Ali 'Imran 3:72–143

A group of Jewish scholars said: On the outside, accept the Qur’ān which was revealed to the believers at the beginning of the day and then reject it at the end of the day, so that, after seeing this, they begin to have doubts about their religion and turn back from it saying, ‘These people know better about Allah’s Book and they have turned back’.

They also said: Do not believe or accept anyone unless he is a Jew and follows your religion. Say, O Messenger: Guidance to the truth is the Guidance of Allah; not the disbelief and stubbornness that you display, fearing that anyone else could be given a bounty similar to what you were given, or that they would argue with you before your Lord if you acknowledged what was revealed to them. Say, O Messenger: Bounty is in Allah’s Hand and He gives it to whomever of His servants He wills: His bounty is not restricted to any one nation. Allah is embracing and He knows who is deserving.

He selects whomever of His creation He wishes to receive His mercy and blesses them with guidance, prophethood and numerous favours. Allah’s bounty is great and has no limit.

There are some People of the Scripture who, if you hand over a large amount of wealth, will honour the trust. On the other hand, there are some of them who, if you trust them with a small amount, will not return the trust unless you persistently demand it from them. That is because they wrongly claim that there is no sin on them for any crime they commit against the Arabs or if they consume the wealth of the Arabs, since Allah has permitted that for them. They say such lies knowing that it is a false attribution to Allah.

It is not as they claimed: in fact, there is a sin on them. However, if anyone fulfils his promise to Allah to have faith in Him and His Messenger, as well as his promise to people to honour their trusts, and is mindful of Allah by fulfilling His instructions and avoiding His prohibitions, then Allah loves those who are mindful of Him and will give them the best reward.

Those who take a small amount of this world in exchange of Allah’s advice to them to follow His revelation and His messengers, and in exchange of the oaths they took to fulfil Allah’s pledge, will have no share in the reward of the Afterlife. Allah will not speak kindly to them and will not look at them mercifully on the Day of Resurrection. They will receive a painful punishment.

There is a group of Jews who twist their tongues when reciting the Torah that was revealed by Allah, so that you think that they are reciting from the Torah, whereas it is not from the Torah. Instead, it is their lies and fabrications against Allah. They say: What we recite has been revealed by Allah – whereas it was not revealed by Allah. They tell lies about Allah when they know they are lying against Allah and His messengers.

It is not right for a man whom Allah gives a book revealed by Him, together with knowledge and understanding and selects him as a prophet, to say then to people, ‘Become servants of me instead of Allah’. Rather, he should say to them: Be righteous scholars-acting on what you know, because of your teaching the revealed book to people and because of your studying it by memorising and understanding it.

It is also not right for such a man to instruct you to take the angels and the prophets as lords to be worshipped besides Allah. Is it possible that he would instruct you to disbelieve after you have become devoted and have surrendered to Him?

Remember, O Messenger, when Allah took an affirmed promise from the prophets, saying to them: If I give you a revealed book, teach you wisdom and make you reach a high rank and status, and then My Messenger comes to you confirming the book and wisdom that you have, then you must accept what he brings and help him as his followers. Do you, O prophets, accept this and give Me a firm commitment for that? They replied, ‘We accept that’. Allah said: Bear witness against yourselves and your communities, and I will also be a witness against you and them.

Whoever turns away after this promise witnessed by Allah and His messengers, they are the ones who leave the religion of Allah and His obedience.

Do these people, who leave the religion of Allah and His obedience, look for something other than the religion Allah has chosen for His worship when every creation in the heavens and earth surrenders to Him, whether willingly like the believers, or unwillingly, like the disbelievers? Then all of creation will return to Him on the Day of Resurrection to give an account for their actions.

Say, O Messenger, that you have faith in Allah, doing as He instructs you, and that you have faith in the revelation that was given to you, and to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac and Jacob, and in what was revealed to the prophets among Jacob’s descendants, and in the scriptures and miracles that were given to Moses, Jesus and all the prophets by their Lord. Also, say that you make no distinction between them, believing in all of them, and that you are bound to Allah alone, surrendering in devotion to Him.

