Translation
Some of the folks from the People of the Book say among themselves (to confuse the newly faithful), “Believe in the early part of the day in what has been revealed, and then deny these revelations in the later part of the day.” Perhaps they will turn back on their faith. And do not have faith in anyone except [those] who follow your religion. Say [in reply to their ploy], “The true guidance—the Guidance from God—is given to people in a manner similar to what they have been given; otherwise, they will prevail in [their false] argument in front of God.” Say [further], “All bounty and grace belongs to God, and He graces whom He wills. God is limitless in His bounty and is All-Aware. God singles out whomever He wishes for His grace, and He is the Lord of limitless grace.”189
There are people from the People of the Book who, if you entrust them with a pile of wealth, will return it to the owner, and there are also people who will not return even a gold coin unless you keep insisting on it. This aberrant behavior is the result of their false claim that God will not hold them accountable with regard to their interactions with lesser [in their eyes] folks. This is a lie they forge on God while being fully aware that it is a lie. Yes, God loves those who fulfill their promises and are conscious of their responsibilities.190
Interpretation
189. The tendency to aggrandize one’s own faith at the expense of another faith is ever present among the people of the earlier faith and has also become prevalent among the Muslims. Muslims have been warned in the Qur’an not to speak ill of other people’s faith or their godheads and to stay true to their own faith based on wisdom, humility, and patience. The early Muslims were thrown into enormous confusion by the behavior of some of the Jews in Medina on their stance on the revelations from the Qur’an, which came to reaffirm the fundamental truth about faith and good behavior contained in their own books (the Torah). Contemporary Muslims are similarly put to the test by media hype about Islam, false information that is abundant in the mass media and on the web, and the misdeeds of so-called fundamentalists, jihadists, and Islamists who have their own agenda rather than the welfare of the Muslim masses. The message of the Qur’an is being distorted by Muslims themselves, due to their lack of effort to study and comprehend the Qur’an and how to make it relevant to our times. Some Muslims also practice a blind following of so-called imams and religious scholars who themselves lack good understanding and sometimes are driven by self-serving motives or interests.
190. The basic notion of trusteeship and keeping one’s commitment to others is a fundamental building block of a stable social order and a foundation for human development and well-being. Even though this example is given with regard to some of the People of the Book, this tendency is also ever present in contemporary Muslim societies and communities. One should not rejoice at the failures of others while we ourselves have become the perpetrators of such behavior. We need to focus on ourselves before we point a finger at others. Also, it is not sensible that we blame others for how their ancestors behaved while we turn a blind eye to our current conduct and the distortion of our own faith.
REFLECTION
As the Qur’an was revealed over a period of twenty-three years, it brought revelations in the context of events that were happening all around the new faith community and provided guidance that could be understood by those who were receiving those revelations. Contemporary Muslims and people of other faiths need to recognize this uniqueness of the Qur’an and endeavor to extract the fundamental guidance and principles from the Qur’an and apply them to our contemporary situation with truth, intellectual rigor, humility, and patience.
ACTION
As we read this Qur’anic discourse, I would urge us to encourage each other to seek deeper meaning and relevance to our world, apply them as faithfully and responsibly as we can, and do so in collaboration with members of the larger society so that collective wisdom, intellectual capacities, and all available human capital—men and women alike—are brought to bear fruit.