Sūrah Al-i ‘Imran (1-20)

Qur’anic Exegesis

الم  اللّهُ لا إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ  نَزَّلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ مُصَدِّقاً لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَأَنزَلَ التَّوْرَاةَ وَالإِنجِيلَ  مِن قَبْلُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَأَنزَلَ الْفُرْقَانَ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ

This is Surah Alif Lam Mim.[1] God is the one besides whom there is no god, the living, the one who keeps others in existence.[2] [After putting people through trials, He cannot become indifferent to them; therefore] He has revealed to you the Book as the decisive truth, in confirmation of the scriptures which preceded it; and before it He had already revealed the Torah and the Gospel as guidance for mankind, and now He has revealed this Furqan.[3] [These are the verses of God and] those
 

بِآيَاتِ اللّهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ وَاللّهُ عَزِيزٌ ذُو انتِقَامٍ  إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يَخْفَىَ عَلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ فِي الأَرْضِ وَلاَ فِي السَّمَاء  هُوَ الَّذِي يُصَوِّرُكُمْ فِي الأَرْحَامِ كَيْفَ يَشَاء لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ (3: 1-6)

هُوَ الَّذِيَ أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ مِنْهُ آيَاتٌ مُّحْكَمَاتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَابِهَاتٌ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ في قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغَاء الْفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَاء

who deliberately deny them shall be severely punished, and God is mighty and [from such people] He is One Who takes revenge. [This is because] nothing on earth or in the sky is hidden from God. It is He who makes your faces in your mothers’ wombs as He pleases. There is no god but Him. He is the Mighty, the Wise One.[4] (1-6)

It is He[5] who has revealed to you the Book. Some of its verses are muhkam – they are the foundation of the Book[6] – and others mutashabih.[7] Then those in whose hearts are warped[8] always go
 

تَأْوِيلِهِ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُ إِلاَّ اللّهُ وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِهِ كُلٌّ مِّنْ عِندِ

after themutashabih among them in order to create dissension and in order to know their reality[9] even though no one except God knowstheir reality.[10] [On the other hand,] those who are well-grounded
 

رَبِّنَا وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلاَّ أُوْلُواْ الألْبَابِ  رَبَّنَا لاَ تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْوَهَّابُ  رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ جَامِعُ النَّاسِ لِيَوْمٍ لاَّ رَيْبَ فِيهِ إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ (3: 7-9)

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَن تُغْنِيَ عَنْهُمْ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلاَ أَوْلاَدُهُم مِّنَ اللّهِ شَيْئًا وَأُولَـئِكَ هُمْ وَقُودُ النَّارِ  كَدَأْبِ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ وَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَذَّبُواْ بِآيَاتِنَا فَأَخَذَهُمُ اللّهُ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَاللّهُ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ  (3: 10-13)

in knowledge[11] say: “We believe in them: all this has come from our Lord.” And [in reality] only men of understanding take heed from them.[12] [They say:] Lord, do not cause our hearts to go astray after You have guided us. Grant us mercy through Your own grace; You are the munificent Giver. Lord, You will surely gather all mankind in a day that will indubitably come. Indeed, God does not break His promises.[13] (7-9)

The wealth and children of the disbelievers [of this Book] will be of no avail to them.[14] They shall become the fuel of Hell. Their matter is similar to the Pharaoh’s people and those before them.[15] They denied Our revelations; so God seized them because of their sin and in reality God is stern in retribution.[16] (10-11)

قُل لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ سَتُغْلَبُونَ وَتُحْشَرُونَ إِلَى جَهَنَّمَ وَبِئْسَ الْمِهَادُ  قَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ آيَةٌ فِي فِئَتَيْنِ الْتَقَتَا فِئَةٌ تُقَاتِلُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ وَأُخْرَى كَافِرَةٌ يَرَوْنَهُم مِّثْلَيْهِمْ رَأْيَ الْعَيْنِ وَاللّهُ يُؤَيِّدُ بِنَصْرِهِ مَن يَشَاء إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً لَّأُوْلِي الأَبْصَارِ (3: 12-13)