Whoever seeks a path other than that which Allah has endorsed – the path of surrendering (Islam) – it will not be accepted from them by Allah. They will be of those who have lost their souls by entering the fire of Hell.

How shall Allah grant faith in Him and in His messengers to a people who disbelieved after having faith in Allah and witnessing that what the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) brought was the truth, and after clear proofs of the truth of this have come to them? Allah does not grant faith in Him to a people who are wrongdoers and who choose error instead of guidance.

The reward of those wrongdoers who choose falsehood is the condemnation of Allah and the angels and the people all together; and they are excluded and removed from the mercy of Allah.

These disbelievers will live eternally in the fire of Hell, never to leave! Their suffering will not be lightened and they will not be given more time to repent and ask for forgiveness.

This punishment is for everyone except those who repent to Allah, asking for forgiveness, after their disbelief and disobedience, and correct what they have done. Truly, Allah is Forgiving and Compassionate to those who repent to Him.

Those who disbelieve after having faith, and stick to this disbelief until they die, then repenting to Allah and asking for forgiveness at the time of death, will not have this accepted from them, as the time for acceptance would have expired. They are those who have lost their way from the straight path which leads to Allah.

Those who disbelieve and die while in disbelief will not be able to ransom themselves from receiving the punishment of Allah, even were they to try and ransom themselves with the weight of the entire earth in gold. They will have a painful punishment, and they will have no helpers on the Day of Judgement to remove them from their suffering.

O believers, you will not receive the reward of the people of goodness and their rank until you spend the wealth you love in the way of Allah. Whatever you spend, big or small, Allah is aware of your intentions and of what you do; and everyone will be rewarded accordingly.

All wholesome foods were lawful for the Israelites, except which Jacob (peace be upon him) had made unlawful for himself before the Torah was revealed. These were not, as the Jews claimed to the Prophet Muhammad, made unlawful in the Torah. Tell them, O Prophet, to bring the Torah and read it if they are telling the truth in what they claim. When the Jews heard this, they did not know how to respond, so they did not bring the Torah to recite to him. This is an example of the Jews changing things and not telling the truth about what was in the Torah.

Whoever invents a lie against Allah after the evidence has been made clear – such as the fact that Jacob made certain foods unlawful for himself in a vow and that they were not made unlawful by Allah – then they are wronging themselves by turning away from the obvious truth.

Tell them, O Prophet, that Allah has spoken the truth about Jacob (peace be upon him), and in everything that He has revealed and established in the sacred law. Also, tell them to follow the religion Abraham (peace be upon him): he abandoned all other ways of life for the path of surrendering in devotion to Allah, by worshipping Him and following His sacred law – he only worshipped Allah.

The first House built on earth for all people to worship Allah was the Sacred House of Allah in Makkah: a House of worship full of worldly and sacred blessings, and guidance for all the worlds.

In this place of worship are clear signs of its special honour and blessings, such as the acts of worship performed in it, and its landmarks, including the stone that Abraham stood on when he was raising the walls of the Kaaba; and whoever enters it is safe, with no harm coming to them. People have a duty to Allah to perform the acts of Hajj in this House of worship, if they are able to do so. Whoever rejects the duty of Hajj disbelieves in Allah, and Allah is in no need of them or anything all in the worlds.

O Prophet, ask the People of the Scripture, the Jews and the Christians, why they reject the proof of the truth of your prophet-hood, including the proofs that came in the Torah and the Gospel, when Allah watches over everything you do, witnessing it, and will reward you accordingly.

O Prophet, ask the People of the Scripture, the Jews and the Christians, why they stop people who have faith from the Religion of Allah, wanting to twist it from the truth to falsehood, and turning its people from guidance to misguidance, when they witness that it is the truth confirming what is in their scriptures. Allah is not unaware of what they do in disbelieving it and preventing people from following it; and they will be repaid accordingly.

O you who have faith in Allah and follow His Prophet, if you follow a group of the People of the Scripture, from the Jews or the Christians, in what they say, and accept their opinion in what they claim, then you will return to disbelief after your faith because of their envy and their misguidance.

