28:53 Al-Qasas (The Stories)

{ وَإِذَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ } استمعوا له وأذعنوا و { قَالُوا آمَنَّا بِهِ إِنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّنَا } لموافقته ما جاءت به الرسل، ومطابقته لما ذكر في الكتب، واشتماله على الأخبار الصادقة، والأوامر والنواهي الموافقة، لغاية الحكمة.وهؤلاء الذين تفيد شهادتهم، وينفع قولهم، لأنهم لا يقولون ما يقولون إلا عن علم وبصيرة، لأنهم أهل الصنف وأهل الكتب، وغيرهم لا يدل ردهم ومعارضتهم للحق على شبهة، فضلا عن الحجة، لأنهم ما بين جاهل فيه أو متجاهل معاند للحق.قال تعالي: { قُلْ آمِنُوا بِهِ أَوْ لَا تُؤْمِنُوا إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ إِذَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ يَخِرُّونَ لِلْأَذْقَانِ سُجَّدًا } الآيات.وقوله: { إِنَّا كُنَّا مِنْ قَبْلِهِ مُسْلِمِينَ } فلذلك ثبتنا على ما مَنَّ اللّه به علينا من الإيمان، فصدقنا بهذا القرآن، آمنا بالكتاب الأول والكتاب الآخر، وغيرنا ينقض تكذيبه بهذا الكتاب، إيمانه بالكتاب الأول.

يخبر تعالى عن العلماء الأولياء من أهل الكتاب أنهم يؤمنون بالقرآن كما قال تعالى: "الذين آتيناهم الكتاب يتلونه حق تلاوته أولئك يؤمنون به" وقال تعالى: "وإن من أهل الكتاب لمن يؤمن بالله وما أنزل إليكم وما أنزل إليهم خاشعين لله" وقال تعالى: "إن الذين أوتوا العلم من قبله إذا يتلى عليهم يخرون للأذقان سجدا ويقولون سبحان ربنا إن كان وعد ربنا لمفعولا" وقال تعالى: "ولتجدن أقربهم مودة للذين آمنوا الذين قالوا إنا نصارى - إلى قوله - فاكتبنا مع الشاهدين" قال سعيد بن جبير نزلت في سبع من القسيسين بعثهم النجاشي فلما قدموا على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قرأ عليهم "يس والقرآن الحكيم" حتى ختمها فجعلوا يبكون وأسلموا ونزلت فيهم هذه الآية الأخرى "الذين آتيناهم الكتاب من قبله هم به يؤمنون وإذا يتلى عليهم قالوا آمنا به إنه الحق من ربنا إنا كنا من قبله مسلمين" يعني من قبل هذا القرآن كنا مسلمين أي موحدين مخلصين لله مستجيبين له.

The Believers among the People of the Book

Allah tells us that the pious scholars among the People of the Book believe in the Qur'an, as He says:

الَّذِينَ آتَيْنَـهُمُ الْكِتَـبَ يَتْلُونَهُ حَقَّ تِلاَوَتِهِ أُوْلَـئِكَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ

(Those to whom We gave the Book recite it as it should be recited, they are the ones who believe therein) (2:121).

وَإِنَّ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَـبِ لَمَن يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ خَـشِعِينَ للَّهِ

(And there are, certainly, among the People of the Scripture, those who believe in Allah and in that which has been revealed to you, and in that which has been revealed to them, humbling themselves before Allah) (3:199).

قُلْ ءَامِنُواْ بِهِ أَوْ لاَ تُؤْمِنُواْ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْعِلْمَ مِن قَبْلِهِ إِذَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ يَخِرُّونَ لِلاٌّذْقَانِ سُجَّدًا - وَيَقُولُونَ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَآ إِن كَانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّنَا لَمَفْعُولاً

(Verily, those who were given knowledge before it, when it is recited to them, fall down on their faces in humble prostration. And they say: "Glory be to our Lord! Truly, the promise of our Lord must be fulfilled.") (17:107-108)

وَلَتَجِدَنَّ أَقْرَبَهُمْ مَّوَدَّةً لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ الَّذِينَ قَالُواْ إِنَّا نَصَارَى

(And you will find the nearest in love to the believers those who say: "We are Christians. ") until:

فَاكْتُبْنَا مَعَ الشَّـهِدِينَ

(so write us down among the witnesses) (5:82-83). Sa`id bin Jubayr said, "This was revealed concerning seventy priests who were sent by An-Najashi (ruler of Ethiopia). When they came to the Prophet , he recited to them:

يس - وَالْقُرْءَانِ الْحَكِيمِ

(Ya Sin. By the Qur'an, full of wisdom.) (36:1-2) until he completed the Surah. They began to weep, and they embraced Islam. These other Ayat were revealed concerning them:

الَّذِينَ ءَاتَيْنَـهُمُ الْكِتَـبَ مِن قَبْلِهِ هُم بِهِ يُؤْمِنُونَ - وَإِذَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ قَالُواْ ءَامَنَّا بِهِ إِنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّنَآ إنَّا كُنَّا مِن قَبْلِهِ مُسْلِمِينَ

(Those to whom We gave the Scripture before it, they believe in it. And when it is recited to them, they say: "We believe in it. Verily, it is the truth from our Lord. Indeed even before it we have been from Muslims.") meaning, `even befor e the Qur'an came we were Muslims, i.e., we believed in One God and were sincerely responding to Allah's commands.'

