Sūrat Āl ʿImrān — Medinan

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

“Alif-Lām-Mīm. (1) Allah—there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all. (2) He has sent down to you the Book with the truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. (3)”

Regarding His saying, exalted is He, “Alif-Lām-Mīm. Allah”: al-Kalbī, al-Rabīʿ ibn Anas, and others said: These verses were revealed concerning the delegation of Najrān. They were sixty mounted men who came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, among whom were fourteen of their nobles. Of these fourteen, three men were those upon whom their affairs depended: al-ʿĀqib, the leader of the people and the one whose counsel they followed, taking no course except on his opinion; his name was ʿAbd al-Masīḥ. Al-Sayyid was their mainstay and the one in charge of their baggage; his name was al-Ayham. And Abū Ḥārithah ibn ʿAlqamah was their bishop and religious scholar.

They entered the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when he had performed the afternoon prayer. They wore fine striped garments—tunics and cloaks—with the splendor (1) of the men of Balḥārith ibn Kaʿb. Whoever saw them said, “We have never seen a delegation like them.” When the time for their prayer came, they stood to pray in the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Leave them.” So they prayed facing east.

Then (2) al-Sayyid and al-ʿĀqib greeted him, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to them, “Embrace Islam.” They said, “We have already embraced Islam.” He said, “You are both lying. What prevents you from Islam is your claim that Allah has a child, your worship of the cross, and your eating of pork.” They said, “If Jesus is not the son of Allah, then who is his father?” They all disputed with him concerning Jesus.

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to them, “Do you not know that no child is born without resembling his father?” They said, “Indeed.” He said, “Do you not know that our Lord watches over everything, preserving it and providing for it?” They said, “Indeed.” He said, “Does Jesus have any control over any of that?” They said, “No.” He said, “Do you not know that nothing in the earth or the heaven is hidden from Allah?” They said, “Indeed.” He said, “Does Jesus know anything of that except what he has been taught?” They said, “No.” He said, “Our Lord fashioned Jesus in the womb however He willed; [our Lord has no form, and nothing is like Him] (3); and our Lord neither eats nor drinks.” They said, “Indeed.” He said, “Do you not know that Jesus was carried by his mother as a woman carries a child, then she gave birth to him as a woman gives birth to her child? Then he was nourished as a child is nourished; then he ate, drank, and answered the call of nature.” They said, “Indeed.” He said, “How, then, can he be as you claim?” They fell silent. Thereupon Allah Most High revealed the opening of Sūrat Āl ʿImrān—some eighty-odd verses of it. (4)