How could you disbelieve in Allah after you have had faith in Him, especially when you have the biggest reason for having firm faith with you? The verses of Allah are being recited to you, and the Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) is making them clear to you. Whoever holds on firmly to the Book of Allah and His Messenger’s way of life, Allah has guided them to the right path.

O you who have faith in Allah and follow His Messenger, be mindful of Allah as you have been commanded, by following what He instructs you to do, and by staying away from what He prohibits you from doing; and be thankful for His favour, holding firmly to the religion He has given you, so that when you die, you die surrendering in devotion to Him.

Hold tightly, O you who have faith, to the Book and the traditions of the Prophet, and do not do that which will bring division amongst you. Remember the blessings of Allah upon you when you were enemies before Islam, fighting each other for the slightest reason, and He brought your hearts together through Islam, so that you became brothers in your faith through His grace, showing each other love and respect and listening to each other’s advice. Before that you were on the brink of entering the fire of Hell because of your disbelief. Allah saved you from the fire of Hell through Islam and guided you to faith. In the way that Allah has made this clear to you, He also makes clear to you what will put things right for you in this world and the Afterlife, so that you are guided to the right way of life.

Let there be from you, O believers, a group who calls to all that is good and loved by Allah, instructing people to do what is right from the sacred law and from what you know to be good and just; and forbidding what is wrong, which is prohibited by the sacred law and which you know to be wrong and unjust. The people who do this will have complete success in this world and the Afterlife.

Do not be, O believers, like the People of the Scripture who became divided into different groups and divisions, disagreeing about their faith and way of life after clear signs had come to them from Allah. Such people will have a great punishment from Allah.

This great punishment will come upon them on the Day of Judgement, when the faces of those who have faith will become whitened, lighting up with joy and happiness; and the faces of those who denied the truth will become blackened, darkened with sadness and despair. As for those whose faces become blackened on that great day, they will be asked how they could reject faith in Allah alone, and deny the promise they made with Him that they would not worship anything besides Him, when they had had faith and acknowledged it. They will be told to taste the punishment Allah has prepared for them because of their disbelief.

As for those whose faces become whitened, they will remain in Paradise, eternally blessed.

O Prophet, these verses recited to you which contain Allah’s promises and threats, are true in what they contain of information, and just in what they contain of laws. Allah does not desire injustice for any creature in the worlds, and no one receives a punishment unless they earned it through their own bad actions.

To Allah alone belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth, in creation and decree, and everything will return to Him on the Day of Judgement, when everyone will be rewarded according to what they have done.

You are, O Community of Muhammad (peace be upon him), the best of all communities that Allah has produced for humanity – in your faith and actions – and the most beneficial for other people: instructing what is right according to the sacred law and what you know to be right, and forbidding what is wrong according to the sacred law and what you know to be wrong; and having certain faith in Allah, so that it shows in your actions. If the People of the Scripture, the Jews and the Christians, had faith in Muhammad it would be better for them in this world and in the Afterlife. Only few of the People of the Scripture believe in what Muhammad (peace be upon him) came with and most of them do not stay within the sacred way of life and sacred law of Allah.

If they are against you they will not harm you, O believers, in your belief, or in yourselves, except through their words: criticising your faith and making fun of you and so on. Also, if they fight you they will flee from you in defeat, and will never be victorious over you.

Humiliation and shame has been made to surround them wherever they are, and they are only safe with a contract or protection from Allah or from people. They have earned the anger of Allah, and need and poverty has been made to surround them. This is due to their rejection of the signs of Allah, killing the prophets unjustly, and because they rebelled and overstepped the limits of Allah.

Having made clear what many of the People of the Scripture are like, Allah then explains that there is a group among them who are upright and stand by the truth – not all the People of the Scripture are the same. Rather, there is a group among them who follow the Religion of Allah: doing as Allah instructs and staying away from what He has prohibited, reading the verses of Allah in the hours of the night, and praying to Him. This group existed before the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent, and became Muslim when they met him and understood his message.

