النص المفهرس

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Surah 'Al-'Imran 3 : 54-55
ثُمّ ◌ِلَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَاحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمُ
Then, to Me is your return, whereupon I shall judge between
you. (3:55)
JESUS: The question of his life and second coming:
The Jews are the only people in the world who say that Sayyidna
'Isa >JI Le was crucified, killed and buried following which he never
returned to life. What happened really and truly has been clarified in
verse 158 of Surah al-Nisa' in the Holy Qur'an. Then, in ', ',
(And they made a move, and Allah made a move.) of the present verse,
it has been pointed out that Allah Almighty made the sinister move of
the enemies of 'Isa recoil upon those who had gone into the house to
kill Sayyidna 'Isa )JILLe . It was one of them that Allah Almighty
changed to look exactly like Sayyidna 'Isa WJILL and then He raised
Sayyidna 'Isa >JILe alive onto the heavens. The words of the verse
are as follows:
وَمَا قَتَلُؤُهُ وَمَا صَلَبْوُهُ وَلَكِنُّ ◌ُّهَ لَهُمْ
And they did not kill him and they did not crucify him, but
they were deluded by resemblance (4:157).
Details regarding this will appear under the commentary on Surah
al-Nisa'.
The Christians said that Jesus was, no doubt, killed on the cross
but was brought back to life once again and raised onto the heavens.
The verse under reference has refuted this false notion as well. It is
stressed here that similar to the Jews who were rejoicing after killing
their own man, the Christians fell a victim to the same mistaken iden-
tity by believing that it was Jesus who got killed on the Cross, and as
such, the Christians too became the victims of mistaken identity. This
is obvious from the Qur'anic statement 'afaes (they were deluded by re-
semblance) just like the Jews were deceived by mistaken identity.
As opposed to the view of these two groups, there is the Islamic be-
lief, stated here in this verse and in several other verses clearly, which
says that Allah Almighty raised him alive onto the heavens in order to
rescue him from the Jews. He was not to be killed and he was not to be
crucified. He is in the heavens alive and it will be close to the Day of
Judgement when he shall come down from the heavens, lead the Mus-

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lims to victory over the Jews, and finally, he will die a natural death.
There is a consensus of the entire Muslim community on this be-
lief. Hafiz ibn Hajr, in his Talkhis al-Habir, has reported this consen-
sus (page 319). This belief, and the consensus of the community on it,
stands proved on the authority of several verses of the Holy Qur'an
and reports from mutawatir ahadith transmitted through an unbroken
chain of reporting. However, this is not the place for its detailed dis-
cussion, and not necessary either. The reason being that scholars of
the community have already taken up this question in special books
with full clarity giving detailed answers to those who dispute in the
Ascension of the Christ. For instance, the Arabic work, 'Aqidatu l'Islam
fi Hayati 'Isa JI Le by Hujjatu l'Islam Maulana Sayyid Muhammad
Anwar Shah al-Kashmiri, Hayat-e-'Isa WJIle , (the Life of Jesus) in
Urdu by Hadrat Maulana Badr 'Alam Muhajir Madani, Hayat-e-Masih
JI ule in Urdu by Maulana Sayyid Muhammad Idris and hundreds of
other books or essays dealing with this question have been widely pub-
lished and circulated. While carrying out the orders of his respected
teacher, Maulana Sayyid Muhammad Anwar Shah al-Kashmiri, this
writer had collected more than one hundred mutawatir ahadith identi-
fied by him which prove in an undeniable manner that Sayyidna 'Isa
It was raised alive and that he will return close to the Day of
Judgement. This collection in book form and entitled, Al-Tasrih bima
Tawatara fi Nuzul al-Masih has been recently published from Beirut
with marginal notes and commentary by 'Allama 'Abd al-Fattah Abu
Ghuddah, a revered scholar of Allepo, Syria.
Hafiz ibn Kathir while explaining the verse LLU Wal, of Surah Al-
Zukhruf (43:61) has said:
. وقد تواترت الاحاديث عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلّم انه اخبر بنزول
عيسى عليه السلام قبل يوم القيامة اماما عادلاً الخ
There are ahadith from the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ,nar-
rated in an uninterrupted succession, that he proclaimed the
coming of 'Isa WJILL before the Day of Judgment as a just
leader.
At this stage I would like to draw the attention of the reader to a
point which, if noticed even with a small measure of sanity and justice,

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would leave no room for any doubt regarding this question. The point
is that in the eleventh section of Surah 'Al-'Imran, Allah Almighty
while refering to past prophets deemed it sufficient to refer to prophets
Adam, Nuh, 'Al-Ibrahim and 'Al-'Imran briefly in one single verse. After
that, it was in nearly three sections and twenty two verses that refer-
ence was made to Sayyidna 'Isa >JI ule and his family with meticulous
detail - something which has not been made in that manner even in re-
spect of the Last of the prophets صلى الله عليه وسلم to whom the Qur'an was
revealed. Note the detailed mention of the grandmother of Jesus, her
pledge, the birth of his mother, her name, her upbringing, the conceiv-
ing of Jesus by his mother then the detailed narrative of his birth, fol-
lowed by the description of what his mother ate and drank, after child
birth, her return to the family with the newborn child, their blames
and curses, first the gift of eloquence to the newborn as his miracle.
then his growing up and call to his people, opposition faced and the
help of disciples, the hostile attempts by the Jews to trap and kill him,
his being raised alive onto the heavens - then complete details of his
additional traits, his looks, physique, dress and its likes - these are ac-
counts which have not been taken up in the whole spectrum of the
Qur'an and Hadith in respect of any prophet or messenger with that
much of detail. This point is an open invitation to everyone to think as
to why did this happen and what was the wisdom behind it.
Even a moment's reflection here makes it clear that the Last of the
prophets صلى الله عليه وسلم , being the final prophet and messenger with no
apostle to come after him, took special care to guide his community
about conditions that it was going to face right through the Day of
Judgement. He therefore, took upon himself to identify those who
would be worthy of the community's following. He, as a matter of prin-
ciple, described them with a profile of their general qualities. There
were other blessed people whom he identified by name and emphati-
cally asked the community to follow them. Other than these, he also
marked out the astray and the deviating who posed a danger to the
faith of the community.
Of the mischief-makers who were to come after the Holy Prophet
the most notorious was Dajjal (the anti-Christ) the صلى الله عليه وسلم
imposter of the Messiah, whose disturbing wickedness was terribly de-
viation-prone. Therefore, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم related many de-

