Ali 'Imran 3:83
Family of Imran · Juz 3 · Page 60
أَفَغَيۡرَ دِينِ ٱللَّهِ يَبۡغُونَ وَلَهُۥٓ أَسۡلَمَ مَن فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ طَوۡعٗا وَكَرۡهٗا وَإِلَيۡهِ يُرۡجَعُونَ ٨٣
So is it other than the religion of Allāh they desire, while to Him have submitted [all] those within the heavens and earth, willingly or by compulsion, and to Him they will be returned?
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Commentary on 3:83–85
The Only Valid Religion To Allah is Islam
Allah rebukes those who prefer a religion other than the religion that He sent His Books and Messengers with, which is the worship of Allah Alone without partners, to Whom,
وَلَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَن فِى السَّمَوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ
(submitted all creatures in the heavens and the earth,) Willingly, or not. Allah said in other Ayat,
وَللَّهِ يَسْجُدُ مَن فِى السَّمَوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا
(And unto Allah (Alone) falls in prostration whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly.) 13:15, and,
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْاْ إِلَىٰ مَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ مِن شَىْءٍ يَتَفَيَّؤُاْ ظِلَٰلُهُۥ عَنِ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَٱلشَّمَآئِلِ سُجَّدًا لِّلَّهِ وَهُمْ دَٰخِرُونَ ٤٨ وَلِلَّهِ يَسْجُدُ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مِن دَآبَّةٍۢ وَٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ وَهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ ٤٩ يَخَافُونَ رَبَّهُم مِّن فَوْقِهِمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ ۩ ٥٠
(Have they not observed things that Allah has created: (how) their shadows incline to the right and to the left, making prostration unto Allah, and they are lowly And to Allah prostrate all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, of the moving creatures and the angels, and they are not proud. They fear their Lord above them, and they do what they are commanded) 16: 48-50.
Therefore, the faithful believer submits to Allah in heart and body, while the disbeliever unwillingly submits to Him in body only, since he is under Allah's power, irresistible control and mighty kingship that cannot be repelled or resisted. Waki` reported that Mujahid said that the Ayah,
وَلَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَن فِى السَّمَوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا
(While to Him submitted all creatures in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly), is similar to the Ayah,
وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُمْ مَّنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّهُ
(And verily, if you ask them: "Who created the heavens and the earth" Surely, they will say: "Allah") 39:38.
He also reported that Ibn `Abbas said about,
وَلَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَن فِى السَّمَوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا
(while to Him submitted all creatures in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly.)
"When He took the covenant from them."
وَإِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُونَ
(And to Him shall they all be returned) on the Day of Return, when He will reward or punish each person according to his or her deeds.
Allah then said,
قُلْ ءَامَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا
(Say: "We believe in Allah and in what has been sent down to us) the Qur'an,
وَمَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَى إِبْرَهِيمَ وَإِسْمَعِيلَ وَإِسْحَقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ
(and what was sent down to Ibrahim, Ismai`l, Ishaq, Ya`qub) the scriptures and revelation,
وَالأَسْبَاطَ
(and the Asbat,) the Asbat are the twelve tribes who originated from the twelve children of Israel (Ya`qub).
وَمَا أُوتِىَ مُوسَى وَعِيسَى
(and what was given to Musa, `Isa) the Tawrah and the Injil,
وَالنَّبِيُّونَ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ
(and the Prophets from their Lord.) and this encompasses all of Allah's Prophets.
لاَ نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّنْهُمْ
(We make no distinction between one another among them) we believe in all of them,
وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ
(And to Him (Allah) we have submitted (in Islam))
Therefore, faithful Muslims believe in every Prophet whom Allah has sent and in every Book He revealed, and never disbelieve in any of them. Rather, they believe in what was revealed by Allah, and in every Prophet sent by Allah. Allah said next,
وَمَن يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الإِسْلَمِ دِينًا فَلَن يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ
(And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him,) whoever seeks other than what Allah has legislated, it will not be accepted from him,
وَهُوَ فِى الاٌّخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَسِرِينَ
(and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.)
