Surah 3. Aal-Imran

"Verily, God is my Sustainer as well as your Sustainer: so worship Him [alone]: this is a straight way.

  - Mohammad Asad

In fact, Allah is my Rabb as well as your Rabb, therefore, worship Him; this is the Right Way.'"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And when Jesus became aware of their refusal to acknowledge the truth,⁴¹ he asked: "Who will be my helpers in God's cause?" The white-garbed ones⁴² replied: "We shall be [thy] helpers [in the cause] of God! We believe in God: and bear thou witness that we have surrendered ourselves unto Him!

  - Mohammad Asad

This relates to a later time, when Jesus was being opposed by the majority of his people, and particularly the Pharisees.

Al-hawariyyun (sing. hawari) is the designation applied in the Qur'an to the disciples of Jesus. Many interpretations of this term (derived from hawar, "whiteness") are given by the commentators, ranging from "one who whitens clothes by washing them" (because this was allegedly the occupation of some of Jesus' disciples) to "one who wears white garments", or "one whose heart is white", i.e., pure (cf. Tabari, Razi, Ibn Kathir). It is, however, most probable - and the evidence provided by the recently discovered Dead Sea Scrolls strongly supports this view - that the term hawari was popularly used to denote a member of the Essene Brotherhood, a Jewish religious group which existed in Palestine at the time of Jesus, and to which, possibly, he himself belonged. The Essenes were distinguished by their strong insistence on moral purity and unselfish conduct, and always wore white garments as the outward mark of their convictions; and this would satisfactorily explain the name given to them. The fact that the Prophet once said, "Every prophet has his hawari" (Bukhari and Muslim) does not conflict with the above view, since he obviously used this term figuratively, recalling thereby Jesus' "helpers in God's cause".

When Isa (Jesus) found out that they (most of the children of Israel) had no faith, he asked: "Who will help me in the cause of Allah?" The Disciples replied: "We will help you in the cause of Allah. We believe in Allah. Be our witness that we are Muslims."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

But when Jesus became conscious of their disbelief, he cried: Who will be my helpers in the cause of Allah? The disciples said: We will be Allah's helpers. We believe in Allah, and bear thou witness that we have surrendered (unto Him).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

0 our Sustainer! We believe in what Thou hast bestowed from on high, and we follow this Apostle; make us one,⁴³ then, with all who bear witness [to the truth]!"

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "write us down" or "inscribe us". It must, however, be borne in mind that the verb kataba means also "he drew together" or "brought together": hence the noun katibah, "a body of men".

Then they invoked Allah and said): "Our Rabb! We believe in what you have revealed and we follow Your Rasool. Please count us with those who bear witness."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Our Lord! We believe in that which Thou hast revealed and we follow him whom Thou hast sent. Enroll us among those who witness (to the truth).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And the unbelievers schemed [against Jesus];⁴⁴ but God brought their scheming to nought: for God is above all schemers.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "they schemed" - here referring to those among the Jews who refused to acknowledge Jesus as a prophet and tried to destroy him.

The unbelievers among the children of Israel plotted against Isa and Allah also devised a plan to raise him up, and Allah is the best in planning.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And they (the disbelievers) schemed, and Allah schemed (against them): and Allah is the best of schemers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Lo! God said: "O Jesus! Verily, I shall cause thee to die, and shall exalt thee unto Me, and cleanse thee of [the presence of] those who are bent on denying the truth; and I shall place those who follow thee [far] above those who are bent on denying the truth, unto the Day of Resurrection. In the end, unto Me you all must return, and I shall judge between you with regard to all on which you were wont to differ.⁴⁵

  - Mohammad Asad

This refers to all who revere Jesus (i.e., the Christians, who believe him to be "the son of God", and the Muslims, who regard him as a prophet) as well as to those who deny him altogether. Regarding God's promise to Jesus, "I shall exalt thee unto Me", see surah {4}, note [172].

