and support for Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Thus, whoever claims to follow those prophets must know that this is their religion—the covenant by which Allah bound them and which they affirmed and acknowledged.
Whoever claims to follow them yet turns away from following Muhammad is defiantly disobedient and has departed from obedience to Allah. He denies the very messenger whom he claims to follow and opposes his path.
This establishes proof and compelling evidence against everyone among the people of scriptures and religions who does not believe in Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. They cannot truly believe in the messengers whom they claim to follow until they believe in their leader and final messenger, peace and blessings be upon him.
(83–85) “Do they seek a religion other than Allah’s, while all those in the heavens and earth submit to Him, willingly or unwillingly, and to Him they will be returned? * Say, ‘We believe in Allah and in what was sent down to us, what was sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and what Moses, Jesus, and the prophets were given from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit as Muslims.’ * Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers.”
It was previously explained in Surah al-Baqarah that these fundamentals of faith, which Allah commanded this nation to uphold, are unanimously affirmed by the revealed scriptures and the messengers; that they constitute the obligation imposed upon everyone; and that they are the true religion and Islam. Whoever seeks anything else will have his deeds rejected and possesses no religion upon which he can rely.
If someone disdains this religion and turns away from it, where can he go? To the worship of trees, stones, and fire? To taking rabbis, monks, and crosses as objects of devotion? To denying the Lord of the worlds? Or to false religions inspired by devils? All such people will be among the losers in the Hereafter.
(86–91) “How would Allah guide a people who disbelieved after having believed, testified that the Messenger was true, and received the clear proofs? Allah does not guide wrongdoing people. * Their recompense is that the curse of Allah, the angels, and all mankind shall be upon them. * They shall abide therein forever. Their punishment will not be lightened, nor will they be granted respite. * Except those who repent thereafter and mend their ways, for Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. * Indeed, those who disbelieve after having believed and then increase in disbelief—their repentance will never be accepted. It is they who are astray. * Indeed, those who disbelieve and die as disbelievers—even an earthful of gold would never be accepted from any of them, were he to offer it as ransom. They shall have a painful punishment, and they will have no supporters.”
That is, it is utterly inconceivable that Allah would guide people who came to know faith, entered into it, testified that the Messenger was true, and then turned back on their heels, retreating and breaking their covenant—for they recognized the truth and then rejected it.
When a person is in this condition, Allah punishes him by causing him to relapse and by turning his heart away. This is his recompense for recognizing the truth and abandoning it, and for recognizing falsehood yet preferring it. Allah therefore consigns him to what he chose for himself.
Such people have “the curse of Allah, the angels, and all mankind upon them.” They will abide forever under the curse and punishment. “Their punishment will not be lightened, nor will they be granted respite” when Allah’s decree comes upon them, for Allah granted them lifespans long enough for whoever would take heed to do so, and the warner came to them.
Allah, exalted is He, then exempted from this threat those who repent of their disbelief and sins and mend their faults. Allah will forgive what they previously committed and pardon their past deeds.
(91) Yet whoever disbelieves, persists in his disbelief, and only increases in disbelief until he dies in that state—such people are astray from the path of guidance and are following the path of misery. They have thereby deserved the painful punishment. They will have no one to support them against Allah’s punishment, and even if they offered an earthful of gold as ransom, it would avail them nothing. We seek refuge in Allah from disbelief and all its branches.
(92) “You will never attain righteousness until you spend from what you love. Whatever you spend, Allah knows it well.”
That is, you will never attain and realize righteousness—a comprehensive term encompassing all forms of goodness and the path leading to Paradise—until you spend from what you love, giving from the finest and purest of your possessions.
Spending from what is good and beloved to the soul is among the clearest indications of generosity, noble character, compassion, and tenderness. It is also among the clearest proofs of love for Allah and of preferring that love over the love of wealth, to which souls have naturally been made strongly attached. Whoever prefers love of Allah over love of himself has reached the loftiest summit of perfection.
Likewise, whoever spends from his finest possessions and shows kindness to Allah’s servants will receive kindness from Allah, who will guide him to deeds and character traits that cannot be attained without this quality.
Moreover, whoever gives in this manner will be all the more likely to perform the remainder of the righteous deeds and embody virtuous character. Although spending from one’s finest possessions is the most perfect form of giving, Allah knows whatever a servant spends—whether little or much, and whether of choice quality or otherwise.
He will recompense every giver according to his deed, granting him swift replacement in this world and everlasting bliss in the Hereafter.
(93–94) “All food was lawful to the Children of Israel except what Israel had forbidden himself before the Torah was sent down. Say, ‘Bring the Torah and recite it, if you are truthful.’ * Whoever fabricates lies against Allah after this—it is they who are the wrongdoers.”
Among the arguments by which the Jews sought to impugn the prophethood of Jesus and Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was their claim that abrogation was invalid and that no prophet could come with laws differing from those of the prophet before him.
Allah exposed their falsehood through a matter they themselves knew: they acknowledged that, before the Torah was revealed, all food had been lawful to the Children of Israel except for a few things that Israel—namely Jacob, peace be upon him—had forbidden himself and abstained from because of an illness that afflicted him.
The Torah then introduced many prohibitions that abrogated what had previously been lawful.
If they deny this, say to them: “Bring the Torah and recite it, if you are truthful” in your claim that there is no abrogation and no declaring anything lawful or forbidden.
This is among the most compelling forms of argument: to confront a person with something that he himself states, acknowledges, and does not deny. If he submits to the truth, that is what is required. But if he refuses and will not submit after this clarification, his lying, fabrication, wrongdoing, and the falsehood of his position become manifest. This is precisely the case with the Jews.
(95) “Say, ‘Allah has spoken the truth. So follow the creed of Abraham, a man of pure faith; he was not among the polytheists.’”
That is, say: Allah has spoken the truth in everything He has said. Who is truer than Allah in word and speech? In these verses He has set forth the evidence establishing the truth of Muhammad’s mission, peace and blessings be upon him, and the proofs supporting his call. He has also demonstrated the falsehood of the way followed by the deviant People of the Scripture, who denied His Messenger and rejected his call. Allah has spoken the truth concerning all of this and has convinced His servants through proofs and arguments that would cause mountains to split asunder and men to bow in submission.