As the Prophet said in an authentic Hadith,
«مَنْ عَمِلَ عَمَلًا لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرُنَا، فَهُوَ رَد»
(Whoever commits an action that does not conform to our matter (religion) then it is rejected).
Page 60
3:78
وَإِنَّ مِنۡهُمۡ لَفَرِيقٗا يَلۡوُۥنَ أَلۡسِنَتَهُم بِٱلۡكِتَٰبِ لِتَحۡسَبُوهُ مِنَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ وَمَا هُوَ مِنَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ وَيَقُولُونَ هُوَ مِنۡ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا هُوَ مِنۡ عِندِ ٱللَّهِۖ وَيَقُولُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلۡكَذِبَ وَهُمۡ يَعۡلَمُونَ ٧٨
And indeed, there is among them a party who alter the Scripture with their tongues so you may think it is from the Scripture, but it is not from the Scripture. And they say, "This is from Allāh," but it is not from Allāh. And they speak untruth about Allāh while they know.
3:79
مَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَن يُؤۡتِيَهُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ وَٱلۡحُكۡمَ وَٱلنُّبُوَّةَ ثُمَّ يَقُولَ لِلنَّاسِ كُونُواْ عِبَادٗا لِّي مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَٰكِن كُونُواْ رَبَّٰنِيِّـۧنَ بِمَا كُنتُمۡ تُعَلِّمُونَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ وَبِمَا كُنتُمۡ تَدۡرُسُونَ ٧٩
It is not for a human [prophet]1 that Allāh should give him the Scripture2 and authority and prophethood and then he would say to the people, "Be servants to me rather than Allāh," but [instead, he would say], "Be pious scholars of the Lord because of what you have taught of the Scripture and because of what you have studied."
3:80
وَلَا يَأۡمُرَكُمۡ أَن تَتَّخِذُواْ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةَ وَٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ أَرۡبَابًاۚ أَيَأۡمُرُكُم بِٱلۡكُفۡرِ بَعۡدَ إِذۡ أَنتُم مُّسۡلِمُونَ ٨٠
Nor could he order you to take the angels and prophets as lords. Would he order you to disbelief after you had been Muslims?
3:81
وَإِذۡ أَخَذَ ٱللَّهُ مِيثَٰقَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ لَمَآ ءَاتَيۡتُكُم مِّن كِتَٰبٖ وَحِكۡمَةٖ ثُمَّ جَآءَكُمۡ رَسُولٞ مُّصَدِّقٞ لِّمَا مَعَكُمۡ لَتُؤۡمِنُنَّ بِهِۦ وَلَتَنصُرُنَّهُۥۚ قَالَ ءَأَقۡرَرۡتُمۡ وَأَخَذۡتُمۡ عَلَىٰ ذَٰلِكُمۡ إِصۡرِيۖ قَالُوٓاْ أَقۡرَرۡنَاۚ قَالَ فَٱشۡهَدُواْ وَأَنَا۠ مَعَكُم مِّنَ ٱلشَّٰهِدِينَ ٨١
And [recall, O People of the Scripture], when Allāh took the covenant of the prophets, [saying], "Whatever I give you of the Scripture and wisdom and then there comes to you a messenger confirming what is with you, you [must] believe in him and support him." [Allāh] said, "Have you acknowledged and taken upon that My commitment?"1 They said, "We have acknowledged it." He said, "Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses."
1 translator’s note
- i.e., Have you accepted this obligation? ↩
3:82
فَمَن تَوَلَّىٰ بَعۡدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡفَٰسِقُونَ ٨٢
And whoever turned away after that - they were the defiantly disobedient.
3:83
أَفَغَيۡرَ دِينِ ٱللَّهِ يَبۡغُونَ وَلَهُۥٓ أَسۡلَمَ مَن فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ طَوۡعٗا وَكَرۡهٗا وَإِلَيۡهِ يُرۡجَعُونَ ٨٣
So is it other than the religion of Allāh they desire, while to Him have submitted [all] those within the heavens and earth, willingly or by compulsion, and to Him they will be returned?
Translation: Saheeh International · Text and layout: Quran Foundation · Mushaf fonts: King Fahd Complex, provided by Quran Foundation · Privacy