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tails of his profile, attending conditions and distinguishing traits, so
that there remains no room for the community to doubt about his be-
ing a mischief monger whenever he appears. Similarly, among the lat-
er day religious reformers and power-worthy elders, Sayyidna 'Isa de
>JI is the most distinguished whom Allah Almighty blessed with the
station of prophethood, kept him alive in the heavens to come to the
rescue of the Muslim community during the wicked period of Dajjal
(anti-Christ) and appointed him to kill Dajjal close to the Day of
Judgement. This is why it was deemed necessary that the community
should be given the most clear indications of his person and qualities
as well, so that no human being remains in doubt while identifying
Sayyidna 'Isa WJI ale when he comes, the second time.
There are many elements of wisdom in this treatment.
Firstly, should the community find it difficult to identify 'Isa (Jesus
Christ) MI ue , the very purpose of his coming will be negated. If the
Muslim community will not identify and cooperate with him, how
could he help and support them? Secondary, although Sayyidna 'Isa le
WJI will not come into the world at that time designated as Prophet,
but he would come to lead the Muslim community as the Khalifa
(viceregent) the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم , the personal station of
prophethood that he has will not be taken from him. Instead, he would
be like the governor of a province or state who continues to hold that
position even if he has gone out to visit some other province or state
for some reason. Therefore, even though he is not as a governor in that
province, the office of the governorship has not been ipso facto taken
away from him. Similarly, Sayyidna 'Isa >JI ale will not be without his
attribute of prophethood at that time, and the way the rejection of his
prophethood was infidelity earlier, so infidelity it shall be at that time.
Now the Muslim community which has already nursed and shown its
faith in his prophethood as based on the guidance of the Qur'an would
fall into the grievous error of rejection, if it fails to recognize him
when he comes. So, clarifying his signs and attributes in a greater
measure was extremely necessary.
Thirdly, since the event of the coming of Sayyidna 'Isa >JI _Le will
take place towards the later years of this mortal world, chances were -
given the ambiguity in his marks of identification that some other per-

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Surah 'Al-‘Imran 3 : 56-58
son could come up with the claim of being Messiah, the son of Mary, in
which case, these indicators will serve well to refute and reject any
such claim. This is what happened in pre-partition India where Mirza
Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian claimed that he was the promised Messiah.
The scholars of the Muslim community refuted his claim on the basis
of these very cited indicators.
In short, here and at other places, the very fact of such detailed de-
scription concerning Sayyidna 'Isa WI is in itself indicating that
his reappearance is due close to the Day of Judgement and that he
would return to the world. This humble writer has taken up this sub-
ject in full details in his Urdu treatise entitled Masih Maw'ud ki pah-
chan (Identifying the Promised Messiah) which may be consulted for
these details.
Verses 56 - 58
فَأَمَّا الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا فَأُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَابًا شَدِيْدًا فِى الدُّنْيَا وَالْأُخِرَةِ
وَمَالَهُمْ قِنُ نْصِرِينَ ﴿٥٦﴾ وَآَمَّا الَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا
الصُّلِحْتِ فَيُوَقِّيْهِمْ أُجُورَهُمْ، وَاللهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْظُلِمِيْنَ ﴿٥٧﴾
ذُلِكَ نَتْلُوُهُ عَلَيْكَ مِنَ الْأَيْتِ وَالذِّكُرِ الْحَكِيمِ ﴿٥٨)
Now, as for those who disbelieve, I shall punish them, a
severe punishment, in this world and in the Hereafter;
and for them there are no helpers. [56]
And as for those who believe and do good deeds, He
(Allah) will give them their rewards in full. And Allah
does not like transgressors. [57]
This We recite to you of the Verses and the Message
that is full of wisdom. [58]
Sequence
In the previous verse (56), it was said that Allah will be the final
judge and decision-maker in what they used to differ in between them-
selves. This verse describes that decision.
Commentary
Are the sufferings of this world beneficial for the next life?
The words "I shall punish them in this world and in the Hereafter"

