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Aal ’Imran Section 9 - Previous Scriptures Confirm the Truth of Islam.

Covenant taken from all prophets to support the Holy Prophet (Muhammad), Islam natural religion of man, enjoins equal belief in the truthfulness of all the apostles of God, End of those who turn away from Islam.

Aal ’Imran Verses 81 - 91

وَإِذْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيثَاقَ النَّبِيِّينَ لَمَا آتَيْتُكُمْ مِنْ كِتَابٍ وَحِكْمَةٍ ثُمَّ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مُصَدِّقٌ لِمَا مَعَكُمْ لَتُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهِ وَلَتَنْصُرُنَّهُ ۚ قَالَ أَأَقْرَرْتُمْ وَأَخَذْتُمْ عَلَىٰ ذَٰلِكُمْ إِصْرِي ۖ قَالُوا أَقْرَرْنَا ۚ قَالَ فَاشْهَدُوا وَأَنَا مَعَكُمْ مِنَ الشَّاهِدِينَ

“And when God took the pledge1of the Prophets, “Verily, what I have given you of the Book and (of) Wisdom - then cometh a Prophet2unto you confirming that which is with you; Ye shall surely believe in him and help him”; He3said: “Do you affirm and accept to take up (on these terms’) my burden (which I lay upon you)”; They said “We affirm;” He said: “Bear ye then the witness (among yourselves) and I am a witness with you” (3:81).

فَمَنْ تَوَلَّىٰ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ

“Therefore, whoever turneth away after this, these are they that are the transgressors” (3:82).

أَفَغَيْرَ دِينِ اللَّهِ يَبْغُونَ وَلَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا وَإِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُونَ

“Seek they other than the religion of God? when unto Him submitteth whosoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly and unto Him they shall be returned” (3:83).

قُلْ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطِ وَمَا أُوتِيَ مُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰ وَالنَّبِيُّونَ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ

“Say:4(O’ Our Apostle Muhammad!) (unto the people) “We believe in God, and in what hath been sent down to us, and what hath been sent down to Abraham and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Tribes, and in what was given to Moses, and Jesus and the Prophets from their Lord, we make no difference between any of them, and we unto Him are Muslims5“ (3:84).

وَمَنْ يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ

“And6whosoever Seeketh any religion other than Islam7(total resignation unto God) never shall it be accepted from him, and in the next world8he shall be among the losers” (3:85).

كَيْفَ يَهْدِي اللَّهُ قَوْمًا كَفَرُوا بَعْدَ إِيمَانِهِمْ وَشَهِدُوا أَنَّ الرَّسُولَ حَقٌّ وَجَاءَهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ

“How shall God guide a people who disbelieved after9their (once) believing and after they had borne witness that the Apostle (Muhammad) was true, and clear evidence had come unto them; and God guideth not people (who are) unjust” (3:86).

أُولَٰئِكَ جَزَاؤُهُمْ أَنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ لَعْنَةَ اللَّهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ

“These10, their return is that upon them shall rest the curse11of God and the angels and of mankind together” (3:87).

خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا لَا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمُ الْعَذَابُ وَلَا هُمْ يُنْظَرُونَ

“Therein shall they abide, their torment shall not be lightened, nor shall they be respited” (3:88).

إِلَّا الَّذِينَ تَابُوا مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ وَأَصْلَحُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ

“Except those who after this12repent and amend13; for verily God is Forgiving Merciful!” (3:89).

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بَعْدَ إِيمَانِهِمْ ثُمَّ ازْدَادُوا كُفْرًا لَنْ تُقْبَلَ تَوْبَتُهُمْ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الضَّالُّونَ

“Verily14, those who disbelieve after their believing, then increase in their infidelity; never shall their repentance be accepted, and these are they who have gone astray” (3:90).

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَمَاتُوا وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْ أَحَدِهِمْ مِلْءُ الْأَرْضِ ذَهَبًا وَلَوِ افْتَدَىٰ بِهِ ۗ أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ وَمَا لَهُمْ مِنْ نَاصِرِينَ

“Verily, those who disbelieve and die while they are disbelievers, never shall be accepted even earthful of gold from any of them, if he should offer it in ransom, these, for them awaiteth a painful torment and for them (there shall be) no helpers” (3:91).

Commentary

Verse 81

‘Meethaq’ a covenant. It signifies the Covenant of God made with the Prophet and Allah.

This must have been in the pre-existence state, before they were born in this world.

The Covenant of God with His Apostle was that they would be given the scripture and wisdom and after every one of them had played his respective role of preaching to his people the truth and the right way to salvation then would come the Holy Prophet (Muhammad) verifying that which is with them, i.e., testifying their truthfulness and the scriptures given to them. They must not only believe in the Holy Prophet’s position as the last one of the Apostles but also assist or aid him by describing his personality beforehand and prophesying his advent to their respective peoples. God took a firm and a positively affirming reply from the apostles and also warned them to be aware that He shall Himself be a witness to their fulfilling the covenant that they executed.

