Such have utterly gone astray. (91) Truly those who embraced unbelief and died as un- believers, not even the whole earth full of gold will be accepted from them as ransom. For such there is painful chastisement; and none shall come to their help.
(92) You shall not attain righteousness until you spend (for the sake of Allah) out of what you love. Allah knows whatever you spend.
(93) All food (that is lawful in the Law revealed to Muhammad) was lawful to the Children of Israel,23 except what Israel made unlawful to himself before the revelation of the Torah. Tell them: “Bring the Torah and recite any passage of it if you are truthful.” ▶
23 The Jewish rabbis found no grounds to criticize the fundamental teachings of the Prophet (peace be on him) for there was no difference between the teachings of the previous Prophets and that of the Arabian Prophet on matters which constitute the core of religion. They, therefore, raised objections about the details of the religious law. The first objection was that the Prophet (peace be on him) had declared lawful a number of things which had been reckoned as unlawful since the time of the ancient Prophets. What is said here is to refute that objection. The Jews also raised the objection that the direction of Prayer had been changed from Jerusalem to the Ka[bah. The verses that follow address this objection.
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Al [Imran 3: 94–7
(94) Those who forge lies against Allah despite this are the wrong-doers. (95) Say: “Whatever Allah has said is true. Follow, then, the way of Abraham in total devotion to Allah. He was not among those who associate others with Allah in His Divinity.”
(96) Behold, the first House (of Prayer) established for mankind is the one at Bakkah: it is full of blessing and is a centre of guidance for the whole world. (97) In it there are Clear Signs24 and the station of Abraham; whoever enters it becomes secure. Pilgrimage to the House is a duty owed to Allah by all who can make their way to it. ▶
24 Here it is stressed that there are several Clear Signs which prove that the Makkan sanctuary enjoys God’s blessing and has been chosen by Him as His sanctuary. Even though it is located in the middle of wide expanses of desert God has seen to it that its inhabitants enjoy a satisfactory living. Although the rest of Arabia was plunged into chaos and disorder for about two and a half thousand years, peace and tranquillity reigned in both the precincts and environs of the Ka[bah. Thanks to the Ka[bah the entire Arabian peninsula enjoyed four months of peace and order every year. These were the sacred months when people went on Pilgrimage. Moreover, barely a half century before the revelation of these verses, people had seen how Abrahah, the Abyssinian invader, fell prey to God’s scourge when he attacked Makkah to destroy the Ka[bah. At the time when the Qur’an was revealed, this incident was known to everybody in Arabia. Its memory was fresh and many eye-witnesses were still alive at the time of the Prophet (peace be on him).
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Al [Imran 3: 98–102
As for those who refuse to follow His command, surely Allah stands in need of no one in the whole universe.
(98) Say: “People of the Book! Why do you reject the Signs of Allah when Allah is witness to all that you do?” (99) Say: “People of the Book! Why do you hinder believers from the Way of Allah, seeking that they follow a crooked way, even though you yourselves are witness to its being the Right Way?” Allah is not heedless of what you do.
(100) Believers! Were you to obey a party of those who were given the Book, they might cause you to renounce the Truth after you have attained to faith. (101) How can you disbelieve when you are the ones to whom the Signs of Allah are recited and when His Messenger is in your midst? Whoever holds fast to Allah will certainly be guided to the Straight Way.
(102) Believers! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and see that you do not die save in submission to Allah. ▶
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Al [Imran 3: 103–6
(103) Hold fast together to the cable of Allah,25 and be not divided. Remember the bless- ing that Allah bestowed upon you: you were once enemies, then He brought your hearts together, so that through His blessing you became brothers. You stood on the brink of a pit of fire and He delivered you from it. Thus Allah makes His Signs clear to you that you may be guided to the Right Way.
(104) And from amongst you there must be a party who will call people to all that is good and will enjoin the doing of all that is right and will forbid the doing of all that is wrong. It is they who will attain true success. (105) Do not be like those who fell into factions and became opposed to one another after Clear Signs had come to them. A mighty chastisement awaits them (106) on the Day when some faces will turn bright and other faces will turn dark. ▶
25 The expression “cable of Allah” in the verse refers to the “religion of God”. The reason for use of the word “cable” (habl) is that it both establishes a bond between man and God and joins all believers together.
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Al [Imran 3: 107–11
Those whose faces have turned dark will be told: “Did you fall into unbelief after you had been blessed with belief? Taste, then, chastisement for your unbelief.” (107) And those whose faces have turned bright, they will be in the mercy of Allah, and therein they shall abide. (108) These are the messages of Allah which We recite to you in all truth, and Allah desires no wrong to the people of the world. (109) To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth, and to Allah are all matters referred for decision.
(110) You are now the best nat ion brought for th for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah. Had the People of the Book26 believed, it were better for them. Some of them are believers but most of them are transgressors. (111) They will not be able to harm you except for a little hurt, and if they fight against you they will turn their backs (in flight), and then they will not be succoured. ▶
26 “People of the Book” refers here to the Children of Israel.
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Al [Imran 3: 112–14
(112) Wherever they were, they were covered with ignominy, except when they were pro- tected by either a covenant with Allah or a covenant with men.27 They are laden with the burden of Allah’s wrath, and humiliation has