They have certain faith in Allah and the Last Day, instructing what is right and good, and forbidding what is wrong and evil, and they take initiative in doing good actions, taking advantage of the seasons of worship. Such people are from among Allah’s servants who have righteous intentions and actions.

Whatever good these people do, whether it is little or much, their reward for it will not be lost. Allah knows those who are Mindful, who follow what He instructs, and stay away from what He prohibits. None of what they do is hidden from Him, and they will be rewarded accordingly.

Disbelievers in Allah and His Messenger will not be helped against Allah by their wealth or children: they will not prevent His punishment or bring His mercy to them; rather, their suffering and distress will only increase, and they will be eternally companions of the fire of Hell.

The example of what disbelievers spend in charity, and what they expect to receive of rewards, is like a wind which is extremely cold that hits the crops of a people who wronged themselves by not doing as they were instructed, ruining their crops when they had expected to have a good harvest. Disbelief also ruins the rewards of good deeds. Allah does not wrong them for He is far above any injustice, rather, they wrong themselves through their disbelief in Allah and His prophets.

O you who have faith in Allah and follow His Prophet, do not take unbelievers as close friends, letting them know your secrets and private business. They will not stop trying to harm you and ruin things for you, wanting what will hurt you and making things really difficult for you. Their hatred and hostility has appeared in what they say; in their criticism of your faith and worship, in incidents between you, and in them giving away your secrets. In their hearts they have even more hatred. Allah has made clear to you what is in your interests in this world and in the Afterlife, if you use your intellect to understand what your Lord has revealed to you.

It is you, O believers, who love these people, and want goodness for them, but they do not love you, and do not wish you well. Rather, they hate you, while you have faith in all of the scriptures, including their scriptures; yet they do not have faith in the Scripture which Allah revealed to your Prophet. If they meet you they say with their tongues, ‘We have faith’, yet when they are alone together they bite the tips of their fingers in distress and rage because of how united you are, the strength of Islam, and because of their own humiliation and shame. Tell these people, O Prophet, to stay as they are until they die in their rage. Allah knows what faith and disbelief and what good and evil there is in people’s hearts.

If a blessing comes to you in the forms of victory over an enemy, or an increase in wealth or children, then worry and sadness overcomes them; and if a misfortune hits you, such as the victory of an enemy over you, or a decrease in wealth or children, then they are happy, rejoicing at your misfortune. If you are patient with Allah’s commands and decree, and are mindful of not earning Allah’s anger, then their tricks and attempts to hurt you will not harm you. Allah encompasses all their plotting and what they do, and will make them fail.

Remember, O Prophet, when some of the believers disobeyed the instruction of Allah and His Messenger, and this happened when you left Medina to fight the idolaters in the Battle of Uḥud, after you had posted the believers in their places for battle, and their positions were clear. Allah hears whatever you say and knows whatever you do.

Remember, O Prophet, what happened to two groups of the believers from Banī Salamah and Banī Ḥārithah, when they became weak and almost withdrew when the hypocrites drew back; but Allah aided them, making them firm in fighting, and turning them away from what they had been on the edge of doing. So, let those who have faith look to Allah alone for support, no matter what may happen to them.

Allah gave you victory over the idolaters in the Battle of Badr despite your small numbers and resources. Therefore, be Mindful so that you may be thankful for the blessings He has given you.

Remember, O Prophet, when you roused the believers during the battle of Badr, reassuring them after they heard that reinforcements were on their way for the idolaters, by asking whether it was not enough for them that Allah should help them with three thousand angels sent down from Him to reinforce them in the battle.

Indeed, that is enough, and there is good news for you of more aid from Allah if you are courageous in fighting and are Mindful: if the reinforcements of your enemies come rushing at you, then your Lord will help you with five thousand angels, with clear marks on them and their horses.

Allah did not tell you of this reinforcement with angels, except as news to please and reassure your hearts. For in fact, victory does not just come through material means, but comes only from Allah the Mighty, Who no one has any authority over, Wise in His decree and sacred laws.

Your victory in the Battle of Badr was because Allah willed that a group of the disbelievers be destroyed, and another be humiliated, frustrating them through defeat so that they withdrew.