Allah said: "O Isa (Jesus)! I am going to recall you (from your mission) and raise you up to Myself. I will clean you of those who rejected you and exalt your followers above the unbelievers till the Day of Resurrection; then to Me shall be your return and I shall judge those matters in which you have been disputing.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

(And remember) when Allah said: O Jesus! Lo! I am gathering thee and causing thee to ascend unto Me, and am cleansing thee of those who disbelieve and am setting those who follow thee above those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then unto Me ye will (all) return, and I shall judge between you as to that wherein ye used to differ.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"And as for those who are bent on denying the truth, I shall cause them to suffer a suffering severe in this world and in the life to come, and they shall have none to succour them;

  - Mohammad Asad

Those who are unbelievers will be punished with severe punishment in this world and the Hereafter; they shall have no helpers.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

As for those who disbelieve I shall chastise them with a heavy chastisement in the world and the Hereafter; and they will have no helpers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

whereas unto those who attain to faith and do good works He will grant their reward in full: for God does not love evildoers."

  - Mohammad Asad

As for those who believe and do good deeds, Allah will pay them their full reward. Allah does not love the transgressors."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And as for those who believe and do good works, He will pay them their wages in full. Allah loveth not wrongdoers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

THIS MESSAGE do We convey unto thee, and this tiding full of wisdom:⁴⁶

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "This We convey unto thee of the messages and of the wise tiding." The expression "this of the messages" bears, to my mind, the connotation of one particular message - namely, the one which follows immediately after this sentence.

This revelation which We recite to you is full of signs and wise reminders.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

This (which) We recite unto thee is a revelation and a wise reminder.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Verily, in the sight of God, the nature of Jesus is as the nature of Adam, whom He created out of dust and then said unto him, "Be" - and he is.⁴⁷

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "The parable of Jesus is as the parable of Adam...", etc. The expression mathal (rendered above as "nature") is often metaphorically employed to denote the state or condition (of a person or a thing), and is in this sense - as the commentators have pointed out - synonymous with sifah (the "quality" or "nature" of a thing). As is evident from the sequence, the above passage is part of an argument against the Christian doctrine of the divinity of Jesus. The Qur'an stresses here as in many other places, the fact that Jesus, like Adam - by which name, in this context, the whole human race is meant - was only a mortal "created out of dust", i.e., out of substances, both organic and inorganic, which are found in their elementary forms on and in the earth. Cf. also 18:37 22:5 , 30:20 , 35:11 , 40:67 , where the Qur'an speaks of all human beings as "created out of dust". That "Adam" stands here for the human race is clearly implied in the use of the present tense in the last word of this sentence.

In fact the example of the birth of Isa ( Jesus) in the sight of Allah is like the example of Adam who had no father and mother, whom He created out of dust, then said to him: "Be" and he was.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! the likeness of Jesus with Allah is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, then He said unto him: Be! and he is.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[This is] the truth from thy Sustainer; be not, then, among the doubters!

  - Mohammad Asad

This is the Truth from your Rabb, therefore, do not be of those who doubt it.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

(This is) the truth from thy Lord (O Muhammad), so be not thou of those who waver.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And if anyone should argue with thee about this [truth] after all the knowledge that has come unto thee, say: "Come! Let us summon our sons and your sons, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves; and then let us pray [together] humbly and ardently, and let us invoke God's curse upon those [of us] who are telling a lie."⁴⁸

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., regarding the true nature of Jesus. According to all the reliable authorities, verses {59-63} of this surah were revealed in the year 10 H., on the occasion of a dispute between the Prophet and a deputation of the Christians of Najran who, like all other Christians, maintained that Jesus was "the son of God" and, therefore, God incarnate. Although they refused the "trial through prayer" (mubahalah) proposed to them by the Prophet, the latter accorded to them a treaty guaranteeing all their civic rights and the free exercise of their religion.

If anyone disputes with you concerning this matter (the birth of Jesus) after full knowledge has come to you, say: "Come! Let us gather our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves: then let us earnestly pray and invoke the curse of Allah on the liars."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And whoso disputeth with thee concerning him, after the knowledge which hath come unto thee, say (unto him): Come! We will summon our sons and your sons, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, then we will pray humbly (to our Lord) and (solemnly) invoke the curse of Allah upon those who lie.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Behold, this is indeed the truth of the matter, and there is no deity whatever save God; and, verily, God - He alone - is almighty, truly wise.

  - Mohammad Asad

Verily this is the absolute true explanation. The fact of the matter is, that there is no god but Allah; and for sure Allah is the Mighty, the Wise.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! This verily is the true narrative. There is no God save Allah, and lo! Allah is the Mighty, the Wise.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And if they turn away [from this truth] - behold, God has full knowledge of the spreaders of corruption.

