Sura 3, al-Imran, Medina 89
The Quranic text and Ali’s version
إِنَّ
الدِّينَ
عِندَ
اللّهِ
الإِسْلاَمُ
...
19. The Religion before God is Islam (submission to His will):
...وَمَا اخْتَلَفَ الَّذِينَ أُوْتُواْ الْكِتَابَ إِلاَّ مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءهُمُ الْعِلْمُ بَغْيًا بَيْنَهُمْ...
nor did the People of the Book dissent therefrom except through envy of each other, after knowledge had come to them.
C359. Baghyan:
- through envy,
- through selfish contumacy or obstinacy,
- through sheer contrary-mindedness, or desire to resist or rebel.
...وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِآيَاتِ اللّهِ فَإِنَّ اللّهِ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ ﴿١٩﴾
But if any deny the Signs of Allah, Allah is swift in calling to account.
Asad’s version
3:19 Behold, the only [true] religion in the sight of God is [man's] self- surrender unto Him; and those who were vouchsafed revelation aforetime 12 took, out of mutual jealousy, to divergent views [on this point] only after knowledge [thereof] had come unto them. ° But as for him who denies the truth of God's messages - behold, God is swift in reckoning!
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[[ Asad’s note: 12 Most of the classical commentators are of the opinion that the people referred to are the followers of the Bible, or of parts of it - i.e., the Jews and the Christians. It is, however, highly probable that this passage bears a wider import and relates to all communities which base their views on a revealed scripture, extant in a partially corrupted form, with parts of it entirely lost.
[[ Edip Yuksel’s notes:-
003:019 Islam is not a proper name; it is a description of the mindset and actions of those who submit themselves to God alone. Islam is the description of the message delivered by all messengers and it reached another level with Abraham (4:125). Islam: is universal (3:83), is the only valid system (3:85), accepts and utilizes diversity (49:13), promotes peace among nations (2:62; 2:135-136), promises justice to everyone (5:8), has the epistemology of requiring objective evidence besides personal experience (3:86; 2:111; 21:24; 74:30), has as its final book a scripture that is numerically coded and protected (15:9; 2:23; 83:9-20), promotes peace and reality (8:19; 60:8,9), rejects holy intermediaries and the clergy class (2:48, 9:31,34), encourages distribution of wealth against monopoly (59:7), does not tolerate an unproductive economy (5:90; 3:130), requires consultation and elections in public affairs (42:38), gives utmost value to the individual (5:32), values women and promotes their rights (3:195; 4:124; 16:97), promotes freedom of expression and tolerance (2:256; 4:140), asks us to be in harmony with nature and respect the ecosystem (30:41), and requires a scientific method utilizing rational and empirical evidences for acquiring knowledge (17:36)… In short, islam is a way of life in accordance with the natural laws and respects the social imperatives and principles dictated to us; the rational, self-interested utility-maximizers. It is also dedicating one's heart, mind and life to the Lord of the worlds.