(94–95) “If you are in doubt concerning what We have revealed to you, then ask those who have read the Scripture before you. The truth has certainly come to you from your Lord, so never be among the doubters. And never be among those who deny Allah’s signs, lest you be among the losers.”

Allah Most High says to His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him): “If you are in doubt concerning what We have revealed to you”—whether it is true or not—“then ask those who have read the Scripture before you.” That is, ask the fair-minded adherents of the scriptures and the firmly grounded scholars. They will acknowledge the truth of what you have conveyed and its agreement with what they possess.

It may be objected: Many of the People of the Book, both Jews and Christians—perhaps even most of them—denied the Messenger of Allah, stubbornly opposed him, and rejected his call. Yet Allah Most High commanded His Messenger to invoke their testimony, making it evidence for what he brought and proof of his truthfulness. How can this be?

The answer may be given from several perspectives:

First, when testimony is ascribed to a group, the adherents of a particular doctrine, the inhabitants of a country, or the like, it refers only to the trustworthy and truthful among them. No consideration is given to the others, even if they outnumber them, because testimony rests upon integrity and truthfulness. These qualities were indeed found in the many godly scholars among them who embraced faith, such as Abd Allah ibn Salām [and his companions, as well as many who embraced Islam during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the time of his caliphs, and thereafter] (1), Ka‘b al-Ahbār, and others.

Second, the testimony of the People of the Book in favor of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) rests upon their own scripture, the Torah, to which they profess adherence. Since the Torah contains material that agrees with and confirms the Quran and attests to its truth, even if all of them, from first to last, (2) were to agree in denying it, their denial would not detract from what the Messenger brought.

Third, Allah Most High commanded His Messenger to invoke the testimony of the People of the Book concerning the truth of what had come to him, and He made this known and proclaimed it publicly before all people. It is well known that many of them were among those most eager to invalidate the call of the Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Had they possessed anything that refuted what Allah stated, they would have produced it, publicized it, and explained it. Since nothing of the kind occurred, the failure of his adversaries to refute it, together with the acknowledgment of those who accepted his message, constitutes some of the clearest evidence of the truth and authenticity of this Quran.

Fourth, it is not the case that most of the People of the Book rejected the Messenger’s call. Rather, most of them accepted it and submitted willingly and freely. When the Messenger was sent, most religious people on earth were People of the Book. (3) Yet before long, most of the people of Greater Syria, Egypt, Iraq, and the surrounding lands—which had been strongholds of the religion of the People of the Book—submitted to Islam. The only ones who remained were those who held positions of leadership and preferred their status to the truth; the ignorant common people who followed them; and those whose adherence to their religion was merely nominal and devoid of substance. Such are the Western Europeans, whose true condition is ⦗374⦘ that they are materialists who have cast off all the religions of the messengers. They claim adherence to Christianity only to promote their rule and disguise their falsehood, as anyone acquainted with their plainly evident condition knows.

His words, “The truth has certainly come to you,” mean the truth in which there can be no doubt whatsoever. He therefore says: “from your Lord, so never be among the doubters.” This resembles His saying: “A Book has been sent down to you, so let there be no unease in your heart concerning it.”

(95) “And never be among those who deny Allah’s signs, lest you be among the losers.”

In sum, Allah prohibits two things: doubting this Quran and harboring uncertainty concerning it. Even graver than this is denying it, although it consists of Allah’s manifest signs, which admit of no denial whatsoever. He made loss the consequence of such denial—that is, the complete absence of all gain—through forfeiting reward in this world and the Hereafter and incurring punishment in this world and the Hereafter.

A prohibition of something is a command to its opposite. This is therefore a command to affirm the Quran completely, to let the heart rest assured in it, and to devote oneself to it in knowledge and practice. Through this, a servant becomes one of the successful: those who attain the most sublime objectives, the finest aspirations, and the greatest virtues, and from whom loss is averted.