  - Mohammad Asad

But if they turn away from accepting this challenge, it will be clear proof of their mischief and Allah has the full knowledge of mischief-makers.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And if they turn away, then Lo! Allah is Aware of (who are) the corrupters.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Say: "O followers of earlier revelation! Come unto that tenet which we and you hold in common:⁴⁹ that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall not ascribe divinity to aught beside Him, and that we shall not take human beings for our lords beside God."⁵⁰ And if they turn away, then say: "Bear witness that it is we who have surrendered ourselves unto Him.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "a word [that is] equitable between you and us". The term kalimah, primarily meaning "word" or "utterance", is often used in the philosophical sense of "proposition" or "tenet".

Lit., "that we shall not take one another for lords beside God". Since the personal pronoun "we" obviously applies to human beings, the expression "one another" necessarily bears the same connotation. In its wider implication, the above call is addressed not merely to the Christians, who attribute divinity to Jesus and certain aspects of divinity to their saints, but also to the Jews, who assign a quasi-divine authority to Ezra and even to some of their great Talmudic scholars (cf. {9:30-31}).

Say: "O people of the Book! Let us get together on what is common between us and you: that we shall worship none but Allah; that we shall not associate any partners with Him; that we shall not take from among ourselves any lords beside Allah." If they reject your invitation then tell them: "Bear witness that we are Muslims (who have surrendered to Allah)."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Say: O People of the Scripture. Come to an agreement between us and you: that we shall worship none but Allah, and that we shall ascribe no partners unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside Allah. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are they who have surrendered (unto Him).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

O FOLLOWERS of earlier revelation! Why do you argue about Abraham,⁵¹ seeing that the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed till [long] after him? Will you not, then, use your reason?

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., as to whether the principles he followed were those of the Jewish faith, according to which the Torah is considered to be the final Law of God, or of the Christian faith, which conflicts with the former in many respects.

O people of the Book! Why do you argue with us about Ibrahim, as to whether he was a Jew or a Christian? You know, that the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel) were revealed long after him? Have you no sense at all?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O People of the Scripture! Why will ye argue about Abraham, when the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed till after him? Have ye then no sense?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Lo! You are the ones who would argue about that which is known to you; but why do you argue about something which is unknown to you?⁵² Yet God knows [it], whereas you do not know:

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., as to what was the true creed of Abraham. "That which is known to you" is an allusion to their knowledge of the obvious fact that many of the teachings based on the extant versions of the Torah and the Gospels conflict with the teachings of the Qur'an (Razi).

So far you have been arguing about things of which you had some knowledge! Must you now argue about that of which you know nothing at all? Allah knows while you do not.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! ye are those who argue about that whereof ye have some knowledge: Why then argue ye concerning that whereof ye have no knowledge? Allah knoweth. Ye know not.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Abraham was neither a "Jew" nor a "Christian", but was one who turned away from all that is false, having surrendered himself unto God; and he was not of those who ascribe divinity to aught beside Him.

  - Mohammad Asad

Ibrahim was neither a Jew nor a Christian but he was a Muslim, true in faith. He was not one of the mushrikin (who set up partners with Allah).

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Abraham was not a Jew, nor yet a Christian; but he was an upright man who had surrendered (to Allah), and he was not of the idolaters.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Behold, the people who have the best claim to Abraham are surely those who follow him - as does this Prophet and all who believe [in him] - and God is near unto the believers.

  - Mohammad Asad

Surely the people nearest to Ibrahim are those who follow him, which are this Prophet (Muhammad) and those who believe with him; Allah is the Protector of only those who are the believers.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! those of mankind who have the best claim to Abraham are those who followed him, and this Prophet and those who believe (with him); and Allah is the Protecting Friend of the believers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Some of the followers of earlier revelation would love to lead you astray: yet none do they lead astray but themselves, and perceive it not.

  - Mohammad Asad

Some of the People of the Book want to mislead you; but they mislead none except themselves, though they do not realize it.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

A party of the people of the Scripture long to make you go astray; and they make none to go astray except themselves, but they perceive not.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

O followers of earlier revelation! Why do you deny the truth of God's messages to which you yourselves bear witness?⁵³

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "when you [yourselves] bear witness": an allusion to the Biblical prophecies relating to the coming of the Prophet Muhammad.

O People of the Book! Why you deny the revelations of Allah while you know that they are true?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O People of the Scripture! Why disbelieve ye in the revelations of Allah, when ye (yourselves) bear witness (to the truth) ?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall