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 6 (Verses 3:55–3:63): Jesus Cleared of False Charges
Translation:
اِذۡ قَالَ اللّٰہُ یٰعِیۡسٰۤی اِنِّیۡ مُتَوَفِّیۡکَ وَ رَافِعُکَ اِلَیَّ وَ مُطَہِّرُکَ مِنَ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا وَ جَاعِلُ الَّذِیۡنَ اتَّبَعُوۡکَ فَوۡقَ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡۤا اِلٰی یَوۡمِ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ ۚ ثُمَّ اِلَیَّ مَرۡجِعُکُمۡ فَاَحۡکُمُ بَیۡنَکُمۡ فِیۡمَا کُنۡتُمۡ فِیۡہِ تَخۡتَلِفُوۡنَ ﴿۵۵﴾
3:55 When Allah said: O Jesus, I will cause you to die1 and exalt you in My presence2 and clear you of those who disbelieve3 and make those who follow you above those who disbelieve to the day of Resurrection.4 Then to Me is your return, so I shall decide between you in that in which you differ.5
فَاَمَّا الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا فَاُعَذِّبُہُمۡ عَذَابًا شَدِیۡدًا فِی الدُّنۡیَا وَ الۡاٰخِرَۃِ ۫ وَ مَا لَہُمۡ مِّنۡ نّٰصِرِیۡنَ ﴿۵۶﴾
3:56 Then as to those who disbelieve, I shall punish them with severe punishment in this world and the Hereafter, and they will have no helpers.
وَ اَمَّا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ فَیُوَفِّیۡہِمۡ اُجُوۡرَہُمۡ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ لَا یُحِبُّ الظّٰلِمِیۡنَ ﴿۵۷﴾
3:57 And as to those who believe and do good deeds, He will pay them fully their rewards. And Allah does not love the unjust.
ذٰلِکَ نَتۡلُوۡہُ عَلَیۡکَ مِنَ الۡاٰیٰتِ وَ الذِّکۡرِ الۡحَکِیۡمِ ﴿۵۸﴾
3:58 This We recite to you of the messages and the Reminder full of wisdom.
اِنَّ مَثَلَ عِیۡسٰی عِنۡدَ اللّٰہِ کَمَثَلِ اٰدَمَ ؕ خَلَقَہٗ مِنۡ تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَہٗ کُنۡ فَیَکُوۡنُ ﴿۵۹﴾
3:59 The likeness of Jesus with Allah is truly as the likeness of Adam. He created him from dust, then said to him, Be, and he was.6
اَلۡحَقُّ مِنۡ رَّبِّکَ فَلَا تَکُنۡ مِّنَ الۡمُمۡتَرِیۡنَ ﴿۶۰﴾
3:60 (This is) the truth from your Lord, so do not be one of the disputers.
فَمَنۡ حَآجَّکَ فِیۡہِ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ مَا جَآءَکَ مِنَ الۡعِلۡمِ فَقُلۡ تَعَالَوۡا نَدۡعُ اَبۡنَآءَنَا وَ اَبۡنَآءَکُمۡ وَ نِسَآءَنَا وَ نِسَآءَکُمۡ وَ اَنۡفُسَنَا وَ اَنۡفُسَکُمۡ ۟ ثُمَّ نَبۡتَہِلۡ فَنَجۡعَلۡ لَّعۡنَتَ اللّٰہِ عَلَی الۡکٰذِبِیۡنَ ﴿۶۱﴾
3:61 Whoever then disputes with you in this matter after the knowledge that has come to you, say: Come! Let us call our sons and your sons and our women and your women and our people and your people, then let us be earnest in prayer, and invoke the curse of Allah on the liars.7
اِنَّ ہٰذَا لَہُوَ الۡقَصَصُ الۡحَقُّ ۚ وَ مَا مِنۡ اِلٰہٍ اِلَّا اللّٰہُ ؕ وَ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ لَہُوَ الۡعَزِیۡزُ الۡحَکِیۡمُ ﴿۶۲﴾
3:62 Surely this is the true account, and there is no god but Allah. And Allah, He surely is the Mighty, the Wise.
فَاِنۡ تَوَلَّوۡا فَاِنَّ اللّٰہَ عَلِیۡمٌۢ بِالۡمُفۡسِدِیۡنَ ﴿٪۶۳﴾
3:63 But if they turn away, then surely Allah knows the mischief-makers.
Commentary:
- Ibn Abbas says that the words used here, mutawaffī-ka, mean mumītu-ka, i.e. I will cause you to die (see Bukhari, 65.5:12). These words are used to show that the Jewish plans to cause Jesus’ death on the cross would be frustrated and that he would afterwards die a natural death; see 4:157. ↩
- The word raf‘ signifies raising or elevating, and also exalting or making honourable. When the raf‘ of a human being to Allah is spoken of in the religious literature of Islam, it is always in the sense of exaltation. The exaltation of Jesus is mentioned here as a reply to the Jews, whose object was to make him die an accursed and ignominious death on the cross. ↩
- This signifies clearing Jesus of the false charges relating to the alleged illegitimacy of his birth, and so on, charges of which Jesus was cleared by the Quran. ↩
- This is the fourth promise made to Jesus in this verse, that those who follow Jesus shall be made dominant over his rejectors till the day of Judgment. Its truth is witnessed to this day in the dominance of the Christians over the Jews. ↩
- Differences of belief are dealt with in the life after death, while the worst of transgressions in deeds are punished even in this life. ↩
- Adam stands for man generally, because all human beings are created from dust (see 18:37, 22:5 and 30:20). All that is meant is that Jesus is no more than a mortal, and that it is an error to take him for God. If Adam is taken as a proper name, the meaning would be that just as Adam was created from dust and then chosen by Allah, so was Jesus created from dust, and his election was similar to the election of Adam, the command “Be” referring to the election of a righteous servant of Allah. In either case there is no reference to Jesus being brought into existence without the agency of a male parent. ↩
- The persons addressed in particular in this verse are the members of the Christian deputation from Najrān that came in 10 A.H. to see the Prophet Muhammad. The deputation was lodged by the Holy Prophet in his mosque. Thus did he set an unparalleled example of freedom of religious belief and practice. After the Holy Prophet gave them arguments showing that Jesus was not God, and finding them still insisting on their false belief, they were invited as a last resort to pray earnestly that the curse of Allah might overtake the party that insisted on falsehood. After some deliberation they decided against it and told the Prophet that they had decided not to pray against him as suggested. Thereupon they were given a pledge by which they were free to practise their religion. ↩