The scriptures of the Old and the New Testaments though they contain nothing, but some old reminiscences yet clearly prove that the prophecy about the advent of the last of the apostles of God, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, was dominant and unforgettable and not a negligible factor of the teachings of the Apostles of yore that whatever else might have been lost but this was not to be a forgettable factor. The question put to John the Baptist about his identity asking him if he was Elias or Christ and his replying in the negative and then his being asked by the Levites if he was ‘That Prophet’ shows how, the people had remembered particularly the prophecies about the Last Prophet they had from the previous apostles of God and how eagerly they waited for his advent.

What the Apostle of God Moses had prophesised to his people is recorded in Deut. 18/15, 18, 19, Acts 3/22-24, Acts 7/37.

“The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me, unto him ye shall hearken”

“I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him”

“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him” Deut. 18/15, 18, 19.

“For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me, him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you”

“And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people”

“Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days Acts. 3/22-24”

“This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me, him shall ye hear” Acts 7/37.

“And this is the record of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him. Who art thou?”

“And he confessed, and denied not, but confessed, I am not the Christ”

“And they asked him. What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No” (John 1/19-21).

Jesus the last one of the Israelite line of the apostles of God, has prophesied about the advent of the Holy Prophet with great clarity, with a further description of his personality. (John 14/16, 17 John 15/26 and John 16, 7-14).

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for-ever”

“Even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” John 14/16,17.

“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me” John 15/26.

“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, It is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

“And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.

“Of sin, because they believe not on me.

“Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more”

“Of judgement because the prince of this world is judged.

“How be it when he the Spirit of Truth is come, he will guide you into all truth for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will shew you things to”

“He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you” John 16/7-14.

The above references clearly give out the various titles with which Jesus has referred to the Holy Prophet Muhammad. Jesus has definitely declared that what the Spirit of Truth, i.e., the Holy Prophet, will preach, will be the final guidance from God and it shall be current for ever and he, in spirit also, shall abide with his people for ever.

The meaning of the declaration in John 14/16. ‘that he may abide with you for ever’ can also be that there shall always be on the earth some one of his own blood and flesh, i.e., of his own issues with perfect identity with him in the purity of his body and soul15 and with the perfection of the knowledge of the truth he preached. This testifies the existence of an Imam from the issues of the Holy Prophet in every age until the last day of the life of this world. This also testifies the truth in the declaration of the Holy Prophet about the Holy Imam saying:

“Awwalona Muhammad, Ausatona Muhammad, Akharona Muhammad, Kullona Muhammad”

i.e., the First one of us is Muhammad, The Middle one of us is Muhammad and the Last one of us is Muhammad, Every one of us is Muhammad (i.e., from the Holy Prophet Muhammad to the Last Holy Imam Muhammad Al-Mahdi all are of one and the same Divine Light manifesting the glory of the Lord through various outlets).

This verse if studied properly with all its implications in their details, guides to many funda-mental factors of the Islamic faith, of vital importance to the reader, if he be sincere in his quest for the fuller knowledge about the divine sources of guidance provided, by the All-Merciful Lord for the members of the human family on earth who are earnestly in the quest for the correct course to Salvation.

The verse rings a death knell of all false claimants to the position of ‘Imamat’ for the everlasting stay of the Apostolic office of the ministry of the heavenly guidance has been granted only to the Holy Prophet which clearly indicates that the ‘Imamat’ shall always be in his seed and with none else.

‘Meethaq’, i.e., covenant, used here and also wherever used in the Qur’an and particularly in verses 7:172, 7:173, is thought by some commentators that this reference is made to the pre-physical existence of man, in general and the Prophets in particular. Whether there are stages of human development prior to the stages of the physical birth of man, responsible for the conditions of the present stage, or not, the matter will be dealt with when the question of ‘Rooh’ Spirit and ‘Nafs’, i.e., the Self, will be dealt with. Here it is enough to be noted that the Covenant referred to here or in verses 7:172, 7:173, should be the one of an individual’s accountability for his actions. And there is no such conscious memorable state, prior to the physical birth of man. Any assumption of the existence of any conscious state prior to the physical birth, will give room to the Muslim theologians of all schools.