أُوْلَـئِكَ يُؤْتُونَ أَجْرَهُم مَّرَّتَيْنِ بِمَا صَبَرُواْ

(These will be given their reward twice over, because they are patient,) means, those who have this characteristic -- that they believed in the first Book and then in the second. Allah says:

بِمَا صَبَرُواْ

(because they are patient,) meaning, in their adherence to the truth, for taking such thing upon oneself is not easy for people. It was reported in the Sahih from the Hadith of `Amir Ash-Sha`bi from Abu Burdah that Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«ثَلَاثَةٌ يُؤْتَوْنَ أَجْرَهُمْ مَرَّتَيْنِ: رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ آمَنَ بِنَبِيِّهِ ثُمَّ آمَنَ بِي، وَعَبْدٌ مَمْلُوكٌ أَدَّى حَقَّ اللهِ وَحَقَّ مَوَالِيهِ،وَرَجُلٌ كَانَتْ لَهُ أَمَةٌ، فَأَدَّبَهَا فَأَحْسَنَ تَأْدِيبَهَا، ثُمَّ أَعْتَقَهَا فَتَزَوَّجَهَا»

(There are three who will be given their reward twice: a man among the People of the Book who believed in his Prophet then believed in me; a slave who fulfills his duty towards Allah and towards his master; and a man who has a slave woman and educates her and teaches her good manners, then he frees her and marries her.) Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Umamah said: "On the day of the Conquest of Makkah I was walking alongside the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as he was riding, and he said some very beautiful words, including the following:

«مَنْ أَسْلَمَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابَيْنِ فَلَهُ أَجْرُهُ مَرَّتَيْنِ وَلَهُ مَا لَنَا وَعَلَيْهِ مَا عَلَيْنَا وَمَنْ أَسْلَمَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ فَلَهُ أَجْرُهُ وَلَهُ مَا لَنَا وَعَلَيْهِ مَا عَلَيْنَا»

(Whoever among the people of the two Books becomes Muslim, he will have his reward twice, and he has the same rights and duties as we do. Whoever among the idolators becomes Muslim will have one reward, and he has the same rights and duties as we do.)" Allah's saying:

وَيَدْرَءُونَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ السَّيِّئَةَ

(and repel evil with good,) means, they do not respond to evil in kind, rather they forgive and overlook.

وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَـهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ

(and spend out of what We have provided for them.) meaning, `from the lawful provision that We have given them, they spend on their families and relatives as they are required to do, and they pay Zakah and give voluntary charity.'

وَإِذَا سَمِعُواْ اللَّغْوَ أَعْرَضُواْ عَنْهُ

(And when they hear evil vain talk, they withdraw from it) meaning, they do not mix with the people who indulge in such talk, rather they do as Allah says:

وَإِذَا مَرُّواْ بِاللَّغْوِ مَرُّواْ كِراماً

(and if they pass by some evil vain talk, they pass by it with dignity) (25:72).

وَقَالُواْ لَنَآ أَعْمَـلُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَـلُكُمْ سَلَـمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ لاَ نَبْتَغِى الْجَـهِلِينَ

(and they say: "To us our deeds, and to you your deeds. Peace be to you. We seek not (the way of) the ignorant.") means, if some foolish person speaks to them in a foolish manner and says something to which it does not befit them to respond, they turn away from him and do not respond in kind with ugly speech. They never say anything but good words. Allah says of them that they say:

لَنَآ أَعْمَـلُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَـلُكُمْ سَلَـمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ لاَ نَبْتَغِى الْجَـهِلِينَ

(To us our deeds, and to you your deeds. Peace be to you. We seek not (the way of) the ignorant.) meaning, `we do not seek the way of the ignorant and we do not like it.'

And when it is recited to them the Qur’ān they say ‘We believe in it. It is indeed the Truth from our Lord. Lo! even before it we had submitted’ we affirmed God’s Oneness.

Is the word Muslim restricted to the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ or it is common to all Ummahs?

إِنَّا كُنَّا مِن قَبْلِهِ مُسْلِمِينَ (And we are the ones who submitted (to it) even before it (was revealed) - 28:53). The word used by these people of the book for their submission is 'muslims' which may also be translated as ` We were Muslims even before the revelation of Qur'an'. If the word Muslim is taken here in its literal meaning, submissive or obedient, then the meaning is quite clear that the faith they had in Qur'an and the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، because of their books, is referred here by the use of words Islam and Muslims in its literal sense of submission. But if the word 'Muslim' is taken in the same meaning in which it is regarded as appellation of the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ ، then it will signify that the words 'Islam' and 'Muslim' are not restricted to Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ alone, but they are common to the Ummahs of all the prophets. But some verses of Qur'an suggest that words 'Islam' and 'Muslim' are special names of the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ ، for example the assertion of Sayyidna Ibrahim I recorded by the Qur'an itself هُوَ سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ (He named you as Muslims - 22:78). ` Allamah Suyuti favours this course of argument and has written a book on the subject in support or his contention. He has explained this verse advocating that the word Muslimin is used here in the sense that` we were ready and prepared to accept Islam even before'. If one looks at the issue deeply, there is no conflict in the two versions; it is possible that Islam is the common attribute of the religion of all the prophets in its literal sense, and at the same time it is a special appellation of the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ . It is like the appellations of Siddiq and Faruq that are exclusive for Abu Bakr and ` Umar ؓ in the context of Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ but otherwise these words can apply to anyone else also falling within the scope of their attributive meaning.