Sura 3, al-Imran, Medina (Family of Imran) Medina 89
3 Hijra - 10 Hijra
The Quranic text and Ali’s translation
كُنتُمْ
خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ
أُخْرِجَتْ
لِلنَّاسِ...
110. Ye are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind,
...تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللّهِ...
enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah.
...وَلَوْ آمَنَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَّهُم...
If only the People of the Book had faith, it were best for them;
...مِّنْهُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ ﴿١١٠﴾
among them are some who have faith, but most of them are perverted transgressors.
لَن
يَضُرُّوكُمْ
إِلاَّ أَذًى
...
111. They will do you no harm, barring a trifling annoyance;
... وَإِن يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ يُوَلُّوكُمُ الأَدُبَارَ ثُمَّ لاَ يُنصَرُونَ ﴿١١١﴾
if they come out to fight you, they will show you their backs, and no help shall they get.
Transliteration Kuntum khaira ummatin ukhrijat linna_si ta'muru_na bil ma'ru_fi wa tanhauna'anil munkari wa tu'minu_na billa_h(i), wa lau a_mana ahlul kita_bi laka_na khairal lahum, minhumul mu'minu_na wa aksaruhumul fa_siqu_n(a).
Asad’s translation
3:110 YOU ARE indeed the best community that has ever been brought forth for [the good of] mankind: you enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong, and you believe in God. Now if the followers of earlier revelation had attained to [this kind of] faith, it would have been for their own good; [but only few] among them are believers, while most of them are iniquitous:
(3:111) [but] these can never inflict more than a passing hurt on you; and if they fight against you, they will turn their backs upon you [in flight], and will not be succoured. 82
Pickthall Ye are the best community that hath been raised up for mankind. Ye enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency; and ye believe in Allah. And if the People of the Scripture had believed it had been better for them. Some of them are believers; but most of them are evil-livers.
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Ali’s comments - 434 The logical conclusion to a Universal Religion is a non-sectarian, non-racial, non-doctrinal, religion, which Islam claims to be. For Islam is just submission to the Will of Allah. This implies (1) Faith, (2) doing right, being an example to others to do right, and having the power to see that the right prevails, (3) eschewing wrong, being an example to others to eschew wrong, and having the power to see that wrong and injustice are defeated. Islam therefore lives, not for itself, but for mankind. The People of the Book, if only they had faith, would be Muslims, for they have been prepared for Islam. Unfortunately there is Unfaith, but it can never harm those who carry the banner of Faith and Right, which must always be victorious. (3.110) ]
Asad’s comments:
82 As is obvious from the opening sentence of verse 110, this promise to the followers of the Qur'an is conditional upon their being, or remaining, a community of people who "enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong, and [truly] believe in God"; and - as history has shown - this promise is bound to lapse whenever the Muslims fail to live up to their faith.