5:74 Al-Maaida (The Table)

ثم دعاهم إلى التوبة عما صدر منهم، وبين أنه يقبل التوبة عن عباده فقال: { أَفَلَا يَتُوبُونَ إِلَى اللَّهِ ْ} أي: يرجعون إلى ما يحبه ويرضاه من الإقرار لله بالتوحيد، وبأن عيسى عبد الله ورسوله، عما كانوا يقولونه { وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَهُ ْ} عن ما صدر منهم { وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ْ} أي: يغفر ذنوب التائبين، ولو بلغت عنان السماء، ويرحمهم بقبول توبتهم، وتبديل سيئاتهم حسنات. وصدر دعوتهم إلى التوبة بالعرض الذي هو غاية اللطف واللين في قوله: { أَفَلَا يَتُوبُونَ إِلَى اللَّهِ ْ}

ثم قال "أفلا يتوبون إلى الله ويستغفرونه والله غفور رحيم" وهذا من كرمه تعالى وجوده ولطفه ورحمته بخلقه مع هذا الذنب العظيم وهذا الافتراء والكذب والإفك يدعوهم إلى التوبة والمغفرة فكل من تاب إليه تاب عليه.

The Disbelief of the Christians; `Isa Only called to Tawhid

Allah states that the Christians such sects as Monarchite, Jacobite and Nestorite are disbelievers, those among them who say that `Isa is Allah. Allah is far holier than what they attribute to Him. They made this claim in spite of the fact that `Isa made it known that he was the servant of Allah and His Messenger. The first words that `Isa uttered when he was still a baby in the cradle were, "I am `Abdullah (the servant of Allah)." He did not say, "I am Allah," or, "I am the son of Allah." Rather, he said,

إِنِّى عَبْدُ اللَّهِ ءَاتَانِىَ الْكِتَـبَ وَجَعَلَنِى نَبِيّاً

(Verily, I am a servant of Allah, He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet.) until he said,

وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ رَبِّى وَرَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُوهُ هَـذَا صِرَطٌ مُّسْتَقِيمٌ

("And verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord. So worship Him (Alone). That is the straight path.") He also proclaimed to them when he was a man, after he was sent as a Prophet, commanding them to worship his Lord and their Lord, alone without partners,

وَقَالَ الْمَسِيحُ يَابَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ اعْبُدُواْ اللَّهَ رَبُّى وَرَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ مَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ

(But the Messiah said, "O Children of Israel! worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord." Verily, whosoever sets up partners with Allah...) in worship;

فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيهِ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَأْوَاهُ النَّارُ

(. ..then Allah has forbidden Paradise for him, and the Fire will be his abode.) as He will send him to the Fire and forbid Paradise for him. Allah also said;

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ

(Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him (in worship), but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He wills.) and,

وَنَادَى أَصْحَـبُ النَّارِ أَصْحَـبَ الْجَنَّةِ أَنْ أَفِيضُواْ عَلَيْنَا مِنَ الْمَآءِ أَوْ مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ قَالُواْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ حَرَّمَهُمَا عَلَى الْكَـفِرِينَ

(And the dwellers of the Fire will call to the dwellers of Paradise; "Pour on us some water or anything that Allah has provide you with." They will say: "Allah has forbidden both to the disbelievers.") It is recorded in the Sahih that the Prophet had someone proclaim to the people,

«إِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ لَا يَدْخُلُهَا إِلَّا نَفْسٌ مُسْلِمَة»

(Only a Muslim soul shall enter Paradise.) In another narration,

«مُؤْمِنَة»

(Only a believing soul...) This is why Allah said that `Isa said to the Children of Israel,

إِنَّهُ مَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيهِ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَأْوَاهُ النَّارُ وَمَا لِلظَّـلِمِينَ مِنْ أَنصَارٍ

(Verily, whosoever sets up partners with Allah, then Allah has forbidden Paradise for him, and the Fire will be his abode. And there are no helpers for the wrongdoers.) There is no help from Allah, nor anyone who will support or protect them from the state they will be in. Allah's statement,

لَّقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُواْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ ثَـلِثُ ثَلَـثَةٍ

(Surely, they have disbelieved who say: "Allah is the third of three.") Mujahid and several others said that this Ayah was revealed about the Christians in particular. As-Suddi and others said that this Ayah was revealed about taking `Isa and his mother as gods besides Allah, thus making Allah the third in a trinity. As-Suddi said, "This is similar to Allah's statement towards the end of the Surah,

وَإِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يعِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ أَءَنتَ قُلتَ لِلنَّاسِ اتَّخِذُونِى وَأُمِّىَ إِلَـهَيْنِ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ قَالَ سُبْحَـنَكَ

(And (remember) when Allah will say: "O `Isa, son of Maryam! Did you say unto men: `Worship me and my mother as two gods besides Allah' He will say, "Glory be to You!")5:116. Allah replied,

وَمَا مِنْ إِلَـهٍ إِلاَّ إِلَـهٌ وَحِدٌ

(But there is no god but One God.) meaning there are not many worthy of worship but there is only One God without partners, and He is the Lord of all creation and all that exists. Allah said next, while threatening and admonishing them,

وَإِن لَّمْ يَنتَهُواْ عَمَّا يَقُولُونَ

(And if they cease not from what they say, ) their lies and false claims,

لَيَمَسَّنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِنْهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

(verily, a painful torment will befall the disbelievers among them.) in the Hereafter, shackled and tormented. Allah said next,

أَفَلاَ يَتُوبُونَ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَهُ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(Will they not repent to Allah and ask His Forgiveness For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) This demonstrates Allah's generosity, kindness and mercy for His creatures, even though they committed this grave sin and invented such a lie and false allegation. Despite all of this, Allah calls them to repent so that He will forgive them, for Allah forgives those who sincerely repent to Him.