Tell these disbelievers: “Soon you too shall be vanquished [similarly] and [after this] driven towards Hell and what an evil resting place it is.” And [if you feel any doubt in what We have said then] there indeed is a sign for you in the two groups which met [on the battlefield].[17] One [was of the believers and] was fighting for the cause of God, the other of the disbelievers [which was fighting for the cause of Satan].[18] They [in the battlefield of Badr] openly saw that they were twice their own number.[19] [In reality] God [in a similar manner] helps with His

زُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ حُبُّ الشَّهَوَاتِ مِنَ النِّسَاء وَالْبَنِينَ وَالْقَنَاطِيرِ الْمُقَنطَرَةِ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ

aid whom He pleases. Surely in this there is a lesson for men of vision.[20] (12-13)

Men [who are deprived of this vision] are tempted[21] by the lure

وَالْفِضَّةِ وَالْخَيْلِ الْمُسَوَّمَةِ وَالأَنْعَامِ وَالْحَرْثِ ذَلِكَ مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَاللّهُ عِندَهُ حُسْنُ الْمَآبِ  قُلْ أَؤُنَبِّئُكُم بِخَيْرٍ مِّن ذَلِكُمْ لِلَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا

of women and sons, of treasures of gold and silver,[22] of marked horses,[23] cattle, and plantations. These are the enjoyments of this life,[24] but a better abode is with God. Tell them: “Shall I tell you what is better than these things?[25] For the God-fearing there are

الأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَأَزْوَاجٌ مُّطَهَّرَةٌ وَرِضْوَانٌ مِّنَ اللّهِ وَاللّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِالْعِبَادِ  الَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا إِنَّنَا آمَنَّا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ  الصَّابِرِينَ وَالصَّادِقِينَ وَالْقَانِتِينَ وَالْمُنفِقِينَ وَالْمُسْتَغْفِرِينَ بِالأَسْحَارِ (3: 14-17)

شَهِدَ اللّهُ أَنَّهُ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ وَالْمَلاَئِكَةُ وَأُوْلُواْ الْعِلْمِ قَآئِمَاً بِالْقِسْطِ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ

gardens with their Lord below which rivers flow; they shall dwell in them forever and chaste wives and [most of all] the pleasure of God.”^[26]And [there is no doubt in the fact that] God is watching these servants of His,[27] these who pray:[28] “Lord, we have professed faith; so forgive us our sins and save us from the torment of the Fire”; these who are patient[29], sincere, obedient, who spend in the way of God and who implore for forgiveness at the break of day.[30] (14-17)

God, His angels and all the bearers of true knowledge [in this world] bear witness[31] that there is no god but Him, He adheres to

هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ (18)

إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِندَ اللّهِ الإِسْلاَمُ وَمَا اخْتَلَفَ الَّذِينَ أُوْتُواْ الْكِتَابَ إِلاَّ مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءهُمُ

justice[32], there is no god but Him, the Mighty, the Wise.[33] (18)

[If this is a fact, then there is no doubt that] the only true faith in God’s sight is Islam [because only Islam calls upon man to profess faith in God in this manner] and to whom the Book was given disagreed among themselves merely because of mutual

الْعِلْمُ بَغْيًا بَيْنَهُمْ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِآيَاتِ اللّهِ فَإِنَّ اللّهِ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ  فَإنْ حَآجُّوكَ فَقُلْ أَسْلَمْتُ وَجْهِيَ لِلّهِ وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِ وَقُل لِّلَّذِينَ أُوْتُواْ الْكِت َابَ وَالأُمِّيِّينَ أَأَسْلَمْتُمْ فَإِنْ

squabble, only after the reality of this knowledge [about these testimonies] came to them from God.[34] [This is open denial] and those who deny God’s revelations in this manner [should know that] swift is God in taking account. So, if they clash with you, say: “I and those who follow me have submitted to God.”[35] And ask the People of the Book and these unlettered[36] [among the Ishmaelites]:

أَسْلَمُواْ فَقَدِ اهْتَدَواْ وَّإِن تَوَلَّوْاْ فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ الْبَلاَغُ وَاللّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِالْعِبَادِ (3: 10-20)

“Do you also similarly submit to God?” If they do, they shall be rightly guided and if they turn away, then your only duty is to communicate to them. God is watching over His servants.[37] (19-20)

(Translated from Ghamidi’s al-Bayan by Shehzad Saleem)