2. Al-Baqara

And they say ‘None shall enter Paradise except those who are Jews hūd is the plural of hā’id or Christians’ this is what the Jews of Medina and the Christians of Najrān said when they disputed with the Prophet s each party separately claiming Paradise for its members exclusively. Such sayings are their desires their false passions. Say to them ‘Produce your proof your evidence for this if you speak truly’ in this matter.

The Jews say ‘The Christians stand on nothing’ that can be used as support for their claims and they rejected Jesus; and the Christians say ‘The Jews stand on nothing’ that can be used as support for their claims and they rejected Moses; yet they both groups recite the Scripture revealed to them in the Scripture of the Jews there is the confirmation of Jesus and in that of the Christians there is the confirmation of Moses yatlūna’l-kitāba ‘they recite the Scripture’ the sentence is a circumstantial qualifier. Thus in the way that these have said the ignorant from among the Arabs and others say the like of what these say this last phrase mithla qawlihim ‘the like of what they say’ is the explication of dhālika ‘that way’ that is to say to every person of religion they would say ‘You have no basis’; God shall decide between them on the Day of Resurrection regarding their differences in religion and will admit the confirmer into Paradise and the falsifier into the Fire.

And who does greater evil — that is none does more evil — than he who bars God’s places of worship so that His Name be not invoked in them in prayer and praise and strives to ruin them? through destruction and impeding people from them this was revealed to inform of the Byzantines’ destruction of the Holy House sc. Jerusalem or it was revealed when the idolaters barred the Prophet s from entering Mecca in the year of the battle of Hudaybiyya; such men might never enter them save in fear illā khā’ifīna is a predicate also functioning as a command that is to say ‘Frighten them by threats of waging war against them so that not one of them shall enter it feeling secure’; for them in this world is degradation debasement through being killed taken captive and forced to pay the jizya; and in the Hereafter a mighty chastisement namely the Fire.

The following was revealed either when the Jews criticised the change of the direction of prayer qibla or concerning the supererogatory prayers on animal-back during journeys which one may pray in any direction To God belong the East and the West that is the entire earth because these two directions represent both sides of it the earth; whithersoever you turn your faces in prayer by His command there is the Face of God the direction of prayer with which He is pleased. Lo! God is Embracing His bounty embracing all things Knowing how to manage His creation.

And they the Jews and the Christians and those that claim that the angels are God’s daughters say read wa-qālū or simply qālū ‘God has taken to Himself a son’; God says Glory be to Him! as a way of exalting Himself above this; Nay to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth as possessions creatures and servants and this sovereignty contradicts having a child and is expressed by the particle mā ‘all that’ in order to include all creation that is not rational; all obey His will submitting to that which is required from each one of them here the emphasis is on rational beings.

Creator of the heavens and the earth making them exist without any exemplary precedent; and when He decrees wills a thing to exist He but says to it ‘Be’ and it is that is to say it becomes fa-yakūnu a variant reading has fa-yakūna on account of it being the response in the subjunctive mood to the jussive statement.

And they that is the disbelievers of Mecca who do not know say to the Prophet s ‘Why does God not speak to us? to say that you are His Messenger; Why does a sign not come to us?’ of the sort we have requested in order to show your sincerity. So in the same way that these disbelievers have spoken spoke those before them from among past communities to their prophets the like of what they say in their obstinacy and demand for signs; their hearts are much alike in terms of unbelief and stubbornness this is meant as consolation for the Prophet s. Yet We have made clear the signs to a people who are certain a people who know that these are God’s signs and so they believe in them for to request other signs would be obduracy.

We have sent you Muhammad (s) with the truth the guidance a bearer of good tidings of Paradise for those who respond to this guidance and warner of the Fire to those who do not respond to it. You shall not be asked about the inhabitants of Hell-fire that is about why the disbelievers did not believe for your responsibility is only to deliver the Message a variant reading of lā tus’al is lā tas’al ‘do not ask’ with the final apocopation of the vowel on account of it being an imperative.

Never will the Jews be pleased with you neither the Christians not until you follow their creed their religion Say ‘God’s guidance that is Islam is the true guidance’ besides which there is only error. And if you were wa-la-in the lām is for oaths to follow their whims hypothetically speaking whims to which they are calling you after the knowledge the Divine revelation that has come to you you shall have against God neither friend to protect you nor helper to defend you against Him.