Surah 4. An-Nisaa, Ayah 171
| يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لَا تَغْلُوا فِي دِينِكُمْ وَلَا تَقُولُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ إِلَّا الْحَقَّ ۚ إِنَّمَا الْمَسِيحُ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَكَلِمَتُهُ أَلْقَاهَا إِلَىٰ مَرْيَمَ وَرُوحٌ مِنْهُ ۖ فَآمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ ۖ وَلَا تَقُولُوا ثَلَاثَةٌ ۚ انْتَهُوا خَيْرًا لَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّمَا اللَّهُ إِلَٰهٌ وَاحِدٌ ۖ سُبْحَانَهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُ وَلَدٌ ۘ لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۗ وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ وَكِيلًا |
| Transliteration | : | yaa 'ahl al- kitaab laa taghlo fe den -kum wa- laa taqolo calaa 'allaah 'illaa al- h.aqq 'inna-maa al- maseh. cesaa ibn maryam rasol 'allaah wa- kalimah -hu alqaa -haa 'ilaa maryam wa- roh. min -hu fa- 'aamino bi- 'allaah wa- rusul -hi wa- laa taqolo thalaathah intaho khayr(an) la- -kum 'inna-maa 'allaah 'ilaah waah.id subh.aana -hu 'an yakon la- -hu walad la- -hu maa fe as- samaawaat wa- maa fe al- 'ard. wa- kafaa bi- 'allaah wakel(an) |
| Pickthall | : | O People of the Scripture! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter aught concerning Allah save the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah, and His word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers, and say not "Three". Cease! (it is) better for you! Allah is only One God. Far is it removed from His transcendent majesty that he should have a son. His is all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And Allah is sufficient as Defender. |
| Asad | : | O FOLLOWERS of the Gospel! Do not overstep the bounds [of truth] in your religious beliefs,180 and do not say of God anything but the truth. The Christ Jesus, son of Mary, was but God's Apostle - [the fulfilment of] His promise which He had conveyed unto Mary - and a soul created by Him.181 Believe, then, in God and His apostles, and do not say, "[God is] a trinity". Desist [from this assertion] for your own good. God is but One God; utterly remote is He, in His glory, from having a son: unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and none is as worthy of trust as God. |
| Malik | : | O People of the Book! Do not transgress the limits of your religion. Speak nothing but the Truth about Allah. The Messiah, Isa (Jesus) the son of Maryam (Mary) was no more than a Rasool of Allah and His Word "Be" which He bestowed on Maryam and a Spirit from Him which took the shape of a child in her womb. So believe in Allah and His Rasools and do not say: "Trinity"." Stop saying that, it is better for you. Allah is only One Deity. He is far above from the need of having a son! To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and in the Earth. Allah Alone is sufficient for protection. |
| Yusuf Ali | : | O people of the Book! commit no excesses in your religion: nor say of Allah aught but truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) an Apostle of Allah and His Word which He bestowed on Mary and a Spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and His Apostles. Say not "Trinity": desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is One Allah: glory be to him: (for Exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth. And enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs. 675 676 |
Note - 180I.e., by raising Jesus to the rank of divinity. Since
here the Christians are addressed specifically, I render
the term kitab as "Gospel".
|
Note - 181Lit., "His word which He conveyed unto Mary and a soul
from Him". According to Tabari the "word" (kalimah) was
"the announcement (risalah) which God bade the angels to
convey to Mary, and God's glad tiding to her" (a
reference to 3:45) - which justifies the rendering of
kalimatuhu as "[the fulfilment of] His promise". (See
also surah {3}, note [28].) As regards the expression, "a
soul from Him" or "created by Him", it is to be noted
that among the various meanings which the word ruh bears
in the Qur'an (e.g., "inspiration" in 2:87 and {253]),
it is also used in its primary significance of "breath of
life", "soul", or "spirit": thus, for instance, in
32:9, where the ever-recurring evolution of the human
embryo is spoken of: "and then He forms him [i.e.,
man]...and breathes into him of His spirit" - that is,
endows him with a conscious soul which represents God's
supreme gift to man and is, therefore, described as "a
breath of His spirit". In the verse under discussion,
which stresses the purely human nature of Jesus and
refutes the belief in his divinity, the Qur'an points out
that Jesus, like all other human beings, was "a soul
created by Him".
