Sacrifice essential to attain to goodness, The basis of Islam main features of Abraham’s religion, The first House of blessings and guidance to the worlds.

Aal ’Imran Verses 92 - 101

لَنْ تَنَالُوا الْبِرَّ حَتَّىٰ تُنْفِقُوا مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ وَمَا تُنْفِقُوا مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ بِهِ عَلِيمٌ

“Never shall ye attain to righteousness until ye give1away (in the way of your Lord) of what ye love2; and of whatsoever ye give, Verily, God knoweth it.” (3:92)

كُلُّ الطَّعَامِ كَانَ حِلًّا لِبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِلَّا مَا حَرَّمَ إِسْرَائِيلُ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تُنَزَّلَ التَّوْرَاةُ قُلْ فَأْتُوا بِالتَّوْرَاةِ فَاتْلُوهَا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ

“All food was allowed3to the children of Israel except what Israel4(Jacob) had (himself) forbidden before the Torah5(Pentateuch); was sent down; Say (O’ Our Apostle Muhammad to the Jews) “Bring ye hither then the Torah and read it (out), if ye be truthful.” (3:93)

فَمَنِ افْتَرَىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ

“Then whoever fabricateth6a lie about God, after this, these it is that are the unjust.” (3:94)

قُلْ صَدَقَ اللَّهُ فَاتَّبِعُوا مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ

“Say (O’ Our Apostle Muhammad!) “God hath spoken the Truth, follow therefore the creed7(Islam) of Abraham the upright8in faith; and he was not of the polytheists9”. (3:95)

إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِي بِبَكَّةَ مُبَارَكًا وَهُدًى لِلْعَالَمِينَ

“Verily10, the First House11made for mankind is the one at Mecca, Blessed and a Guidance for the worlds.” (3:96)

فِيهِ آيَاتٌ بَيِّنَاتٌ مَقَامُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمَنْ دَخَلَهُ كَانَ آمِنًا وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا وَمَنْ كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ

“In it are clear signs; the standing place of Abraham; and whoever entereth it is secure12; and (purely) for God, is incumbent13upon mankind, the pilgrimage to the House, for those who can afford to journey thither; And whoever denieth then Verily14, God is ‘Self-sufficiently15independent of the worlds.” (3:97)

قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لِمَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ شَهِيدٌ عَلَىٰ مَا تَعْمَلُونَ

“Say (O’ Our Apostle Muhammad!) “O’ People16of the Book! why disbelieve ye the Signs of God? While Verily, God is a witness upon what ye do.” (3:98)

قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لِمَ تَصُدُّونَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ مَنْ آمَنَ تَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًا وَأَنْتُمْ شُهَدَاءُ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ

“Say (O’ Our Apostle Muhammad!) “O’ people of the Book! why hinder ye, him who believeth, from the path of God? and seek to make it crooked? whereas ye are its witness17; And God is not heedless of what ye do.” (3:99)

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ تُطِيعُوا فَرِيقًا مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ يَرُدُّوكُمْ بَعْدَ إِيمَانِكُمْ كَافِرِينَ

“‘O’ ye who believe! if ye obey a group among those who have been given the Book, they will turn you back into infidels after your believing.” (3:100)

وَكَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ وَأَنْتُمْ تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتُ اللَّهِ وَفِيكُمْ رَسُولُهُ وَمَنْ يَعْتَصِمْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ هُدِيَ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ

“How can ye disbelieve, while the signs18of God are recited unto you, and His Apostle (Muhammad) is among you? Whoever holdeth fast unto God, is already guided to the Right path19.” (3:101)

Commentary

Verse 92

This Verse rings the death-knell of the vain glory of the one, be he from any class of the social order or of any descent or of any status or position, who poses as a righteous one without being duly selfless. Mark the wide implication of the word ‘of whatsoever ye love.’ The Verse fixes no special commodity to be given away, nor does it prescribe any particular limit. In regards to that which is to be given is left to the degree of the attachment of the individual to the commodity. A man might not care for money but for some special things of his belongings, in which case no amount of money spent in the place of the things he loves, can ever earn for him the degree of virtue which he would get in parting with the things he loves the most.

In regards to the limit, it is left to the choice of the individual. It is a very delicate question, for under this clue to earn virtue or reward from the Lord, one has necessarily to become so selfless that until one gets over the least regard for his personal interest in this life, and willingly and voluntarily gives away of his possessions and belongings which engage his first consideration, the individual can never expect to have earned anything commendable.

This Verse does not mean the minimum prescribed charity which every Muslim has to dispense with, under the doctrine of ‘Zakat’ or ‘Khums’. This is something totally optional, left to the free and the independent choice of each and every individual believer in the truth (a Muslim) man or woman.

