Sura-3, Al-Imran [Family of Imran], Medina 89
The Quranic Text & Ali’s translation:
إِنَّ
الدِّينَ عِندَ
اللّهِ الإِسْلاَمُ
...
3:19. 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.
...وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِآيَاتِ اللّهِ فَإِنَّ اللّهِ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ ﴿١٩﴾
But if any deny the Signs of God, God is swift in calling to account.
فَإنْ
حَآجُّوكَ
فَقُلْ أَسْلَمْتُ
وَجْهِيَ لِلّهِ
وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِ
...
3:20. So if they dispute with thee, say:
"I have submitted my whole self to God and so have those who follow me." .
...وَقُل لِّلَّذِينَ أُوْتُواْ الْكِتَابَ وَالأُمِّيِّينَ أَأَسْلَمْتُمْ ...
And say to the People of the Book and to those who are unlearned: "Do ye (also) submit yourselves?"
...فَإِنْ أَسْلَمُواْ فَقَدِ اهْتَدَواْ وَّإِن تَوَلَّوْاْ فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ الْبَلاَغُ ...
If they do, they are in right guidance, but if they turn back, thy duty is to convey the Message;
...وَاللّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِالْعِبَادِ ﴿٢٠﴾
and in God's sight are (all) His servants.
Transliteration Fa in ha_jju_ka fa qul aslamtu wajhiya lilla_hi wa manittaba'an(i), wa qul lillazina u_tul kita_ba wal ummiyyina a'aslamtum, fa in aslamu_ fa qadihtadau, wa in tawallau fa innama_ 'alaikal bala_g(u), walla_hu basirum bil'iba_d(i).
Asad’s Version:
3: 19
Asad Behold, the only (true) religion in the sight of God is self-surrender unto Him; and those who were vouchsafed revelation aforetime took, out of mutual jealousy, to divergent views only after knowledge had come unto them. But as for him who denies the truth of God’s message – behold, God is swift in reckoning!
Pickthall Lo! religion with Allah (is) The Surrender (to His will and guidance). Those who (formerly) received the Scripture differed only after knowledge came unto them, through transgression among themselves. Whoso disbelieveth the revelations of Allah (will find that) Lo! Allah is swift at reckoning.
3: 20
Asad Thus, if they argue with thee, say, “I have surrendered my whole being unto God, and all who follow me!"”and ask those who have been vouchsafed revelation aforetime, as well as unlettered people, “Have you surrendered yourselves unto Him?”….... And if they surrender themselves unto Him, they are on the right path.
( addresses to non-muslims having the right path by surrendering ? )
Pickthall And if they argue with thee, (O Muhammad), say: I have surrendered my purpose to Allah and (so have) those who follow me. And say unto those who have received the Scripture and those who read not: Have ye (too) surrendered? If they surrender, then truly they are rightly guided, and if they turn away, then it is thy duty only to convey the message (unto them). Allah is Seer of (His) bondmen.
******************
Ali’s comments:
C359. Baghyan:
- through envy,
- through selfish contumacy or obstinacy,
- through sheer contrary-mindedness, or desire to resist or rebel.
C360. Wajh: whole self.
See n. 114 to 2:112.
361 The People of the Book may be supposed to know something about the previous religious history of mankind. To them the appeal should be easy and intelligible, as all Religion is one, and it is only being renewed in Islam. But the appeal is also made to the Pagan Arabs, who are unlearned, and who can well be expected to follow the example of one of their own, who received divine enlightenment, and was able to bring new knowledge to them. A great many of both these classes did so. But the few who resisted Allah's grace, and actually threatened and persecuted those who believed, are told that Allah will look after His own. (3.20)
C362. Note the literary skill in the argument as it proceeds.
The mystery of birth faintly suggests that we are coming to the story of Jesus.
The exposition of the Book suggests that Islam is the same religion as that of the People of the Book.
Next we are told that the People of the Book made their religion one-sided, and through the priesthood of the family of Imran, we are brought to the story of Jesus, who was rejected by a body of the Jews as Muhammad was rejected by a body of both Jews and Christians. ]
Asad’s comments:
13: ……….man’s self-surrender to Him [Islam in its original connoration] is the essence of all true religion. Their subsequent divergencies were an outcome of sectarian pride and mutual exclusiveness. ]
Amatulla’s comments:
This is indicating that in the past due to a sectarian pride, wrong and unconditional alliance with a group or sect to make it infallible, people have deliberately changed and justified those changes through the time.
These people here have failed to have the highest alliance with God and His Law [true Submission]. They remain preoccupied with rites and rituals and petty issues, but forget about the essence of religion that is submission to God. This is one of the reason religion has changed, down through the time.
The followers of the Quran are not exceptions: they also create many divergent views and sects about the religion and remain intolerant and arrogant about their assertions. They forget about the fundamental commonality of all believers and all religion is submission to God and His moral laws. These ideas indicate that these people who deliberately changed the original expressions found justification to change not because they were truly searching the truth and complying with the truth unconditionally, but the inherent intentions of these justifications themselves were wrong: vested interest in keeping the group in power, jealousy of other groups in case the others come to the authority and power, and sheer arrogance and intolerance in pursuing these status quo. The essence of faith is humility. Many Muslim scholars and leaders have failed to demonstrate that. The history of Muslims is littered with these kinds of failures. Perhaps that is why the Muslims have not been successful to provide leadership in the world, and they have been shown through the manifestation of time that they would be dominated and controlled by others who are following God’s Laws better. This is the gist of my message right now to the Muslims that if they want to regain their position as the true followers of Islam and Quran by virtue of their moral conviction and character, they must change.