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Surah 'Al-'Imran 3 : 59-63
in verse 56 may create a little doubt. Since the statement here relates
to the judgement to be pronounced on the Last Day, how can the state-
ment -'I shall punish them in this world and in the hereafter'- be ex-
plained as this world of ours would not exist at that time and even
though it exists today, but the judgement is to be given on the Day of
Resurrection?
This difficulty can be resolved by turning to an analogy. This say-
ing is similar to the saying of a judge to a culprit -'Right now I am
sending you to the jail for a year; if you misbehave there, I shall make
it for two years'- which simply means that those two years will be
counted from the day the punishment is being awarded. Based on this,
it is certain that following any misbehaviour the two-year punishment
will become effective. So, given the misconduct, the validity of this
whole will regulate itself for one more year as 'add-on'.
The same applies here as the punishment in the world has already
been given; now the punishment of the Hereafter will be added on and
the sum-total will be finally executed on the Last Day, that is, having
been punished in the world will not serve as expiation for the punish-
ment of the Hereafter. This is contrary to the condition of believers
who, when struck by suffering in the mortal world, have their sins for-
given and find the punishment due in the Hereafter lightened or ward-
ed off. For this reason, a hint to this effect has been made in 3 8
(and Allah does not like transgressors -v. 57), that is, believers are dear
because of their belief and the beloved ones are always treated in such
a manner. The disbelievers are detested because of their disbelief and
those detested do not receive such treatment. (Bayan al-Qur'an)
Verses 59 - 63
إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِيْسَى عِنْدَاللّهِ كَمَثَلِ آدَمَ+ خَلَقَةً مِنْ تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ
لَذْ كُنُ فَيَكُوْنُ ﴿٥٩﴾ اَلَحَقُّ مِنُ رَّبِّكَ فَلَا تَكُنُ مِّنَ
الْمُتَرِيْنَ﴿ 1﴾ فَمَنُ حَاَجَكَ فِيْهٍ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَاجَآءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ
فَقُلْ تَعَالَوُا نَدُعُ ابْنَاءَ نَا وَابْنَاءَكُمْ وَنِسَاءَنَا وَنِسَاءَكُمُ
وَأَنْفُسَنَا وَأَنْفُسَكُمُه ◌ُثُمَّ نَبْتَهِلُ فَنَجْعَلُ لَّعْنَتَ اللهِ عَلَى

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Surah 'Al-'Imran 3 : 59-63
الْكُذِبِيْنَ ﴿٦١) إِنَّ هَذَا لَهُوَ الْقَصَصُ الْحَقُّهُ وَ مَا مِنْ إِلهٍ إِلَّ
اللّهُ، وَإِنَّ اللّهَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحُكِيُمُ ﴿٦٢﴾ فَإِنُ تَوَلَّوًا فَإِنَّ اللّهَ
عَلِيمٌ بِالْفُسِدِيْنَ ﴿٦٣)
Surely, the case of 'Isa, in the sight of Allah, is like the
case of 'Adam. He created him from dust, then said to
him, "Be", and he came to be. [59] The truth is from your
Lord. So, do not be of those who doubt. [60]
So, if someone argues with you in this after what has
come to you of the knowledge, say, "Come, let us call
our sons and your sons, our women and your women,
ourselves and yourselves, then pray and invoke the
curse of Allah upon the liars." [61]
This is, indeed, the true narration. And there exists no
god but Allah. And Allah is surely the All-Mighty, the
All-Wise. [62]
So, should they turn back, Allah is all-aware of the mis-
chievous. [63]
The event of Mubahala and the refutation of heretics.
The background of these verses is that the Holy Prophet sent an
ultimatum to the Christians of Najran which included three options in
the order given below:
1. Accept Islam, or
2. Pay jizya (a levy on free non-Muslims under Muslim rule), or
3. Get ready for a war.
After mutual consultation, the Christians sent a delegation to the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم consisting of Shurahbil 'Abdullah b. Shurah-
bil and Jabbar ibn Fayd to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم .They came
and began their talks on religious issues. When they, in their effort to
prove the godhood of Jesus, took their debate to the extremes of dis-
pute, that was the moment this verse of Mubahala was revealed.
Thereupon, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم invited the Christians to
join in the Mubahala confrontation (a form of resolving disputes by
praying to Allah, the details of which shall shortly be discussed) and
quite readily, he himself came out with Sayyidah Fatimah Le Jo, ,

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Surah 'Al-'Imran 3 : 59-63
رضى الله عنهما and their sons, Hasan and Husain رضى الله عنه Sayyidna 'Ali
along with him all set for the Mubahalah. Looking at this, Shurahbil
said to his two comrades: 'Look, you already know that he is a prophet
of Allah and getting into a Mubahalah confrontation with a prophet
means certain death and destruction for us. So find out some other
way to get out of this fix.' His comrades asked him as to what he
thought it could be. Shurahbil said: 'I think the best solution is to opt
for a truce as advised by the prophet'. So, on this everybody agreed. As
a result, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم made peace by fixing a levy on
them which was accepted by them as well. (Tafsir ibn Kathir, v. 1).
The Meaning of Mubahalah
As stated earlier, verse 61 has instructed the Holy Prophet i to
· invite his opponents (Christians) to Mubahalah which literally means
'mutual prayer' but in the terminology of Islamic Shari'ah it refers to a
particular form of resolving religious disputes. When the argumenta-
tions from both sides fail to resolve a religious issue, the parties jointly
pray Allah to cast His curse on whichever of the two parties is false.
Since curse means 'moving someone far away from the divine mercy', -
and moving far away from mercy is being close to divine wrath --
therefore, the essence of the meaning is: Wrath be on the liar. As such,
whoever is the liar shall face the evil consequences whereupon the
truth will become evident before the disbelievers as well. Invocation in
this manner is called 'Mubahalah'.
Originally, the Mubahalah can be carried out by the disputants
only; they can simply get together and pray. It is not necessary that
all their family members are assembled. However, if all the family
members participate in the Mubahalah, it becomes more effective.
(That is why the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was instructed to invite
the family members of both sides).
'Son' includes grandson
In verse 61 the words 'our sons' does not mean 'our' sons as of the
loins only. Instead, the sense is general. They may be sons or
grandsons, because this is how the word is used in common usage.
Therefore, the grandsons of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ,namely
Sayyidna Hasan and Sayyidna Husain رضى الله عنهما , as well as
صلى الله عليه وسلم"the son-in-law of the Holy Prophet رضى الله عنه Sayyidna "All

