(65–68) “O People of the Scripture, why do you dispute concerning Abraham when the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed until after him? Will you not then reason? Here you are: you have disputed about matters of which you have knowledge, but why do you dispute about matters of which you have no knowledge? Allah knows, while you do not know. Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian; rather, he was upright, submitting himself to Allah, and he was not one of the polytheists. Indeed, those most closely entitled to Abraham are those who followed him, as well as this Prophet and those who believe. Allah is the Protector of the believers.”
When the Jews claimed that Abraham was a Jew and the Christians claimed that he was a Christian, and they argued over this, the Most High refuted their disputation and argument in three ways.
First, their disputation concerning Abraham pertained to a matter of which they had no knowledge. They therefore had neither the ability nor the right to advance arguments and engage in debate about a matter to which they were complete outsiders. They had disputed about the rulings of the Torah and the Gospel, whether they were right or wrong, but they had no grounds for disputation concerning Abraham.
Second, the Jews claimed affiliation with the rulings of the Torah, while the Christians claimed affiliation with the rulings of the Gospel; yet the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed until after Abraham. How, then, could they affiliate Abraham with themselves when he preceded them and lived before them? Can this possibly be reasonable?! Hence He said, “Will you not then reason?” That is, had you understood what you were saying, you would not have said it.
Third, Allah, the Most High, declared His intimate friend free of any affiliation with Judaism, Christianity, and polytheism, and made him upright and submitting to Allah. He declared that those most closely entitled to him are those among his people who believed in him, this Prophet—Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and those who believed along with him. They are the ones who truly followed Abraham and are more closely entitled to him than anyone else. Allah, the Most High, is their Protector, Helper, and Supporter. As for those who cast his religion behind their backs—such as the Jews, Christians, and polytheists—they do not belong to Abraham, nor does he belong to them. Their mere claim of affiliation, devoid of truth, will not benefit them.
These verses also contain a prohibition against disputing and arguing without knowledge. Whoever speaks in this manner is speaking about a matter on which he is in no position to speak and in which he is not permitted to engage. They also encourage the study of history, for it provides a means of refuting many false assertions and claims that contradict established historical knowledge. Then the Most High said: