Surat Al `Imran (61-70)

{فَمَنْ حَاجَّكَ فِيهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَكَ مِنَ العِلْمِ فَقُلْ تَعَالَوْا نَدْعُ أَبْنَاءَنَا وَأَبْنَاءَكُمْ وَنِسَاءَنَا وَنِسَاءَكُمْ وَأَنْفُسَنَا وَأَنْفُسَكُمْ ثُمَّ نَبْتَهِلْ فَنَجْعَلْ لَعْنَةَ اللهِ عَلَى الكَاذِبِينَ} [آل عمران: 61]

61- A delegation of Christians of Najran [Yemen] came to the Messenger of Allah [peace be upon him] arguing him about Jesus [peace be upon him], claiming that He is Allah, His Son, or the third of three gods. Thus, they did not believe and were not convinced by the proofs that the Messenger of Allah [peace be upon him] presented to them to prove that he was a prophet from the servants of Allah. So, he called them to Al Mubahalah [to supplicate and sincerely invoke the curse of Allah upon those who lie] as mentioned in the interpretation of the Ayah:

When their scholars argue and dispute with you about Jesus and his mother after you had known all about him and heard about him and did not retract their old beliefs then tell them: Let's bring our children and wives then supplicate and beseech Allah to make His Curse on the liars of us in the matter of Jesus.

They said: We shall consider this matter and will come to you tomorrow.

In the following day, the Messenger of Allah [peace be upon him] took the hand of `Ali, Fatima, Al Hassan, and Al Hussein [may Allah be pleased with them all] and called the leaders of the delegation of the Christians, "Al Sayyid" and "Al `Aqib" to attend Al Mubahalah. They did not respond and were content with paying the tribute. The news of Al Mubahalah is mentioned in Sahih Al Bukhari.

{إِنَّ هَذَا لَهُوَ القَصَصُ الحَقُّ وَمَا مِنْ إِلَهٍ إِلَّا اللهُ وَإِنَّ اللهَ لَهُوَ العَزِيزُ الحَكِيمُ} [آل عمران: 62]

62- This story that we narrated to you, O Prophet of Allah, is the truth without doubt and not the fabrications and lies of the Christians. Allah, the One and the Only Who has no partner. He neither has a son nor a father; He did not beget nor begotten and He is the Almighty Who is capable of everything. He is the Wise and the All-Knowing Whom no one shares the ability and the wisdom.

{فَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّ اللهَ عَلِيمٌ بِالمُفْسِدِينَ} [آل عمران: 63]

63- If they turned away from monotheism and continued in their disbelief after they had seen all arguments and proofs. Thereby, they spoiled their purity, their knowledge was corrupt, and their hearts became black. Allah is All-Knowing of them and of their crime; nothing of what they did shall not miss Him, and He shall retribute them the worst for that.

{قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الكِتَابِ تَعَالَوْا إِلَى كَلِمَةٍ سَوَاءٍ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمْ أَلَّا نَعْبُدَ إِلَّا اللهَ وَلَا نُشْرِكَ بِهِ شَيْئًا وَلَا يَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُنَا بَعْضًا أَرْبَابًا مِنْ دُونِ اللهِ فَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَقُولُوا اشْهَدُوا بِأَنَّا مُسْلِمُونَ} [آل عمران: 64]

64- O Prophet of Allah, say: "O people of the Scripture; Jews, Christians, and others; come to a compromise and a fair matter that will bring us together and make us disagree not with the messengers and the revealed Scriptures: That compromise is to worship none but Allah, do not associate a person, an idol, a fire, or a cross with Him in worship or anything that may corrupt our devotion to Him, and not to obey anyone other than Allah no matter how great he or she is. We also should not obey the rabbis and scholars when they make lawful or prohibit something that Allah did not legislate. If they turned away from this compromise and refused to comply to that fair call, say to them: You are our witnesses that we shall hold firmly with the religion of Islam that Allah legislated to all prophets, and we shall be loyal to Him in belief and worship."

{يَا أَهْلَ الكِتَابِ لِمَ تُحَاجُّونَ فِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمَا أُنْزِلَتِ التَّوْرَاةُ وَالإِنْجِيلُ إِلَّا مِنْ بَعْدِهِ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ} [آل عمران: 65]

65- O People of the Scriptures, why did the Jews claim that Abraham [peace be upon him] was one of them, whereas the Christians did not claim that? How did you claim that and he had been sent before the Torah was revealed to Moses and before the Bible was revealed to Jesus; do not you think that this claim was contrary to the mind? Do not you think of that?

{هَا أَنْتُمْ هَؤُلَاءِ حَاجَجْتُمْ فِيمَا لَكُمْ بِهِ عِلْمٌ فَلِمَ تُحَاجُّونَ فِيمَا لَيْسَ لَكُمْ بِهِ عِلْمٌ وَاللهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ} [آل عمران: 66]

66- You have disputed about the distorted Scriptures which were with you while you know what was written therein, so what about the things which you do not have knowledge about! Allah is the One Who knows that because He knows the unseen matters but you do not know that.

{مَا كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ يَهُودِيًّا وَلَا نَصْرَانِيًّا وَلَكِنْ كَانَ حَنِيفًا مُسْلِمًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ المُشْرِكِينَ} [آل عمران: 67]

67- The truth is: Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was a Muslim. He did not embrace any religion but Islam and he was never a polytheist like yourselves.

{إِنَّ أَوْلَى النَّاسِ بِإِبْرَاهِيمَ لَلَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ وَهَذَا النَّبِيُّ وَالَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا وَاللهُ وَلِيُّ المُؤْمِنِينَ} [آل عمران: 68]

68- The most entitled people to follow Abraham are those who followed him and resorted to his legislation in judgment and Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him] who has the same religion and the same Shari`ah then those who believe in the same faith.

{وَدَّتْ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الكِتَابِ لَوْ يُضِلُّونَكُمْ وَمَا يُضِلُّونَ إِلَّا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ} [آل عمران: 69]

69- You have envied a group of the People of the Scriptures because they hated to see you guided. The Jews also hated you and wished that you were aberrant and straying. They exerted much effort to mislead you and they plotted, argued, and confused you, but the result of that came back against themselves. They trapped themselves in the aberrance without knowing that they plot against themselves.

{يَا أَهْلَ الكِتَابِ لِمَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِآَيَاتِ اللهِ وَأَنْتُمْ تَشْهَدُونَ} [آل عمران: 70]

70- O People of the Scriptures, why do you deny the facts that are quite clear? Why do you disbelieve in the signs of Allah while you know its validity and why do you deny the proofs after you had known that they were sufficient and hard evidence against you?