|
Note - 675Just as a foolish servant may go wrong by excess of zeal
for his master, so in religion people's excesses may lead
them to blasphemy or a spirit the very opposite of
religion. The Jewish excesses in the direction of
formalism, racialism, exclusiveness, and rejection of
Christ Jesus have been denounced in many places. Here the
Christian attitude is condemned, which raises Jesus to an
equality with Allah: in some cases venerates Mary almost
to idolatry: attributes a physical son to Allah: and
invents the doctrine of the Trinity, opposed to all
reason, which according to the Athanasian Creed, unless a
man believes, he is doomed to hell for ever. Let our
Muslims also beware lest they fall into excesses either
in doctrine or in formalism.
|
Note - 676Christ's attributes are mentioned: (1) that he was the
son of a woman, Mary, and therefore a man; (2) but a
messenger, a man with a mission from Allah, and therefore
entitied to honour; (3) a Word bestowed on Mary, for he
was created by Allah's word "Be" (kun), and he was: iii.
59; (4) a spirit proceeding from Allah, but not Allah:
his life and his mission were more limited than in the
case of some other Messengers, though we must pay equal
honour to him as a Prophet of Allah. The doctrines of
Trinity, equality with Allah, and sonship, are repudiated
as blasphemies. Allah is independent of all needs and has
no need of a son to manage His affairs. The Gospel of
John (whoever wrote it) has put in a great deal of
Alexandrian and Gnostic mysticism round the doctrine of
the Word (Greek, Logos), but it is simply explained here.
|
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I.e., by raising Jesus to the rank of divinity. Since here the Christians are addressed specifically, I render the term kitab as "Gospel". |
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Lit., "His word which He conveyed unto Mary and a soul from Him". According to Tabari the "word" (kalimah) was "the announcement (risalah) which God bade the angels to convey to Mary, and God's glad tiding to her" (a reference to 3:45) - which justifies the rendering of kalimatuhu as "[the fulfilment of] His promise". (See also surah {3}, note [28].) As regards the expression, "a soul from Him" or "created by Him", it is to be noted that among the various meanings which the word ruh bears in the Qur'an (e.g., "inspiration" in 2:87 and {253]), it is also used in its primary significance of "breath of life", "soul", or "spirit": thus, for instance, in 32:9, where the ever-recurring evolution of the human embryo is spoken of: "and then He forms him [i.e., man]...and breathes into him of His spirit" - that is, endows him with a conscious soul which represents God's supreme gift to man and is, therefore, described as "a breath of His spirit". In the verse under discussion, which stresses the purely human nature of Jesus and refutes the belief in his divinity, the Qur'an points out that Jesus, like all other human beings, was "a soul created by Him". |
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Just as a foolish servant may go wrong by excess of zeal for his master, so in religion people's excesses may lead them to blasphemy or a spirit the very opposite of religion. The Jewish excesses in the direction of formalism, racialism, exclusiveness, and rejection of Christ Jesus have been denounced in many places. Here the Christian attitude is condemned, which raises Jesus to an equality with Allah: in some cases venerates Mary almost to idolatry: attributes a physical son to Allah: and invents the doctrine of the Trinity, opposed to all reason, which according to the Athanasian Creed, unless a man believes, he is doomed to hell for ever. Let our Muslims also beware lest they fall into excesses either in doctrine or in formalism. |
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Christ's attributes are mentioned: (1) that he was the son of a woman, Mary, and therefore a man; (2) but a messenger, a man with a mission from Allah, and therefore entitied to honour; (3) a Word bestowed on Mary, for he was created by Allah's word "Be" (kun), and he was: iii. 59; (4) a spirit proceeding from Allah, but not Allah: his life and his mission were more limited than in the case of some other Messengers, though we must pay equal honour to him as a Prophet of Allah. The doctrines of Trinity, equality with Allah, and sonship, are repudiated as blasphemies. Allah is independent of all needs and has no need of a son to manage His affairs. The Gospel of John (whoever wrote it) has put in a great deal of Alexandrian and Gnostic mysticism round the doctrine of the Word (Greek, Logos), but it is simply explained here. |