This Verse invites every seeker of self-redemption, to first condition himself with absolute self-lessness as the pre-requisite for his or her spiritual progress. It needs serious thinking over the absolute selflessness demanded of a true believer in God. In short it demands an individual to condition himself or herself with the divine attribute of independence of the selfish needs, giving preference to the need of the welfare of his fellow beings. It teaches one to prefer the need of the truth, to one’s own personal demands and thus under the spirit of self-sacrifice, to bind the human society with the spirit of self-sacrifice which would Surely pave the way to perfect social harmony in the human family as a whole.

“It is no charity which starves the nearest kith and kin of its benefit.” (M.S.)

“How good is the wealthy one who is at the door of the needy to convey his gifts to him, and how bad is the wealthy one who waits to give something until the needy is at his door.” (Hadith)

Riches are of several kinds: The wealth of money (cash). The wealth of one’s own issues (children). The richness of one’s own personal integrity. The best, the greatest and the most perfect form of sacrifice of every kind of wealth to the maximum extent possible in each kind, can be found in the sacrifices offered by the grandson of the Holy Prophet, the Holy Imam Husayn at Karbala. Husayn surrendered his all to God. The sacrifices offered by Husayn were actually the sacrifices of the Holy Prophet. The Holy Prophet has said ‘Husayn is from me and I am from Husayn.’

This is an explanation as to how and in what circumstances charity would be of any avail, that the entry to the heavenly kingdom, for a rich man, is not entirely closed as it may seem from some passages of the Bible. If one’s mind and heart is submissive to God and one’s life and wealth is devoted to His cause, be he poor or rich, the door to the heavenly life is equally open. (A.P.)

Verse 93

The Jews objected to the use of certain foodstuffs by the Muslims, whereas in the original Law of Moses all such foods had been allowed. But the Jews did not possess the whole of the Law, except a few traditions, reminiscences and some distorted fragments of the original scripture left behind by Moses. The Jewish faith was based upon an admixture of reliable and unreliable extracts and their own folklore. Hence the Jews are invited to get the Law of Moses and read it out and then see if all the foodstuffs allowed by Islam are allowed by it or not!

Of the quadrupeds which live on land, those which live on grass (i.e. the vegetarians) are called ‘Bahimat ul-An’aan’ and they include, sheep, cow, camel, horse, donkey (the hoofed ones, domestic or wild) are termed ‘Bahima’ in Arabic, and all are eatable according to 5:1 with the exception of a few kinds of them. For details see ‘Fiqh’ of the quadrupeds which live on flesh, i.e., carnivorous (the None-vegetarians) the tiger, lion, dog, cat (domestic or wild) are called ‘Sabea’ the wild flesh-eating ones which possess claws, are not allowed as implied and connoted in the same Verse. The details of the forbidden meat are given in the other places.

Along with the flesh-eating animals, certain parts of the grass-eater animals were also prohibited as punishment for the rebellion and the perverseness of the Israelites20. Of the domestic grass-eater animals, according to the Holy Qur’an 6:143-145, none was forbidden even in the Jewish law. In the Jewish tradition camel and its milk was considered as prohibited. The Jews taking for granted that whatever was prohibited, by their tradition as having been prohibited by all the prophets of God, preceding Moses. On this basis the Jews criticised the Muslims who claimed to follow Abraham, using camel’s flesh and its milk as their food. The basis of the Jewish criticism is refuted, their knowledge of their own laws is challenged, and their ignorance is exposed.

The main point to be noted is that the Jews considered their scriptures as the most ancient revelations and held their own laws and traditions, conventions and the rituals as the basic or the established and the irrepealable principles of the divine religion and on this basis, they used to criticise Islam and Christianity.

Here and elsewhere, the Holy Qur’an asserts that the Jewish laws and the Christian amendments to it, had only circumstantial value. Otherwise, the fundamental principle of the religion prescribed by God is that which was enunciated by Abraham long before the revelation of the Pentateuch and the Evangel, and that was ‘Islam’ i.e., Submission to God will and the effort to get into communion with Him through the purification of the mind and the body in the most practicable and the most harmonious way, by a natural course. The hard and harsh laws of Judaism and the extreme leniency of Christianity, both are far from being of any universal value in respect of time and place. The question of camel’s flesh and milk was an instance, after refuting which Qur’an turns to refute the basis of the criticism with the succeeding verses. (A.P.)

Verse 94

Changing the meaning of the word of God or the word of His apostles, is fabricating a lie against God and those who do this are the unjust ones or the tyrants. This refers to the Jews who misinterpreted the meaning of the Law or the teachings of Moses. The implication of this decree against the act, extends to everyone who commits it, be that in the later age, even among the Muslims.