`Isa is Allah's Servant and His Mother is a Truthful Believer

Allah said,

مَّا الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ إِلاَّ رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ

(The Messiah, son of Maryam, was no more than a Messenger; many were the Messengers that passed away before him.) `Isa is just like the previous Prophets, and he is one of the servants of Allah and one of His honorable Messengers. Allah said in another Ayah,

إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ عَبْدٌ أَنْعَمْنَا عَلَيْهِ وَجَعَلْنَـهُ مَثَلاً لِّبَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ

(He `Isa was not more than a servant. We granted Our favor to him, and We made him an example for the Children of Israel.) Allah said next,

وَأُمُّهُ صِدِّيقَةٌ

(His mother was a Siddiqah) for she believed in Allah with complete trust in Him. This is the highest rank she was given, which proves that she was not a Prophet. Allah said next,

كَانَا يَأْكُلاَنِ الطَّعَامَ

(They both used to eat food) needing nourishment and to relieve the call of nature. Therefore, they are just servants like other servants, not gods as ignorant Christian sects claim, may Allah's continued curses cover them until the Day of Resurrection. Allah said next,

انْظُرْ كَيْفَ نُبَيِّنُ لَهُمُ الاٌّيَـتِ

(Look how We make the Ayat clear to them. ) making them unequivocal and plain,

ثُمَّ انْظُرْ أَنَّى يُؤْفَكُونَ

(yet look how they are deluded away (from the truth).) look at the opinions, misguided ideas, and claims they cling to, even after Our clarification and plain, unequivocal explanation.

Will they not turn in repentance to God and seek His forgiveness? for what they say the interrogative is intended as a rebuke; God is Forgiving to the one who repents Merciful to him.

Commentary

1. The words: إِنَّ اللَّـهَ ثَالِثُ ثَلَاثَةٍ in verse 72, translated here literally as ` Allah is the third of the three,' refers to Sayyidna Masih (Jesus Christ), Ruhul-Quds (The Holy Spirit) and Allah, or to Masih, Maryam (Mary) and Allah - with all three taken as God (Refuge with Allah). Thus, Allah becomes a one-third partner with them, then all three of them become one, and that one is three. This unity in trinity, with three persons in one godhead, is the common belief of Christians. They explain this belief which is supported by neither reason nor revelation with a language that is kept circuitous and ambiguous. When not un-derstood, they declare it to be reality beyond comprehension. (Shabbir Ahmad Usmani - Notes)

2. In verse 75, by saying: قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ الرُّ‌سُلُ (There have been messengers before him), the assigning of godhood to Sayyidna Masih (علیہ السلام) has been refuted. Prophets came to this world. They completed their mission. Then, they were gone. They were not eternal which is the mark of godhood. Similarly, Sayyidna Masih, may peace be upon him (being human like them) was not eternal. So, he cannot be what God is.

A little reflection will show that everyone who needs to eat and drink almost depends on everything in the world. We cannot say that the earth, the air, the water, the sun and the animals are what we do not need. Look into your own self. There is that grain of food outside you, then begins its journey from the entry into the stomach to the next destination of its digestion. Think of all those factors involved and things required directly and indirectly in this complex procedure. Then, there will be a chain of effects generated through eating and no one can tell precisely how far will they go. So, by pointing out that Sayyidna Masih and his pious mother used to eat, the Holy Qur'an has referred to the endless chain of needs it entails. The argument, thus runs that Masih and Maryam, may peace be upon them both, were not free of the need for eating and drinking which is proved by observation and authentic narrations (not denied by even Christians). And anyone who is not free from the need of eating and drinking cannot be free from anything in this world. How then, a human person, who like all human beings is not free of the need to depend on the chain of causa-tion for survival, could become God? This is a strong and clear proof which can be understood by the educated and the uneducated alike - that is, eating and drinking is contrary to godhood. Though, not eating too is not a proof in favour of godhood, otherwise all angels would become gods! (Refuge with Allah) (Tafsir Usmani)

3. Was Sayyidah Maryam a prophet or saint? This is a debated issue. In the present verse (75), the complimentary use of the word "Siddiqah" (truthful) obviously seems to indicate that she was a godly person, not a Nabiyy ( prophet) - because on a complimentary occasion, what is mentioned is the higher rank. If she had the station of prophethood, the word used for her at this place would have been "Nabiyyah"- but, the word used here is "Siddiqah" which is the station of sainthood or godliness (abridged from Ruh al-Ma` ani).

According to the majority of Muslim scholars, the station of Nu-buwwah (prophethood) has never appeared among women. This mission has been particular with men:

وَمَا أَرْ‌سَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلَّا رِ‌جَالًا نُّوحِي إِلَيْهِم مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَ‌ىٰ

And We have not sent any (one) before you but men to whom We revealed from among the peoples of the towns - Surah Yusuf, 12 : 109. (Tafsir Usmani)