Translation
O People of the Book (Jews, Christians and other people of faith): What fault do you find with us other than that we believe in God, in what has been revealed to us, and in what has been revealed before (to you all), while most of you are transgressing. Say (to them, O Prophet): “Shall I inform you who is in worse shape before God to face His retribution? It is those whom God has rejected and condemned and who have earned attributes of apes and swine as they follow the evil ways. These people are in worse position and farther away from the right path.” When these people come to you (the Prophet), they say they believe, but they come in a state of denial and go away in the same state. God knows best what they hide (from you). You can see many of them competing with one another for sinfulness and transgression and amassing illegal gains (to themselves, depriving others). Certainly it is evil what they practice. Why do not their men of God [rabbis] and their scholars (legal experts) discourage them from sinful conduct and amassing wealth with unlawful means? Certainly, it is evil what they strive for. 313
The Jews say: “God’s hands are tied (not generous).” In reality, it is their hands that are shackled, and they are condemned for what they say. The truth is that God’s hand is ever spread out, and He dispenses what He will. What God has revealed to you will cause many of them to increase in their rebellion and denial of truth. Therefore, we ordained enmity and hatred among them to continue till Resurrection Day. Every time they light up the fire of conflict, God puts it out. They strive continuously to make mischief on earth, and God has no love for mischief makers. Only if the People of the Book have confirmed their faith and become mindful of their responsibility to God and to people, We (God) would remove them from their sins and welcome them to the paradise of bliss. Only if they have been faithful to the Torah and the Bible and acted according to what has been revealed from God to them, they will be blessed with the gifts from Heaven and earth. There is a group among them that pursues the right course, but most others are engaged in evil. 314
Interpretation
313 Historically, every group that has received revelations from God has been tempted to deny future revelations out of envy or for earthly gains—not all of them, but a majority of them. This happened with Moses even in his own lifetime when the Children of Israel, whom he had saved from the yoke of slavery, refused to follow many of the instructions of Moses. Similarly, when Jesus came and challenged some of the prevailing practices that were contrary to what is in the Torah, there was widespread opposition from Jewish priests about the teachings of Jesus. Jesus’s teachings have also been tampered with by his followers over the years. When the Prophet Mohammad came to confirm the truth in the Torah and the Bible and continued with the revelations of the Qur’an, a sequel to God’s continued guidance to mankind, as God promised to Adam and Eve, there was widespread opposition and active enmity demonstrated. Nowadays there are groups of Muslims who are committing acts of violence, spreading corruption, and creating the means for amassing wealth at the expense of the general public contrary to the teachings contained in the Qur’an. This is to caution some Muslims who feel that it is only the Jews and Christians who have deviated from their Books of Revelations. The reality is that we all have fallen short of our commitment to God and to fellow humans in our time in the world today.
314 The reality that if we all commit to faith and goodness, God’s blessing will be for all of us is something that is lost among all people of faith—Jews, Christians, and Muslims are no exception, however vehemently each group might deny such a statement. A recent Oxfam report shows that by 2016, the eighty richest individuals will have more wealth than 50 percent (3.5 billion) of the world’s population from the bottom up—should this not be a moral issue where wealth is being accumulated in ways that might may not be moral or ethical though our prevailing systems of commerce, finance, and brokering might allow it to occur? How is it that a racial minority in United States (African American) and a religious minority in France (Muslims) are the majorities in the jails of these two countries—is this not violating the tenets of the Torah and the Bible? How is it that all Muslim countries have fewer universities than one country in the developed world—is this not violating the tenet of the Qur’an that started out with the words “Read and know that your God is most Generous; who taught by the pen; taught man what he did not know” (96:3–5). How are we a good steward of this planet and have faith in God when we have polluted this planet’s air, water, and land on a scale that was unimaginable even a century ago?
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REFLECTION
Jews, Muslims, and Christians—all of us who claim to have faith and an alliance with goodness—should question whether our actions, prevailing systems of governance and finance, social norms, and so on truly reflect our commitment to God and to His creation.
ACTION
The Qur’an’s uncompromising posture on our role and responsibilities to God, to fellow creatures, and to the natural world is something that we need to take seriously—individually and collectively—if we are to create a better world for ourselves and have lasting peace in the Afterlife.
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Key Arabic terms
93. esmi wal wudwan (sin and tyranny)
94. kaulihimul esmi wa aklihimus suhta (uttering sinful things and amassing wealth and power through illegal means)
95. al-adawat wal baghdhaa (enmity and hatred)