(140) “Or do you say that Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes were Jews or Christians? Say, ‘Do you know better, or does Allah?’ And who is more unjust than one who conceals a testimony he has from Allah? Allah is not unaware of what you do.”

This was another of their claims and another dispute concerning Allah’s messengers: they alleged that they had a greater claim to the messengers mentioned here than the Muslims did.

Allah refuted them by saying, “Do you know better, or does Allah?” Allah says, “Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian; rather, he was a man of pure faith who submitted to Allah, and he was not one of the polytheists.” Yet they say, “No, he was a Jew or a Christian.”

Either they are truthful and possess knowledge, or Allah Most High is the One who is truthful and possesses knowledge of the matter. One of these two alternatives must necessarily be true. Although the form of the response leaves the answer unstated, it is perfectly clear and unmistakable—so clear that there was no need to say, “Rather, Allah knows best and is the most truthful,” or anything similar, since the answer is evident to everyone. It is like asking: Which is brighter, night or day? Which is hotter, fire or water? Which is better, polytheism or monotheism?—and similar questions.

Anyone possessing even the slightest reason knows this. Indeed, they themselves knew that Abraham and the other prophets were neither Jews nor Christians, but they concealed this knowledge and testimony. Their wrongdoing was therefore among the gravest forms of wrongdoing. For this reason, Allah Most High says, “And who is more unjust than one who conceals a testimony he has from Allah?” It was a testimony in their possession, entrusted to them by Allah rather than by created beings, and thus it demanded that they take due care to bear witness to it. Yet they concealed it and proclaimed its opposite, combining the concealment of the truth and refusal to speak it with the proclamation of falsehood and the call to it. Is this not the gravest wrongdoing? Indeed, by Allah, it is. He will punish them for it with the severest punishment. Hence He says, “Allah is not unaware of what you do.” Rather, He has fully recorded and counted their deeds and has stored up their recompense for them. Wretched indeed is their recompense, and wretched is the Fire as an abode for the wrongdoers.

This is the Quran’s method of mentioning Allah’s knowledge and power at the close of verses concerning deeds for which people will be recompensed. This conveys promise and threat, ⦗70⦘ encouragement and warning. The mention of Allah’s Most Beautiful Names after rulings also shows that both His religious commands and His recompense are effects of those Names and necessary consequences of them, for the Names themselves entail both.