After the believers had been afflicted in the Battle of Uhud, the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed to Allah to destroy the idolaters and some of their leaders. Yet Allah told him that the matter of destruction and punishment lies only with Him alone and that the Prophet has no decision in it. So, be patient until Allah decides between you: either allowing them to repent to Him, asking for forgiveness, so that they are saved; or permitting them to continue in their disbelief, so that they are punished. Those continuing in disbelief are wrongdoers and deserve a punishment.

To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth, in its creation and arrangement. He forgives the disobedience of whomever He wills of His servants through His Mercy, and punishes whom He wills through His Justice. Allah is Forgiving and Merciful to those who repent to Him.

O you who have faith in Allah and follow His Prophet, stay away from usury: increasing and compounding the wealth that you lend to people as the people of the time of ignorance before Islam did; and be mindful of Allah: following what He instructs and staying away from what He has prohibited, so that you may reach the good you desire in this world and in the Afterlife.

Protect yourselves from the fire of Hell that Allah has prepared for the disbelievers through doing good and staying away from what is prohibited.

Obey Allah and His Messenger by following what He instructs and staying away from what He has prohibited, so that you may gain His mercy in this world and in the Afterlife.

Rush to do good actions, and draw near to Allah through doing as He instructs, so that you achieve the great forgiveness of Allah and enter a Paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth, which Allah has prepared for the Mindful.

The Mindful are those who spend their wealth for the sake of Allah, in ease and hardship, who control their anger when they could seek revenge, and who forgive those who wrong them. Allah loves the doers of good, whose behaviour is this way.

They are the ones; if they were to commit a major sin, or wrong themselves by committing a lesser sin, they remember Allah, and His warning to the wrongdoers and promise to the Mindful; so they ask their Lord for forgiveness, regretting what they did. They ask Allah not to take them to account for it, because Allah alone can forgive, and they do not continue in their disobedience. They know that they have done wrong and that Allah forgives all disobedience.

The Mindful people who are like this, and have these praiseworthy qualities, are rewarded with Allah’s forgiveness and His overlooking what they have done. In the Afterlife, they will have gardens with rivers flowing below palaces, where they will live eternally. How blessed is the reward for those who act according to Allah’s laws!

When the believers were tested by what happened to them on the day of Uḥud, Allah comforted them by saying that what afflicted them was part of the divinely ordained laws of life, i.e. the believers suffering trials at the hands of the disbelievers and overcoming them in the end after their trial. Similar incidents have therefore come to pass in times before them. So, travel the earth and learn from seeing what the fate of those who disbelieved in Allah and His messengers was: their houses are now empty and their power has disappeared.

This noble Qur’ān is a clarification of the truth, and a warning against what is false, for all people. It shows the path to guidance and the limits for the Mindful, because it is they who benefit from the guidance it contains.

Do not become weak, O believers, and do not be sad about what happened to you on the day of Uḥud. That is not appropriate for you, because you are superior because of your faith, and the uppermost with Allah’s help and the hope of victory, if you have faith in Allah and in His promise to those who are Mindful.

O believers, if you suffered injuries and losses on the day of Uḥud, then the disbelievers also suffered injuries and losses just as you did. Allah distributes such days between people, whether they have faith or disbelieve, giving victory and defeat as He wills, for reasons of great wisdom. Among these reasons is to make it clear, those who truly have faith as opposed to those who are hypocrites, and to honour whomever He wills with martyrdom in His cause. Allah dislikes those who wrong themselves by giving up striving in his path.

A part of this wisdom of changing fortunes is the purification of those who have faith from their sins, separating them from the hypocrites, and destroying and removing those who reject the truth.

Did you think, O believers, that you would enter Paradise before such trials and tests that prove which of you really struggle for the sake of Allah and are patient with the trials they are given?

O believers, you wished to meet the disbelievers so that you could gain martyrdom for the sake of Allah, like your brothers did on the day of Badr, before you saw the severity and ways of death. Now on the day of Uḥud you have seen what you wished for with your own eyes.