Translation
God made a similar covenant with the Children of Israel, and He caused twelve of their leaders to be sent (to search the land of Canaan). God said to them: “I am with you. If you sustain your worship (of Me), share your wealth with the poor, believe in My Messengers and assist them, and offer up to God a loan of goodwill; then God will efface your evil deeds and let you enter Paradise (of peace and plenty) wherein rivers flow. But whoever denies the grace of God after this, he will have moved far from the right path.” It is on account of their failure to stay true to the covenant that We rejected them and made their hearts to harden. (As a result) they distort the meaning of God’s revelations by taking them out of context and became unmindful of a certain portion of their reminders (revelations). You will experience treachery from them all except a few; yet pardon them and forbear since God loves those who do good (to others).
As for those who say: “We are Christians,” We (God) also took a solemn pledge (covenant), but they became similarly unmindful of a certain portion of the reminders (revelations); As a result, We let enmity and hatred to stir up among them, until the Day of Resurrection. God will soon make them understand what they contrived (against one another).
O People of the Previous Revelations: Surely Our Messenger has come to you who makes it clear much of which you had concealed from the book (Bible and Torah) and forgives much. Now indeed, a Light and a Clear Book has come to you from God, Who by His will brings those who is so inclined to the path of peace and brings them out of darkness (Ignorance) to Light (Knowledge and Wisdom), thereby guiding them to the Straight Path. 301
Interpretation
301 God here cites the cases of both Jews and Christians who were party to the same solemn pledge as Muslims pledged (5:7)—to remain true to God, to worship Him, to help the poor, and to work with the Messengers. Failure to keep their solemn pledge resulted in their losing their path, the hardening of their hearts, and the inability to fully subscribe to all the tenets of the revealed books. Christians suffered a fate of enmity and hatred among their various and numerous sects and communities (nations), for example, during the two World Wars in Europe and the persistent animosity between Catholics and Protestants. Nonetheless, God asks the Prophet and his followers to forgive and to forbear despite such neglect and hostility by previous followers of revelations. It is appropriate to reflect in this context, the current hostility between Shia and Sunni Muslims, specially in Middle East, is also due to violations of Muslim Pledge to God.
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REFLECTION
God deals with all people—Jews, Christians, and Muslims—with the same set of criteria. If we follow His guidance and remain true to the covenants we made with God, then we will be rewarded in this life and in Paradise in the Afterlife. Most Muslims feel that such consequence is only for the Jews and Christians as described here, but it must be understood that Muslims are subject to the same set of rules, and our current failures are a testimony to the truth that God’s disfavor is reserved for anyone who ignores His guidance and denies His grace.
ACTION
In our private and public lives, we need to accept all Books of Revelations and the universal message contained in these revelations as truth. The Qur’an reconfirms and augments these truths, and we should make a commitment to follow God’s guidance and join with anyone who has this shared vison and objective.