English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 3: Āl Imran — The Family of Amran (Revealed at Madinah: 20 sections, 200 verses)
Section 19 (Verses 3:181–3:189): Carpings of People of the Book
Translation:
لَقَدۡ سَمِعَ اللّٰہُ قَوۡلَ الَّذِیۡنَ قَالُوۡۤا اِنَّ اللّٰہَ فَقِیۡرٌ وَّ نَحۡنُ اَغۡنِیَآءُ ۘ سَنَکۡتُبُ مَا قَالُوۡا وَ قَتۡلَہُمُ الۡاَنۡۢبِیَآءَ بِغَیۡرِ حَقٍّ ۙ وَّ نَقُوۡلُ ذُوۡقُوۡا عَذَابَ الۡحَرِیۡقِ ﴿۱۸۱﴾
3:181 Allah has certainly heard the saying of those who said: Allah is poor and we are rich. We shall record what they say, and their killing the prophets unjustly, and We shall say: Taste the punishment of burning.1
ذٰلِکَ بِمَا قَدَّمَتۡ اَیۡدِیۡکُمۡ وَ اَنَّ اللّٰہَ لَیۡسَ بِظَلَّامٍ لِّلۡعَبِیۡدِ ﴿۱۸۲﴾ۚ
3:182 This is for what your own hands have sent ahead, and because Allah is not in the least unjust to the servants.
اَلَّذِیۡنَ قَالُوۡۤا اِنَّ اللّٰہَ عَہِدَ اِلَیۡنَاۤ اَلَّا نُؤۡمِنَ لِرَسُوۡلٍ حَتّٰی یَاۡتِیَنَا بِقُرۡبَانٍ تَاۡکُلُہُ النَّارُ ؕ قُلۡ قَدۡ جَآءَکُمۡ رُسُلٌ مِّنۡ قَبۡلِیۡ بِالۡبَیِّنٰتِ وَ بِالَّذِیۡ قُلۡتُمۡ فَلِمَ قَتَلۡتُمُوۡہُمۡ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ ﴿۱۸۳﴾
3:183 Those who say: Allah has enjoined us that we should not believe in any messenger until he brings us an offering which is consumed by fire.2 Say: Indeed messengers came to you before me with clear arguments and with what you demand. Why then did you try to kill them, if you are truthful?3
فَاِنۡ کَذَّبُوۡکَ فَقَدۡ کُذِّبَ رُسُلٌ مِّنۡ قَبۡلِکَ جَآءُوۡ بِالۡبَیِّنٰتِ وَ الزُّبُرِ وَ الۡکِتٰبِ الۡمُنِیۡرِ ﴿۱۸۴﴾
3:184 But if they reject you, so indeed were rejected before you messengers who came with clear arguments and scriptures and the illuminating Book.
کُلُّ نَفۡسٍ ذَآئِقَۃُ الۡمَوۡتِ ؕ وَ اِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوۡنَ اُجُوۡرَکُمۡ یَوۡمَ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ ؕ فَمَنۡ زُحۡزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَ اُدۡخِلَ الۡجَنَّۃَ فَقَدۡ فَازَ ؕ وَ مَا الۡحَیٰوۃُ الدُّنۡیَاۤ اِلَّا مَتَاعُ الۡغُرُوۡرِ ﴿۱۸۵﴾
3:185 Every soul must taste of death. And you will be paid your reward fully only on the day of Resurrection. Then whoever is removed far from the Fire and is made to enter the Garden, he indeed attains the object. And the life of this world is nothing but a provision of vanities.
لَتُبۡلَوُنَّ فِیۡۤ اَمۡوَالِکُمۡ وَ اَنۡفُسِکُمۡ ۟ وَ لَتَسۡمَعُنَّ مِنَ الَّذِیۡنَ اُوۡتُوا الۡکِتٰبَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِکُمۡ وَ مِنَ الَّذِیۡنَ اَشۡرَکُوۡۤا اَذًی کَثِیۡرًا ؕ وَ اِنۡ تَصۡبِرُوۡا وَ تَتَّقُوۡا فَاِنَّ ذٰلِکَ مِنۡ عَزۡمِ الۡاُمُوۡرِ ﴿۱۸۶﴾
3:186 You will certainly be tried in your property and your persons. And you will certainly hear from those who have been given the Book before you and from the idolaters much abuse. And if you are patient and keep your duty, surely this is an affair of great resolution.4
وَ اِذۡ اَخَذَ اللّٰہُ مِیۡثَاقَ الَّذِیۡنَ اُوۡتُوا الۡکِتٰبَ لَتُبَیِّنُنَّہٗ لِلنَّاسِ وَ لَا تَکۡتُمُوۡنَہٗ ۫ فَنَبَذُوۡہُ وَرَآءَ ظُہُوۡرِہِمۡ وَ اشۡتَرَوۡا بِہٖ ثَمَنًا قَلِیۡلًا ؕ فَبِئۡسَ مَا یَشۡتَرُوۡنَ ﴿۱۸۷﴾
3:187 And when Allah took a covenant from those who were given the Book: You shall explain it to people and shall not hide it. But they threw it behind their backs and took a small price for it. And evil is what they buy.
لَا تَحۡسَبَنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ یَفۡرَحُوۡنَ بِمَاۤ اَتَوۡا وَّ یُحِبُّوۡنَ اَنۡ یُّحۡمَدُوۡا بِمَا لَمۡ یَفۡعَلُوۡا فَلَا تَحۡسَبَنَّہُمۡ بِمَفَازَۃٍ مِّنَ الۡعَذَابِ ۚ وَ لَہُمۡ عَذَابٌ اَلِیۡمٌ ﴿۱۸۸﴾
3:188 Do not think that those who exult in what they have done, and love to be praised for what they have not done — do not think them to be safe from the punishment; and for them is a painful punishment.
وَ لِلّٰہِ مُلۡکُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ عَلٰی کُلِّ شَیۡءٍ قَدِیۡرٌ ﴿۱۸۹﴾٪
3:189 And Allah’s is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. And Allah is Powerful over all things.
Commentary:
- The Jews ridiculed the poverty of the Muslims and their borrowings from the Jewish money-lenders. They also ridiculed the raising of funds for the defence of the faith by subscriptions. See also 5:64. ↩
- They were referring to the burnt offerings of the Mosaic law. ↩
- The critics are told that they even sought to kill those prophets who followed the Mosaic law, who came “with what you demand”. ↩
- This verse speaks of the future, in fact the distant future. The abuses which have been heaped on Islam in the past two centuries are without a parallel in the whole history of religion. The scurrilous language of Western publications, political as well as Christian, and the vituperations of their imitators elsewhere have exceeded all moral bounds. But Muslims are taught in this verse to bear all such abuse only with patience. (Editor’s Note: Hence it is not at all required or even allowed in Islam that Muslims should respond by killing or physically attacking those who vilify Islam and its Holy Prophet. See also 20:130, 33:48, 73:10, 4:140 and 6:68 which lead to the same conclusion.) ↩