Regarding the grammatical construction of this passage, there are several possibilities based on the reading of the phrase ‘lema’ or ‘lama’, as to whether it is a relative or a conditional phrase. But whatever be the grammatical implication, it has no substantial bearing on the significance of the passage, and the gist will remain as follows:

That God has made a Covenant with the Prophets, each as an individual and as the Leader of his respective followers, saying, ‘that with all I have given you the scripture and wisdom, when a prophet comes to you confirming your scripture, and the wisdom, you should believe in him and help him.!’ This is in pursuance of Qur’an’s blaming the Jews for not believing in Jesus, and the Christians for not believing in Muhammad, though each of the prophets had come to confirm his predecessor. And Qur’an here declares that this Covenant was taken from every Prophet concerning the Prophet succeeding him, the result of which is that to believe and to help the last one, is a Covenant entered into by every Prophet. However, the Prophets accepted the Covenant and made the promise to be executed by themselves and to witness its being done by their respective followers.

The question is as to how the preceding prophets could help the succeeding one, it is detailed in this note.

A true follower of Moses will fulfil the covenant of God taken from Moses, in his belief in Jesus, and likewise a true Christian would do, in his belief in the Holy Prophet Muhammad.

This applies to the Muslims as well, regarding their fulfilment of the Last Covenant which God took from them through the Holy Prophet Muhammad, at the ‘Ghadir Khumm’ about the ‘Wilayah’ (i.e., Guardianship) of Ali Ibn Abi Talib, the Last Divine Trust placed before man for ever, towards which man has been graciously given the continuous lead through an Imam after an Imam in every age, until the last one, divinely kept alive for the guidance of mankind towards this commitment.

However, it should be remembered that the covenant repeatedly referred to by the Qur’an, is implied in the spontaneous confession of every human being, being perceptively conscious of his own self, having been brought into the conscious state from a non-conscious state, by a purposefully active will which is dominating him and his environment. This is called the inherent or the natural submission (Islam al-Fitri). These passages and the preceding ones as well as the succeeding ones, are attempts to introduce the religion prescribed by God for mankind, in the most universal and natural form, automatically appealing to human common sense and the native consciousness of man, setting aside the Jewish, the Christian and the other narrow concepts of religion based on racial, parochial or any other sectional and limited considerations. Thus, one will find all the passages from the beginning of this chapter are directed towards the development of the one object, i.e., the inherent consciousness holding it as the basis of the religious truth to be realised by man for ever. (A.P.)

Verse 82

Those who profess to follow the apostles of God, in spite of all the prophecies they had about the Last Apostle of God, Muhammad, and yet do not believe in him.

Verse 83

The Holy Prophet said that those who willingly submitted to God are the angels and, on the earth, his sincere companions.

The secret about the hatred the non-Muslims have against Islam is that they have suffered at the hands of the so-called Muslim monarchs who were actually, or in fact were not only non-Muslims in their personal character and conduct but also anti-Muslim in their treatment to their subjects, the tragedy is that every crime they committed, they did it, calling themselves as Muslim monarchs and the leaders of the Islamic faith, while in fact they were not. Hence the hatred against their tyrannical conduct bred the hatred against the faith which the tyrants professed to hold and propagate, whereas they were the worst enemies of Islam. Thus, the non-Muslims attributed all the tyrannies they committed, as the practical side of the doctrines of the faith they professed and began, to hate the religion by its very name. Islam in fact means nothing but unconditional and a total submission of one’s self to God.

There are two kinds in submission, one that which is offered willingly and the other done under the force of any influence or for fear of any loss or infliction.

As regards submission to the Divine Will; there is not an atom in the universe which does not act in the fulfilment of the will of the Lord. Man: he may submit his mind and body to God’s will or not, but he is totally subject to the laws of nature which work in complete submission to the will of the Omnipotent Lord.

As knowledge and civilization advance, the world will automatically march towards Islam.

  1. The Hindu polytheism has now become monotheistic.

  2. The Hindu idolaters are gradually becoming anti-idolatrous through the Arya Samaj movement of Dyanand Saraswathi.

  3. The doctrine of Sati in Hinduism has been abolished and is giving place to widow marriage.

  4. Woman’s right in her parents and her husband’s property has been recognized.

  5. Places of worship of the Hindus are now open to all worshippers.

  6. Caste system has been abolished.

  7. Use of intoxicants has been stopped under prohibition.

  8. The belief in the Trinity is giving place to the faith in one God, under the move of the Watch Tower Society.

  9. Attachment to any one particular prophet, in opposition to all the other apostles of God, has given way to the respect for all the religious leaders, under the movement of theosophy.

  10. Undue local patriotism and the illegal aspiration of territorial expansion is being defied by the U.N.O. for universal peace among mankind.

Verse 84

It is a natural demand from God16 that nothing short of complete submission to His will could ever be accepted. Anybody who fails to do it, will naturally be a loser in the end.

Verse 86

This relates to those who having once been believers, i.e., Muslims, disbelieved and became infidels, i.e., ‘Kafirs’ Their repentance shall never be acceptable.

In the light of the previous passage, the justification of the argument is clear, that denial of the succeeding prophets who bear sufficient proof and testimony to the truth of their mission, is an act subversive to the requirement of the inherent Islam Islam al-Fitri and the result would be nothing but missing the benefit of the inner guidance with which God has blessed all.

