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 8 (Verses 3:72–3:80): Machinations to Discredit Islam
Translation:
وَ قَالَتۡ طَّآئِفَۃٌ مِّنۡ اَہۡلِ الۡکِتٰبِ اٰمِنُوۡا بِالَّذِیۡۤ اُنۡزِلَ عَلَی الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَجۡہَ النَّہَارِ وَ اکۡفُرُوۡۤا اٰخِرَہٗ لَعَلَّہُمۡ یَرۡجِعُوۡنَ ﴿ۚۖ۷۲﴾
3:72 And a group of the People of the Book say: Affirm belief in what has been revealed to those who believe, in the first part of the day, and disbelieve in the latter part of it, perhaps they may turn back.1
وَ لَا تُؤۡمِنُوۡۤا اِلَّا لِمَنۡ تَبِعَ دِیۡنَکُمۡ ؕ قُلۡ اِنَّ الۡہُدٰی ہُدَی اللّٰہِ ۙ اَنۡ یُّؤۡتٰۤی اَحَدٌ مِّثۡلَ مَاۤ اُوۡتِیۡتُمۡ اَوۡ یُحَآجُّوۡکُمۡ عِنۡدَ رَبِّکُمۡ ؕ قُلۡ اِنَّ الۡفَضۡلَ بِیَدِ اللّٰہِ ۚ یُؤۡتِیۡہِ مَنۡ یَّشَآءُ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِیۡمٌ ﴿ۚۙ۷۳﴾
3:73 And do not believe except in him who follows your religion.2 Say: True guidance — Allah’s guidance — is that one may be given the like of what you were given; or they would prevail on you in argument before your Lord.3 Say: Grace is surely in Allah’s hand. He gives it to whom He pleases. And Allah is Ample-giving, Knowing.
یَّخۡتَصُّ بِرَحۡمَتِہٖ مَنۡ یَّشَآءُ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ ذُو الۡفَضۡلِ الۡعَظِیۡمِ ﴿۷۴﴾
3:74 He specially chooses for His mercy whom He pleases. And Allah is the Lord of mighty grace.4
وَ مِنۡ اَہۡلِ الۡکِتٰبِ مَنۡ اِنۡ تَاۡمَنۡہُ بِقِنۡطَارٍ یُّؤَدِّہٖۤ اِلَیۡکَ ۚ وَ مِنۡہُمۡ مَّنۡ اِنۡ تَاۡمَنۡہُ بِدِیۡنَارٍ لَّا یُؤَدِّہٖۤ اِلَیۡکَ اِلَّا مَادُمۡتَ عَلَیۡہِ قَآئِمًا ؕ ذٰلِکَ بِاَنَّہُمۡ قَالُوۡا لَیۡسَ عَلَیۡنَا فِی الۡاُمِّیّٖنَ سَبِیۡلٌ ۚ وَ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ عَلَی اللّٰہِ الۡکَذِبَ وَ ہُمۡ یَعۡلَمُوۡنَ ﴿۷۵﴾
3:75 And among the People of the Book is he who, if you entrust him with a heap of wealth, would pay it back to you; and among them is he who, if you entrust him with a dinar, would not pay it back to you, unless you kept on demanding it. This is because they say there is no blame on us in the matter of the unlearned people and they forge a lie against Allah while they know.5
بَلٰی مَنۡ اَوۡفٰی بِعَہۡدِہٖ وَ اتَّقٰی فَاِنَّ اللّٰہَ یُحِبُّ الۡمُتَّقِیۡنَ ﴿۷۶﴾
3:76 No, whoever fulfils his promise and keeps his duty — then Allah surely loves the dutiful.
اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ یَشۡتَرُوۡنَ بِعَہۡدِ اللّٰہِ وَ اَیۡمَانِہِمۡ ثَمَنًا قَلِیۡلًا اُولٰٓئِکَ لَا خَلَاقَ لَہُمۡ فِی الۡاٰخِرَۃِ وَ لَا یُکَلِّمُہُمُ اللّٰہُ وَ لَا یَنۡظُرُ اِلَیۡہِمۡ یَوۡمَ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ وَ لَا یُزَکِّیۡہِمۡ ۪ وَ لَہُمۡ عَذَابٌ اَلِیۡمٌ ﴿۷۷﴾
3:77 Those who take a small price for the covenant of Allah and their own oaths — they have no portion in the Hereafter, and Allah will not speak to them, nor will He look upon them on the day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them, and for them is a painful punishment.