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Surah 'Al-‘Imran 3 : 64
are all included in the words: 'our sons'.
Sayyidna 'Ali رضى الله عنه has another additional reason for being
included in the 'sons' of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ,because he had
grown up under the patronage of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم who
had treated him like his own son.
It is, therefore, evident that Sayyidna 'All رضى الله عنه is included in
the words: 'our sons'. Some Shiites have claimed that since he was not
the son of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم he could not be referred to by
the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم as 'our son'. Through this notion the
Shiites conclude that Sayyidna 'All at Ulu+, was included in the words
'ourselves', therefore, he was the immediate successor of the Holy
صلى الله عليه وسلم Prophet
The fallacy of this argument is evident from what has been dis-
cussed above.
Verse 64
قُلْ يَا آَهْلَ الْكِتْبِ تَعَالَوُا إِلى كَلِمَةٍ سَوَاء بَيْنَا وَبَيْنَكُمْ
اَلَنَعْبُدَ إِلَّ اللَّهَ وَلَا يُشْرِكَ بِهِ شَيْئًا وَّلاَ يَتَّخِذَ بَعُضُنَا بَعْضًا
اَرْبَابًا مِنُ دُونِ اللَّهِ، فَإِنُ تَوَلَّوًا فَقُوْلُوا اشْهَدُوا بِأَنَّا
مُسْلِمُونَ ﴿٦٤)
Say, "O people of the Book, come to a word common
between us and you that we worship none but Allah, that
we associate nothing with Him and that some of us do not
take some others as lords instead of Allah." Then, should
they turn back, say, "You be witness that we are
Muslims."[64]
Commentary:
Important Principles of Tabligh and Da'wah:
This verse:ْتَعَالَها إلى كَلِمَةٍ سَوَاءٍ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْتَكُم unfolds an important principle of
Tabligh (Preaching) and Da wah (Preaching Islam). The principle re-
quires that a person, who desires to carry his call to a group which
holds beliefs and ideas different from his own, should follow a particu-
lar method. That method is to induce that group to unite only on what
they both can agree to, for instance, when the Holy Prophet gave

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Surah 'Al-‘Imran 3 : 65-58
the Byzantine ruler, Hiraql (Heraclius) the call to Islam, he picked up
a particular point on which there was mutual agreement, i.e., on the
Oneness of Allah Almighty. That invitation is reproduced below:
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم، من محمّد عبد الله ورسوله الى هرقل عظيم
الروم، سلام على من اتبع الهدى، اما بعد فانى ادعوك بدعاية الاسلام
اسلم تسلم يؤتك الله أجرك مرتين فان توليت فان عليك اثم اليريسين،
◌َاَهُلَ الْكِتْبِ تَعَالَوْا إِلى كَلِمَةٍ سَوَاءٍ، بَيْتَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمُ الَّ تَعْبُدَ إِلَّ اللهَ
وَلاَ نُشْرِكَ بِهِ شَيْئًا وَلَا يَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُنَا بَعْضًا أَرْبَابًا مِنُ دُوْنِ اللَّهِ (البخارى)
I begin with the name of Allah who is All-Merciful, Very-
Merciful. From Muhammad, servant of Allah, and His messen-
ger: To Heraclius, the Byzantine emperor. Peace be on him
who takes the right path. After that, I invite you to the call of
Islam. Embrace Islam and be in peace. Allah will bestow upon
you a twofold reward, but should you turn away, then, on you
shall be the sin of your subjects. "O people of the Book, come
to a word common between us and you that we worship none
but Allah, that we associate nothing with Him and that some
of us do not take some others as Lord instead of Allah." (Al-
Bukharī)
The statement, 'you be witness ... ' in the last sentence of the verse
teaches us a lesson, that is, should someone refuse to accept the truth,
even after it has been proved clearly, then the proper course is to re-
state one's own belief and conclude the conversation. Entering into fur-
ther debate and verbal altercation is not appropriate.
Verses 65 - 68
يَاَهْلَ الْكِتْبِ لِمَ تُحَاْجُونَ فِىٌ إِبْرِهِيْمَ وَمَّا أُنْزِلَتِ التَّوُرُنَةُ
وَالْإِنْجِيْلُ إِلَّمِنْ، بَعْدِهِ، أَفَلَا تَعُقِلُونَ ﴿١٥) هَانُهُمْ هَؤُلاءِ
حَاجَجْتُمْ فِيُمَا لَكُمْ بِهْ عِلْمٌّ فَلِمَ تُحَاْتُوُنَ فِيْمَا لَيْسَ لَكُمُ په
عِلْمُهُ وَاللّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنْهُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٦٦) مَا كَانَ إِبُرْهِيُمُ
يَهُوْدِيًّا وَلَا نَصْرَانِيًّا وَلَكِنْ كَانَ حَنِيْفًا تُسْلِمَاء وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ
الْمُشْرِكِيْنَ ﴿٦٧) إِنَّ أَوْلَى النَّاسِ بِبْرَاهِيْمَ لَلَّذِيْنَ اتَّبَعُهُ وَلهذَا