Verse 95

Abraham’s faith in God, has been declared as an ideal and Abraham a model for all true believers in God. The Islamic belief rests upon the Absolute indivisible Unity without any distinction between the entity and the attributes, which was also the faith of Abraham21.

Verse 96

‘Bakka’ i.e., ‘Mecca’-derived from ‘Taba’k’ i.e., crowding of men. The other version is that the name of the place has been derived from the meaning ‘Breaking of the neck’, for, whenever it was invaded by any tyrant, his neck had been broken i.e., he was defeated and crushed. Another version is that ‘Bakka’ means the Holy House of the ‘Ka’ba’. It is reported that it relates to the House of Worship of the True God, on earth that was providentially raised even before Abraham, and Abraham and Ishmael only renewed and cleaned it. The antiquity of the Ka’ba has been admitted by Sir William Muir with reference to the universal reverence and regard paid to the place from the earliest time beyond any human memory. Hence the tradition must naturally have its beginning from a very remote antiquity22. (V.M.)

‘Mubarakan’-the place from which humanity can always have the blessings of God and the correct guidance it needs.

Regarding the existence of the sanctuary of the Ka’ba in Mecca from the time immemorial, long, long before Abraham, besides the Holy Qur’an and the ancient Arabian traditions, there are the traditions from the Ahl Al-Bayt which assert that the place is the First part of the earth which emerged out of the water which covered the face of the globe, or the First part of the earth which began to be cooled down after its separation from the Sun23. in support of which there are the geological evidences. However, as it has been accepted even by the Christian critics that there is no doubt that the Holy place was dedicated for the worship of the Lord of the lords, as the most sacred Sanctuary, known not only to the people of Semitic race but even to the ancient inhabitants of India, which is referred to, in the ancient scriptural records in even pre-Sanskrit literature.

This explains the prayer of Abraham24 which clearly says that there existed a Sacred House dedicated to God and already recognised and held in reverence and that Abraham was commanded to settle his wife and son and to raise its foundation to renew its accommodation and purify it for the worshippers25.

In the same way as the Holy Place is the First one which was adopted for mankind to worship God, the Only and the Universal Almighty Creator Lord of the Universe, and the family of Ishmael which was divinely settled down there for the purpose (i.e., worship) was the First Human Family who dedicated themselves wholly to the worship and the service of the Lord. Hence, they were the First Ones to be called ‘Ahl Al-Bayt’ i.e., the People of the House. Isaac and his mother are the second to be called the People of the House which is referred to in 11:73 and the Third comes the House of Moses and his mother26.

It shows that the usage of the term ‘Ahl Al-Bayt’ was familiar in the seed of Abraham and actually the reference to the ‘Al-Bait’ (the House) was a reference to the House of God, and these families were called the ‘Ahl Al-Bayt’ because they had dedicated themselves and devoted their lives without any break or deviation to the service of God and His House. They were the Founders and the Protectors of the House of God, and it is to their House, the reference is made in 24:36 and 24:37, as the places dedicated to the remembrance of God.

When the Place which they established for the remembrance of God, is so revered by Islam, to the extent that the Holy Qur’an describes it as the ‘Blessed’, a ‘Guide’ carrying with it the clear evidence to the Truth, and the Entry into it being the cause of Security and Peace, and the Pilgrimage to it for those who can afford, declared as compulsory, what should be the position of those who established the Place and devoted their lives to its services and had surrendered their all for it, and had attracted mankind towards it, by the forces of their personal virtues and righteousness.

In fact, the House and the people of the House are inseparable for wherever they are settled, it is the House of God, and wherever is the House of God, there they are. The approach to the one without the approach to the other, is impossible and in the same way that the approach to the Holy Qur’an without the Ahl Al-Bayt and the approach to the Ahl Al-Bayt without the Holy Qur’an, is impossible. The House is a guidance when the people of the House are in view and the Entry into the House is security provided the entry is through the Ahl Al-Bayt who are termed as the ‘Safina an-Nuh’, i.e., the Ark of Noah. (A.P.)

Verse 97

‘The Open or the Clear signs’ Every enemy of the Truth who attempted to invade the place or to take possession of it, was made to suffer a crushing defeat. The sincere devotees of God pray around it.

‘Standing place of Abraham.’ The stone upon which Abraham, the Model Believer in the Only True God whose standpoint in faith in the unity of God, has been idealized27. Some commentators have given the following three points of significance:

The standing place of Abraham being made the Religious Centre for Muslims. Abraham’s faith in God being declared as the ideal for every believer in God.

The Holy place (the Ka’ba at Mecca) being always secure from the hands of the disbelievers in the True God.

The pilgrimage to the Place, to draw the special and the spiritual blessings of Guidance from the Holy House, shall continue for ever.