وَ اِنَّ مِنۡہُمۡ لَفَرِیۡقًا یَّلۡوٗنَ اَلۡسِنَتَہُمۡ بِالۡکِتٰبِ لِتَحۡسَبُوۡہُ مِنَ الۡکِتٰبِ وَ مَا ہُوَ مِنَ الۡکِتٰبِ ۚ وَ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ ہُوَ مِنۡ عِنۡدِ اللّٰہِ وَ مَا ہُوَ مِنۡ عِنۡدِ اللّٰہِ ۚ وَ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ عَلَی اللّٰہِ الۡکَذِبَ وَ ہُمۡ یَعۡلَمُوۡنَ ﴿۷۸﴾
3:78 And certainly there are some of them who lie about the Book that you may consider it to be (a part) of the Book while it is not (a part) of the Book; and they say, It is from Allah, while it is not from Allah; and they forge a lie against Allah while they know.
مَا کَانَ لِبَشَرٍ اَنۡ یُّؤۡتِیَہُ اللّٰہُ الۡکِتٰبَ وَ الۡحُکۡمَ وَ النُّبُوَّۃَ ثُمَّ یَقُوۡلَ لِلنَّاسِ کُوۡنُوۡا عِبَادًا لِّیۡ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰہِ وَ لٰکِنۡ کُوۡنُوۡا رَبّٰنِیّٖنَ بِمَا کُنۡتُمۡ تُعَلِّمُوۡنَ الۡکِتٰبَ وَ بِمَا کُنۡتُمۡ تَدۡرُسُوۡنَ ﴿ۙ۷۹﴾
3:79 It is not for a mortal that Allah should give him the Book and the judgment and the prophethood, then he should tell people: Be my servants besides Allah’s; but (he would say): Be worshippers of the Lord because you teach the Book and because you study (it);
وَ لَا یَاۡمُرَکُمۡ اَنۡ تَتَّخِذُوا الۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃَ وَ النَّبِیّٖنَ اَرۡبَابًا ؕ اَیَاۡمُرُکُمۡ بِالۡکُفۡرِ بَعۡدَ اِذۡ اَنۡتُمۡ مُّسۡلِمُوۡنَ ﴿٪۸۰﴾
3:80 nor would he command you to take the angels and the prophets for lords.6 Would he command you to disbelieve after you submit?
Commentary:
- This has two different significances. One is that they should affirm belief in the earlier part of the revelation, while denying the latter portion, as some modern critics do, thus creating doubts as to the sincerity of the Prophet. The other is that they should affirm a belief in the truth of Islam in the morning and deny it in the evening, creating the impression that the religion of Islam was a false religion. The fact that a group of Jews, in Madinah under Muslim rule, could conceive this plan is a clear proof that apostates in Islam were not put to death. ↩
- Editor’s Note: This is the statement of the Jews continued from v. 72, that they should not believe in any prophet who did not follow their religion. ↩
- The contention of the Jews not to believe in any prophet who did not follow the law of Moses is met with the reply that a revelation must be given to another prophet like the revelation that had been given to Moses, for the Divine promise to Moses was that God would raise up a prophet like him from among the “brethren” of the Israelites (Deuteronomy, 18:18). In this argument the Muslims are said to prevail over their opponents. ↩
- Allah’s choosing for His mercy stands here for His choice of a prophet. ↩
- They considered themselves free from all responsibility towards the Arabs, despite any agreement they might have made with them. They are, however, told that God never allowed dishonesty against any people. ↩
- Thus according to the Quran no prophet — Jesus included — ever taught his followers to take him as God. Even the current Gospels do not attribute any such teaching to Jesus. The angels are mentioned because the pagan Arabs worshipped the angels. ↩