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Surah 'Al-'Imran 3 : 65-68
النَّبِىُ وَالَّذِيْنَ امَنُؤَاء وَاللَّهُ وَلِىُّ الْمُمِنِيْنَ ﴿١٦٨
O people of the Book, why do you argue about Ibrahim
while the Torah and the Injil were not revealed until af-
ter him? Have you, then, no sense? [65]
Look, this is what you are - you argued about what you
had knowledge; why then do you argue about what you
have no knowledge? And Allah knows and you do not
know. [66]
Ibrahim was not a Jew, nor a Christian. But he was up-
right, a Muslim, and was not one of those who asso-
ciate partners with Allah. [67]
The closest of people to Ibrahim are those who followed
him, and this prophet, and those who believe. And Al-
lah is guardian of the believers. [68]
Commentary
The argumentation referred to in verse 65 was to decide whether
Sayyidna Ibrahim JI Lle followed the way of the Jews, or that of the
Christians. The futility of their exercise already stood exposed as both
these ways in religion appeared long after the revelation of the Old
and New Testaments. These just did not exist before that. How, then,
could it be claimed that Sayyidna Ibrahim JILL adhered to these
ways?
Verse 66 points out to the hollowness of their approach when they
indulged in their argumentation on the basis of incomplete knowledge.
That they would venture to do so on the basis of no knowledge could
hardly he explained. The truth is that only Allah knows the way of Ib-
. عليه السلام rahim
That way has been described in Verse 67.
Verse 68 declares that the closest of people to Sayyidna Ibrahim
were those who followed him during his time and now the closest to
him is the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad al-Mustafa صلى الله عليه وسلم and
so are the believers in him and in past prophets. These believers are
the community of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and their guardian is Allah
and He will reward them for their belief.

95
Surah 'Al-‘Imran 3 : 69-71
Verses 69 - 71
وَّتُ ظَائِفَةٌ قِنْ آَهْلِ الْكِتُبٍ لَوْ يُضِلُّؤْنَكُمْ، وَمَا يُضِلُّوْنَ إِلَّ
أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ ﴿١٩﴾ فَآَهُلَ الْكِتْبِ لِمَ تَكْفُرُوُنَ بِأَيْتٍ
اللَّهِ وَأَنْهُمْ تَشْهَدُوْنَ ﴿ ٧﴾ ◌َآَهُلَ الْكِتْبِ لِمَ تَلْبِسُونَ الْحَّ
بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتَكْتُمُوْنَ الْحَقَّ وَأَنْتُمُ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٧١﴾
A group from the people of the Book loves to mislead
you, while they mislead none but themselves and they
do not realise. [69]
O people of the Book, why do you disbelieve in the
signs of Allah while you are yourselves a witness? [70]
O People of the Book, why do you confound the truth
with falsehood, and conceal the truth when you know?
[71]
Commentary
Verse 69 exposes the cherished desire of the people of the Book to
mislead Muslims away from the true faith they are on. The text, then,
firmly declares that the victim of their effort to misguide is no one oth-
er than themselves, something they do not realize.
Verse 70, addressing the people of the Book, asks them as to why
they disbelieve in the signs of Allah, such as the verses in Torah and
Injil which prove the prophethood of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم because
the denial of his prophethood amounts to declaring these verses to be
false which is infidelity, although they themselves confirm these as
true. This is an admonition on their error in belief.
Proceeding further, Verse 71 admonishes them for confusing the
real statement, that is, the prophecy about the prophethood of Muham-
mad صلى الله عليه وسلم with the fictitious, that is, the interpolated state-
ments or false exegesis. The crucial question being asked is as to why
would they conceal the truth of the matter despite knowing the truth,
and knowing that they are hiding it.
The words in 3;'& & (you are yourselves a witness - 70) and in '
3' (you know - 71) should not be taken to mean that disbelief will be-
come permissible for them if they do not attest to the truth or have no

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Surah 'Al-‘Imran 3 : 72-74
knowledge about it. This is because kufr (disbelief) is intrinsically an
abominable thing to practice. This is prohibited under all conditions.
However, the mention of kufr (disbelief) after knowledge and attesta-
tion is to increase the impact of reproachment.
Verses 72 - 74
وَقَالَتْ ظَائِفَةٌ مِنُ أَهْلِ الْكِتُبِ اِنُوا بِالَّذِىُّ أُنْزِلَ عَلَى الَّذِيْنَ
أمَنُوا وَجُهَ النَّهَارِ وَاكُفُرُؤُاَ اخِرَةٍ لَعَلَّهُمُ يَرُجِعُونَ ﴿٧٢﴾
وَلَا تُؤْمِنُؤََّ إِلَّا لَِنْ تَبْعَ دِيْنَكُمُ﴿ قُلٌ إِنَّ الْهُدَى هُدَى اللَّهِ أَنْ
يُؤْتِنَّى أَحَدٌّ ◌ِثْلَ مَّا أُوْ تِبْتُمُ أَوٌ يُحَتْقُكُمْ عِنْدَ رَبِّكُمُ﴿ قُلُ إِنَّ
الْفَضْلَ بِيَدِ اللَّهِ مُؤْتِيْهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيٌُ ﴿ ٧٣﴾
يَخْتَصُ بِرَحْمَتِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللّهُ ذُوالَّفَضْلِ الْعَظِيْمِ
And a group from the people of the Book said, "Believe
in what has been revealed to the believers in the early
part of the day, and disbelieve at the end of it, so that
they may turn back. [72] And do not believe except in
those who follow your faith." Say, "(Real) guidance is
the guidance of Allah." (But all that you do is due to
your envy) that someone is given what is similar to
that which you have been given, or that they argue
against you before your Lord. Say, "The bounty is in the
hands of Allah. He gives it to whom He wills. And Allah
is All-Embracing, All-Knowing. [73] He chooses for His
grace whom He wills. And Allah is the Lord of great
bounty." [74]
Some from among the people of the Book chose a strategy of decep-
tion in order to mislead Muslims. According to their agreed plan, they
would declare their belief in the Qur'an in the morning and then reject
it in the evening. They thought that this quick about-turn would
create doubts in the minds of Muslims about Qur'an and Islam and
they might turn away from their faith thinking that there must be
something wrong with Islam visible to such learned people who were
open-minded enough to accept it first. They also made it a point to re-
serve their feinted declaration of belief in Islam to hoodwink Muslims
only! Their true belief, they planned, would be affirmed before none

