating the Jewish plans since they were all set to crucify
and kill Jesus, WILL, and that Allah Almighty made their plans
come to nothing. Moreover, this precedence and sequence of words be-
came the mode of refuting the Christians as well, that Jesus was no
God who was never to die but that a time will come when he too will
meet his death.
In his Tafsir Imam al-Razi has said that such precedence and se-
quence occurs frequently in the noble Qur'an in order to cover similar
expedient considerations under which an event due later has. been
mentioned first while an event due earlier has been placed after that.
(al-Tafsir al-Kabir, v. 2, p. 48)
As for Black (And I shall raise you towards Me), the meaning is
clear. Addressing Jesus here, it has been said: 'I shall raise you to-

81
Surah 'Al-'Imran 3 : 54-55
wards Me'. Every one knows that Jesus is not the name of just the
spirit but that of the spirit and the body of Jesus. Now taking the rais-
ing of Jesus in the sense that the act of raising was spiritual only, and
not physical, is all wrong. As far as the word, raf (2) : raising) is con-
. cerned, there are occasions when it is also used to indicate raising of
'ranks as it appears in the following verses of the noble Qur'an:
رَفَعَ بَعْضَكُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَاتٍ
... And raised some of you in ranks over others (6:165).
يَرْفَعِ اللَّهُ الَّذِيْنَ امَنُوْا مِنْكُمُ وَالَّذِيْنَ أُوتُوا الْعِلُّمَ
... and Allah will raise up in rank those of you who believe and
those who have been given knowledge (58:11).
So, it is obvious that the word, raf : raising, in the sense of the
raising of rank or status has been used figuratively in view of the con-
text of the aforementioned verses. There is no reason here to ignore
the real meaning and go by that which is figurative. Moreover, by us-
ing the word, ila : JI (towards) alongwith the word, raf ( , : raising), at
this particular place, the possibility of such a figurative meaning has
been totally eliminated. What is said in this verse is Flak : rafi uka
ilaiyya: I shall raise you towards Me. Then there is the verse from Su-
rah al-Nisa' (4:158), which refutes the belief of Jews; there too, what
was said is: 25; jea's us that is, the Jews certainly did not kill
Jesus, instead, Allah raised him towards Himself. This later expres-
sion is used for nothing but the raising alive of the spirit and the body.
Explained this far were the words of the verse.
Allah Almighty's Five Promises to Jesus
In the verse under reference, Allah Almighty made five promises to
Isa عليه السلام vis-a-vis the Jews:
1. The first promise was that his death will not come at the hands
of the Jews through killing. It will be a natural death coming at its ap-
pointed time and that appointed time will come close to the Day of
Doom, when 'Isa >JI u will come down from the heavens onto the
earth as reported in details in sound ahadith transmitted through un-
broken chains, part of which will appear later.
2. The second promise was to raise him towards the heavens in the

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Surah 'Al-‘Imran 3 : 54-55
existing situation. This was fulfilled right then. The report of this ful-
fillment was given in Surah al-Nisa' (4:158) by saying:
وَمَا قَتَلُؤُهُ يَقِيْنَا بَلُ رَفَعَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ
Certainly, the Jews did not kill him, instead; Allah Almighty
raised him towards Himself.
3. The third promise was : وَمُطَهّرْكَ مِنَ الّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوًا ,that is, to have him
cleansed of false accusations brought on him by his enemies. That
promise was fulfilled when the last of the prophets صلى الله عليه وسلم came
and refuted all false accusations of the Jews. For instance, the Jews
threw slanders on the parentage of Sayyidna' 'Isa >JI de because of
his having been born without a father. The noble Qur'an refuted this
slander by declaring that he was born without a father because such
was the power and will of Allah. And that too does not call for much of
a surprise. More surprising is the birth of Adam since he was born
without both a father and a mother.
The Jews accused Sayyidna 'Isa >JILL of claiming to be God.
There are many verses in the noble Qur'an in which, contrary to this
accusation, Sayyidna 'Isa WJILL has been reported to have publicly
confessed his being human and a servant and bondsman of Allah.
4. The fourth promise appears in وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُرْكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا (and
placed those who follow you above those who disbelieve) which means
that his followers will be made to overcome those who deny and oppose
him. This promise was fulfilled in the sense that following here means
the belief in and confession of the prophethood of Sayyidna 'Isa Jule.
The belief in and the practice of all injunctions ascribed to him is not a
pre-condition. Thus the Christians and the Muslims both fall in this
category as they believe in the prophethood and messengership of
Sayyidna 'Isa ,WJI ale . However, this is a different matter that holding
this much of belief is not enough to bring forth salvation in the Here-
after. Instead, the salvation in the Hereafter depends on believing in
all injunctions brought by Sayyidna 'Isa >JILLe . One of the instruc-
tions given by Sayyidna 'Isa WILL was that his followers should be-
lieve and have faith in the last of the Prophets (صلى الله عليه وسلم), who
would come after Jesus departs. The Christians did not follow this in-
struction in matters of faith and belief, therefore, they deprived them-

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Surah 'Al-'Imran 3 : 54-55
selves of salvation in the Hereafter while Muslims acted in accordance
with that too, therefore, they became deserving of salvation in the
Hereafter. But, part of the promise which relates to having dominant
authority over Jews was dependent on the prophethood of Sayyidna
‘Isa WILL only. That dominance in the world has always been the
fate of Christians and Muslims vis-a-vis the Jews, and surely, so shall
it be through the Day of Judgement.
From the time when Allah Almighty made this promise right upto
now, it has always been the case that the Christians and Muslims
have dominated the Jews. The world has seen the establishment of
their empires. The existence of the present state of Israel cannot make
the truth of this position doubtful for several reasons. To begin with,
and in reality, this state is no more than a manifestation of the mili-
tary might of Russia and the Christians of Euro-American origin
which they have established and maintained against Muslims. As soon
as Russia, America and countries of Europe withdraw their patronage,
the world will itself witness the instant collapse of this state and its
disappearance from the map of the world. Therefore, people who can
see the reality do realise the actual position of Israel or the Govern-
ment of the Jews. It is by no means a manifestation of the domination
of Jews. If, just for the sake of argument, it is taken to be their own
state, even then, who would ; in his right frame of mind - deny that,
given the totality of Christians and Muslims, they are wielders of less-
er influence and are much subjugated with fear. Even if we were to
leave this aspect aside, we know that a temporary domination by the
Jews close to the Day of Judgement has been reported in the authentic
reports of the Holy Prophet . Now if this world is destined to exist
for any considerable period of time and if the Day of Judgement is
close, that domination too is not contrary to the reports which Mus-
lims consider authentic. Moreover, such short-lived occupation cannot
be given the name of a state or government especially when it is based
on a conspiracy hatched by the Christians and the communists.
5. The fifth promise, that of giving a decision in respect of such con-
flicts in faith on the Day of Judgement will certainly be fulfilled on its
appointed time as it has been indicated in the verse: