Translation
I [Jesus] am here to confirm the Torah that came to you before me and to reverse certain prohibitions that were imposed on you, and I have come with certain evidences from my Lord. Therefore, it behooves you to submit to God and to pay attention to my guidance. Surely God is your Lord and my Lord; therefore, let’s serve Him—that is the straight path.182
But Jesus perceived reluctance [and active opposition] to his message, and he reached out [to those close to him]: “Who will be my helpers [Ansars] toward God?” His disciples said, “We are your helpers toward God, and we believe in God. And be our witness that we are muslims [submitted to God].”183 And they prayed, “Our Sustainer God, we accept what you have sent as guidance, and we follow the messenger [Jesus]; therefore, confirm us as those who bear witness [to the message and the truth].”
There are those who planned [against Jesus and his followers], and God also planned. God is certainly a better planner!184
Interpretation
182. The same words for straight path (siratal mustaqim) are used here by Jesus as were used in Chapter 1, Surah Fatiha to convey the universal nature of guidance (i.e., lack of crookedness and inconsistencies). The exact same words are used for the guidance that came from Jesus as was preached by Mohammad, confirming repeatedly throughout the Qur’an that all prophets came with the same set of universal human guidance embodied in the descriptive words straight path.
183. The choice of word being used to describe the followers of Jesus is interesting. They declared themselves as Muslims, meaning that they accepted the message and submitted to God, the same way that Muslims are called on to accept the messages of all prophets and to submit to the One God, God of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad. The universality of the Islamic message cannot be overemphasized!
184. This notion of people who actively oppose truth and justice and the message of God should not discourage those who want to establish peace and justice in the world, because God is on their side and is in active opposition to those who deny the truth. But God plans through us as His agents and higher creation, and our job is to rally to the truth and human dignity and recognize that God will help us prevail if we are sincere in our efforts and are looking to establish the truth and justice for everyone, not just for ourselves.
REFLECTION
Every prophet was endowed with the ability to inspire people and to have helpers and followers who helped establish the universal guidance. The disciples of Jesus are labeled as Ansars (helpers) in the Qur’an, the same as the followers of Prophet Mohammad in Medina were called Ansars. Both of these groups also declared themselves as Muslims, meaning those who have faith in God and are willing to submit to establish peace and justice. We should look at the word Muslim not as a label but as a statement of our inner faith and commitment to truth and justice. In that sense, anyone who has faith and does good works is a Muslim, irrespective of being a Jew or a Christian or from another faith group.
ACTION
It is imperative that we begin to go beyond the label for our faith and allegiance to a particular prophet (to the exclusion of other prophets) and establish the universality of faith and good works as the foundation of our human existence, the message that the Qur’an talks about so eloquently and the message that resonated with all prophets—Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad, to name a few and the most recent prophets common to Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
Key Arabic Term
66. Al-Hawariyun: Disciples of Jesus