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Surah 'Al-‘Imran 3 : 75
but only those who follow their own creed. The rule was: Sincerity
with the later, expediency with the former!
That these tricks are low is proved later in Verse 73 when the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has been asked to declare that their clever moves
are not going to work for them since Guidance given to servants of Al-
lah is certainly from Allah. So, it is He who, with Guidance in His con-
trol, can make whoever He will steadfast on that Guidance. No one can
succeed in weaning such a person away from it with any trick, plan or
enticement whatsoever.
The reason why they act in the way they do is envy, that is, they
envy Muslims as to why they were given the Scripture, or they envy
their supremacy in religious argument. It is because of this envy that
they keep working to bring about the downfall of Islam and of the com-
munity that adheres to it.
That this envy is based on not knowing the nature, timing and wis-
dom of Allah's grace and mercy is explained in the later part of verse
73 and in verse 74.
Verse 75
وَمِنُ أَهْلِ الْكِتْبِ مَنْ إِنْ تَأْمَنُهُ بِقِنْطَارٍ تُؤَدِّةٍ إِلَيْكَْ وَمِنْهُمْ
مَنُ إِنْ تَامَنُهُ بِدِيْنَارٍ لاَ يُؤَدِّهِ إِلَيْكَ إِلَّمَا دُمُتَ عَلَيْهِ قَائِمَاء
ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُؤًا لَيُسَ عَلَيْنَا فِى الْأُمِّنَ سَبِيْلٌ، وَيَقُوْلُونَ
عَلَى اللهِ الْكَذِبَ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٧٥﴾
And among the people of the Book there is one who, if
you entrust him with a heap (of gold or silver), will give
it back to you; and among them there is one who, if you
entrust him with a single dinar, he will not give it back
to you unless you keep standing over him. This is be-
cause they have said, "There is no way we can be
blamed in the matter of the unlettered." And they tell
lies about Allah knowingly. [75]
Sequence
In the previous verses (70-72), breach of faith committed by the peo-
ple of the Book was mentioned. This included disbelieving in the

98
Surah 'Al-‘Imran 3 : 76-77
verses of Allah, confusing the truth with what is false, concealing the
truth and conspiring to mislead Muslim believers.
In the verse cited above (75), their breach of trust in matters of
property has been mentioned. Since some of them happened to be
trustworthy, both types were identified.
Commentary
Praising good qualities in some non-Muslim is correct
In this verse (75), some people have been praised for their trust-
worthiness. If this 'some' refers to those among the people of the Book
who had embraced Islam, praising them poses no problems. But, in
case, it does not refer to Muslims particularly and instead, refers to
the people of the Book in the absolute sense including non-Muslims as
well, then the situation generates the question: When no act of a kafir
(disbeliever) is acceptable why praise them?
The answer is that for an action or deed to become acceptable is a
different matter and having a word of praise for it is something else.
From praising something it does not follow that it is acceptable with
Allah. The purpose is to point out that something good, even if it be
that of a kafir (disbeliever), is good enough in a certain degree, the
benefit of which he receives in the form of good reputation in the mor-
tal world, and of course, in the Hereafter, in the form of a reduction in
punishment for his disbelief.
This statement also makes it clear that Islam does not resort to
prejudice and short-sightedness. On the contrary, it shows open-
hearted appreciation of the excellence of even its adversary in respect
of his achievements.
It is from this verse: eu ch sel fi (unless you keep standing over
him - 75) that Imam Abu Hanifah has deduced the ruling that the lend-
er has the right to keep pursuing the borrower until he receives his
due. (Qurțubi, v. 4)
Verses 76 - 77
بَلَى مَنْ أَوْفِى بِعَهْدِهِ وَاتَّقَى فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُنَّفِّيْنَ ﴿٧٦) إِنَّ
الَّذِيْنَ يَشْتَرُونَ بِعَهْدِاللَّهِ وَآَيْمَانِهِمْ ثَمَنَّا قَلِبْلاً أُولَئِكَ لَآَ خَلَقَ