Verse 87

This refers to the fate of the disbelievers mentioned in the preceding verse 85.

Verse 88

They shall abide in the curse and the chastisement of the Hell for ever.

In asserting the universality of Islam as a religion approved by God, every being of the celestial or the terrestrial nature, is presented here to be submissive to His will, and in Verse 19:93, 19:94, all beings are presented to be subservient to His will. The truth in this is obvious, so far as His creative will is concerned. No event in the universe can take place against His creative will. So far as His legislative will is concerned, it is also true that to please the Absolute Authority and to make an all-out effort to approach Him, is inherent in man. And this native tendency is commonly active in the course of human conduct, sometimes consciously and sometimes subconsciously.

The phrase willingly and unwillingly here in this passage refers to the two states of the conscious and the subconscious activities of the inherent Islam, Islam al-Fitri. The Holy Prophet’s mission is to develop this inherent and natural tendency to the full state of consciousness. Any religion short of Islam, in this sense, i.e., the complete submission to the Absolute Sovereignty of God or parallel to this, is not acceptable to Him. (A.P.)

Verse 89

Room for sincere repentance and making amends has been made available to earn the pardon of the All-Merciful Lord.

‘Tauba’ and ‘Inaba’ means almost the same, i.e., to turn to. It has been used for both the creature and the Creator, in the same way as ‘Salat’ has been used for God’s turning towards His creature, meaning to give or to bless or to favour or to help, and when used in the case of a creature, to mean to receive or to beg or to implore or to place his needs, seeking God’s bounteous blessings etc. Any deviation from God’s command and disobedience to Him means turning away from Him which is a sin, and it is punishable. Deviation and disobedience is of degrees beginning from minor sins and proceeding to the major ones and then to the major of the majors, i.e., the infidelity or the open denial of God’s sovereignty which is ‘Kufr’, i.e., Infidelity. The temporal and the spiritual punishment of each degree differs, from degree to degree as detailed in the ‘Fiqh.’ But however great the sin may be, if the sinner felt sincerely sorry for what he has committed and sincerely repents with the necessary amendment of his conduct, and sincerely turns towards God for forgiveness at any stage, his repentance will be accepted17. ‘Tauba’ has been presented in the Qur’an as a cleansing means, removing the internal dirt or the pollution of the heart and the mind, caused by the theoretical and the practical deviation from the Right Path of Islam, in the same way as water removes the dirt from the bodies and the belongings of mankind18.

And taking into consideration all the passages of the Holy Qur’an, dealing with the question of ‘Tauba’ here and elsewhere, the conclusion is that a sincere ‘Tauba’ with repentance and the return to God, is accepted by God at any stage and in any circumstances, before one loses his power of choice and discretion which means that the temporal punishment prescribed by Islam, for the various degrees of the sins, are avoidable if the sinner repents before getting into the grip of the law, i.e., before the sin is proved against him, and the punishment in the life hereafter can be avoided by one’s returning to the Right Path of Islam and repenting for the shortcomings before he is overpowered by the agony of death19 .

The story of the people of Yunus20 redemption of the punishment at the last moment when the punishment was hanging on them shows that how a sincere repentance is effective, and there is another story in contrast to this which shows that repentance just for the purpose of avoiding the punishment is of no avail21. It is said that during the reign of the Kalif Mutwakkil, a Jew committed adultery with a Muslim woman and was caught and brought to the court of the Kalif. Then and there the Jew recited the ‘Kalima’ and professed Islam. All the jurists present there, said that no punishment should be meted out against him, quoting the Holy Prophet’s ruling that Islam cuts one, away from the past. The Kalif was not satisfied and sent for the Tenth Holy Imam Ali-Ibn-Muhammad an- Naqi and he decreed that the man should be punished quoting against the protest of the jurists, the verse 40:85. For further details for the acceptance and the non-acceptance of ‘Tauba’ see ‘Fiqh’. (A.P.)

Verse 90

Like the Jews who believed in Moses and Torah and disbelieved in Jesus and the Evangel, and added to their disbelief by disbelieving in the Holy Prophet Muhammad. This verse has an application also to those who believed in the Holy Prophet and again they disbelieved and they further insisted upon their infidelity or disbelief, never will their repentance be accepted.

Verse 91

This indicates the gravity or the seriousness of the sin and the definite decision or the finality of the decree of the punishment for it.

This is a warning against those who think that by their lavish charities and extravagance, they can secure the pleasure of God and the bliss in the hereafter, though they had disregarded God’s laws and commands in this life22. It shows that the quantity of the charity for the redemption from the divine punishment, is of no use with a rebellious heart and indifferent attitude towards God’s commandments and laws, and no amount of charity would be of any avail to open any way for the individual to approach God. (A.P.)


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