99
Surah 'Al-'Imran 3 : 76-77
لَهُمْ فِى الْآخِرَةِ وَلَا يُكَلِمُهُمُ اللهُ وَلَا يَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيمَةِ
وَلَ يُزَكِّيْهِمُ صَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيُمُّ ﴿٧٧)
Why not? Whoever fulfils his pledge and fears Allah,
then, Allah loves the God-fearing. [76] Surely, those who
take a small price out of the covenant of Allah and out
of their oaths, for them there is no share in the Here-
after, and Allah will not speak to them, nor will He look
towards them on the Day of Doom, nor will He purify
them. And for them there is a painful punishment. [77]
Sequence
Earlier, in 3ppa (they say - 75), there was a refutation of the claim
made by the people of the Book. Onwards from there, in verses 76-77,
the same refutation has been re-asserted and the merit of fulfilling a
commitment as well as the condemnation for its breach have been
clarified.
.Commentary
'Ahd (pledge or covenant) is what gets settled between parties con-
cerned after mutual discussions and by which both of them have to
abide. Contrary to this is ne, : wa'dah or promise which issues forth
from a single side, that is, 'ahd (pledge or covenant) is bilateral while
wa'dah (promise) is unilateral.
That commitments should be fulfilled has been stressed in the
Qur'an and Sunnah time and again. For instance, right here in verse
77 cited above, five warnings have been given to those who break their
solemn pledge:
1. They will have no share in the blessings of the heaven. In a
hadith, the Holy Prophet صلى اللّه عليه وسلم has said that one who usurps
the right of a Muslim under false oath makes the fire of Hell
compulsory for himself. The narrator of the hadith asked if the Fire
will become compulsory even if this concerned something very
insignificant? In reply, he said: Even if this be the green bough of a
tree. (Muslim vide Mazharī)
2. Allah Almighty will not speak to them with glad tidings.
3, Allah Almighty will not look at them mercifully on the Day of
Doom.

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Surah 'Al-‘Imran 3 : 78-80
4. Allah Almighty will not forgive them their sins since they wast-
ed away the rights of a servant of Allah through breach of trust, and
Allah will not forgive what a human being owes to another human be-
ing. In Islamic terminology, this is known as the haqq al-'abd or the
right of a servant of Allah.
5. And a grievous punishment shall await them.
Verses 78 - 80
وَإِنَّ مِنْهُمْ لَفَرْقًّاتُلُّؤْنَ اَلْسِنَتَهُمُ بِالْكِتْبِ لِتَحْسَبُرْهُ مِنَ
الْكِتْبِ وَمَا هُوَ مِنَ الْكِتْبِهِ وَيَقُوُلُؤُنَ هُوَ مِنُ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ وَمَا
هُوَ مِنْ عِنْدِاللَّهِ ، وَيَقُوْلُونَ عَلَىَ اللهِ الْكَذِبَ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُوْنَ
﴿٧٨﴾ مَا كَانَ لِبَشَرِ أَنْ تُؤْتِيَّهُ اللهُ الْكِتَبَ وَالْحُكُمَ وَالْتُّبْرَّةَ ثُمَّ
يَقُُلَ لِلنَّاسِ كُوْنُوْا عِبَادًا لِى مِنْ دُونِ اللّهِ وَلكِنُّ
كُنُوارَّانِّنَ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تُعْلِّمُوْنَ الْكِتْبَ وَبِمَا كُنْهُمْ تَدُرُسُنَ
﴿٧٩) وَلَ يَأْمُرَّكُمْ أَنْ تَتَّخِذُوا الْمُلَئِكَةَ وَالتَّبِّنَ آَرْبَابًا ء
آَيَأْ مُكُمُ بِالْكُفُرِ بَعْدَ إِذْ آَنْهُمْ تُسُلِمُونَ ﴿٨﴾
And among them there is indeed a group who twist
their tongues in (reading) the Book, so that you may
deem it to be from the Book, while it is not from the
Book. And they say, "It is from Allah", while it is not
from Allah. And they tell lies about Allah knowingly.
[78]
It is not (possible) for a man that Allah gives him the
Book, the wisdom and the prophethood, then he starts
saying to the people "Be my worshippers aside from Al-
lah" rather, (he would say), "Be men of the Lord; as you
have been teaching the Book, and as you have been
learning it." [79]
Nor is it (possible for him) that he bids you to hold the
angels and the prophets as Lords. Shall he bid you to
disbelief, after your having become Muslims? [80]
Commentary
It was during the presence of the deputation from Najran that

101
Surah 'Al-'Imran 3 : 78-80
some Jews and Christians had said: 'O Muhammad, do you want us to
worship you the way Christians worship Jesus, son of Mary?' He said:
'I seek refuge with Allah that we worship someone other than Allah or
call on others to do so. Allah Almighty has not sent us to do that.'
Thereupon, this verse was revealed.
The infallibility of the Prophets
The verse implies that a person whom Allah invests with the Book,
the Wisdom and the power of making decisions, and places him on the
great station of prophethood is always faithful to his mission when he
communicates the Divine message to people and calls on them to be-
come His faithful servants. That he starts moving people away from
the worship of only one God and starts asking them to become his own
worshippers or the worshippers of some other creatures is something
he can never do. If so, this would mean that the one whom Allah had
sent as his messenger did not, in fact, deserve this designation. Any
government of this world, when appointing someone to an office of re-
sponsibility, always takes two factors into consideration:
1. Does the incumbent have the ability to comprehend and execute
government policy?
2. How far can he be expected to execute government directives,
and to hold its subjects in a stable stance of loyalty? No king or parlia-
ment would ever appoint someone as its representative or ambassador
about whom there exists the least doubt of indulging in anti-
government activity, or deviation from its policy or directives. Howev-
er, it is possible that the government may have failed to make a cor-
rect assessment of a person's ability or loyalty. But with Allah even
that element of doubt does not exist. If He knows about a man that he
would not over-step the bounds of loyalty and obedience to Him, even
in the slightest degree, then it is impossible that he could, later on,
prove to be contrary to that assessment. Otherwise, it would mean
that Divine knowledge is defective (we seek refuge with Allah!) Right
from here, the question of the 'ismah 1 (infallibility) of the prophets,
>JI,e, becomes clear. Now that the blessed prophets are free of mi-
1. 'Ismah' means a special protection given to someone by Allah which
makes him refrain from sins. For the purpose of brevity we may
translate it as 'infallibility' - editor.

102
Surah 'Al-'Imran 3 : 81-84
nor sins, how can the probability of doing shirk (the major sin of asso-
ciating others with Allah) or making revolt against Allah remain val-
id?
In this, there is the necessary refutation of the Christians who
claimed that it was Masih WILL who asked them to have belief in his
sonship and godhead. Also chastised were the Muslims who had gone
to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم trying to find out if it was all right for
them to prostrate before him rather than greet him with the usual
salam. Also admonished were the people of the Book who had invested
their rabbis and monks with the station of God. Refuge with Allah!
(Tafsir 'Usmani)
Verses 81 - 84
وَإِذْ آَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِئْتَاقَ التَّبِيِّنَ لَا أَتَيْئُكُمُ مِّنُ كِتْبٍ وَحِكُمَةٍ ثُمَّ
جَاءَكُمْ رَسُوْلٌّ مُصَدِّقٌ لِّلَ مَعَكُمْ لَتُؤْمِنُنَّ بِ﴿ وَلَتَنْصُُرَنَّهُ﴾ قَالَ
ءَ آَقُرَرْتُمُ وَآَخَذْتُمُ عَلَى ذَلِكُمْ إِصْرِىُُّ قَالُّاَ آَقْرَرْنَا﴾ قَالَ
فَاشْهَدُوْا وَأَنَا مَعَكُمْ مِنَ الشُّهِدِيْنَ ﴿٨١﴾ فَمَنُ تَوَلْى بَعْدَ ذُلِكَ
فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْفُسِقُونَ ﴿٨٢﴾ آفَغَيْرَ دِيْنِ اللَّهِ يَبْغُونَ وَلَذَ آَسْلَمَ مَنُ
فِى الَّمُوتِ وَالْأَرْضِ طُوْعًا وَكَرْهًا وَإِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُونَ ﴿٨٣﴾ قُلُ
امَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَّا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمُعِيْلَ
وَإِسْحِقَ وَيَعْقُوْبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطِ وَمَّا أُوُتِىَ مُؤْسَى وَعِيْسُى
وَالتَّبِّوُنَ مِنْ رَّيِّهِمْصَ لَا نُفَتِّقُ بَيْنَ آحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ، وَنَحْنُ لَهْ مُسْلِمُوْنَ
And when Allah made the prophets take pledge: (saying)
"If I give you a book and wisdom, then comes to you a
messenger verifying what is with you, you shall have to
believe in him and you shall have to support him." He
said, "Do you affirm and accept my covenant in this re-
spect?" They said, "We affirm." He said, "Then, bear wit-
ness, and I am with you among the witnesses." [81]
Then those who turn back after this they are the sin-
1

103
Surah 'Al-Imran 3 : 81-84
ful.[82]
Are they, then, seeking a faith other than that of Allah
while to Him alone submits whosoever there is in the
heavens and the earth, willingly or unwilling, and to Him
they shall be returned? [83]
Say, "We believe in Allah and in what has been revealed to
us and in what was revealed to Ibrahim, Ismail, Ishaq,
Ya'qub and the descendants, and in what has been given
to Musa, 'Isa (Jesus) and the prophets, from their Lord: We
do not differentiate between any of them. And to Him we
submit ourselves." [84]
Commentary
Three Covenants with Allah Almighty
There are three kinds of pledges Allah Almighty has taken from
His servants:
1. One of them has been mentioned in Surah al-A'raf (Jleyl) under
Sy cui : alastu bi rabbikum (Am I not your Lord? - 7:172) The purpose
of this pledge was to bring round the whole human community to be-
lieve in the being of God and in His universal Lordship since the whole
edifice of religion rests on this very corner-stone. Unless this belief is
there, the lead given by reason and reflection can be of no positive use
in the field of religion. Additional details on this subject will, inshal-
lah, appear where due.
2. The second pledge is mentioned in verse 187 of the present Surah
in the following words:
وَإِذْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيْقَاقَ الَّذِيْنَ أُوْتُوا الْكِتْبَ لَتُبَبُِّنَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَكْتُمُوُنَهُ
And when Allah took pledge from those who were given the
Book: "You shall make it known to people, and you shall not
conceal it." (3:18)
This pledge was taken exclusively from the 'ulama' (religious schol-
ars) of the people of the Book asking them not to hide the truth but to
state it clearly and openly.
3. The third pledge has been described in the present verse:
وَإِذْ آَخَذَاللَّهُ مِيْقَاقَ الْتَّبِيِّنَ لَ اتَيْئُكُمُ مِنْ كِتْبٍ وَ حِكْمَةٍ
And when Allah made the prophets take pledge: (saying) "If I