It is wonderful that the prophecy was made when the Muslims faced the danger to their very existence on the earth and that of their faith.

It is doubtlessly one of the wonderful events that Islam has affected that the institution of Haj (i.e., the Pilgrimage) is continued incessantly every year, without any convenor, any compulsion and without any invitation. It is a doctrine of the practice of the faith that is being translated into action, regularly every year without fail. The wonderful unity of mankind effected in the pilgrimage, is that the members of the human race with all their differences of nationalities, colour, community, sect, the variations of their different schools of thought, their personal worldly status: The King and the beggar, the high and the low, the white and the coloured, all automatically are made to voluntarily dress in the simplest possible uniform covering their body, standing in rows along with the others shoulder to shoulder turning towards the one and the same point, i.e., the Holy House, praying to One God in one language. This is the ever-living miracle of the Holy Prophet of Islam, and this is one of the clearest signs of the success of Islam, the Truth.

It is a declared Sanctuary for everything which enters it.

The concluding words of the Verse indicate the force or the strength of the commandment to perform the pilgrimage (Haj). The declaration that God is absolutely independent of the worlds, means that the pilgrimage prescribed or made incumbent, is not for any benefit or profit to God, but for the people themselves. Pilgrimage is explained as the flight of the pilgrim to take refuge in God’s mercy against sins and sinning. It is said the pilgrimage benefits both the needs of the pilgrim as well as his sins. The Holy Prophet declared that he who in spite of the means to the pilgrimage, i.e., on whomsoever Haj had become incumbent, did not perform it, would be resurrected blind, as an infidel or a Jew or a Nazarene. The Holy Prophet has also declared: ‘Pray ye daily the Five times, Fast ye the month, Pay ye the Poor-rate (charity) and Perform ye the Pilgrimage (Haj), Enter ye the Paradise.’ It was also declared by the Holy Prophet that ‘Haj’ wipes out the sins as the fire removes the rust from the iron.

The ability here means the ability with ease, in all aspects of wealth, health and security and with the absence of any one of these conditions, the ordinance is not enforced28.

The importance of the pilgrimage is shown in the clause ‘Man Kafar’ i.e., he who denied, terming the deliberate negligence in performing Haj as ‘Kufr’ i.e., infidelity, which is supported by the saying of the Holy Prophet referred to above. Haj and its prescribed rites are the outstanding tests of the absolute submission and obedience to God’s will, in which act the human desires have no room and the ‘Ego’ in man is crushed. (A.P.)

Verse 98

It is an exhorting note of warning and guidance to those already given the holy scriptures through the previous apostles from God-particularly the Jews and the Christians who in spite of their knowledge of the truthfulness of the mission of the Holy Prophet and Islam, which had been foretold in their holy Books, defy, and disbelieve in it.

Wherever Qur’an addresses the people of the Book and reproaches them for their mischievous deviation from the Right Path commonly prescribed by all the scriptures, it should not be taken as confined only to the Jews and the Christians who opposed Islam and the Holy Prophet at that time, which would mean that the utility of the passage in question is over, whereas the passage of this nature, is ever current as it has been pointed out by the Sixth Holy Imam Ja’far Ibn Muhammad As-Sadiq that by the address to the people of the Book, should mean all those who base their faith on the revealed Word of God as opposed to those who yet deny revelations and base their faith on reasoning and personal intuition.

Therefore, it includes Judaism, Christianity, Sabaism, Zoroastrianism and in a step further it may include the other religions other than the above four whose adherents claim their faith as divinely revealed. However, it is stated by the Holy Imams (i.e., the Ahl Al-Bayt), that the pagans of the Arab and of the Trans-Caspian Sea, ought to be excluded from the term ‘the people of the Book’, as they did not base their doctrines and the rituals on any revealed Word of God. It was their conventional fabric. In any way the Muslims are not excluded from the reproaches in this Verse and the other verses of similar nature. There are instances of mischievous deviations from the Right Path of Islam, i.e., the denial of the divine signs and the creation of the obstacles in the path of God and attempts to twist the Word of God and that of the Holy Prophet, to suit their selfish ends, which gave rise to sectarianism in the early stages of Islam. Referring only to these kinds of instances, the Holy Prophet had warned his companions saying ‘Revert ye not after me to infidelity fighting one against the other.’ (A.P.)

Verse 100

In continuation of the warning in the preceding Verse the believers are warned not to obey or to follow the partisans among the people of the Book as the dissension was the result of the deviation from the Right Path caused by the rebellious inclinations29 (A.P.)

Verse 101

Refers to the Jews and Christians creating obstacles in the way of the free march of Islam, by means of misleading arguments to beguile the Muslims from the right way, they had adopted.

• 1. With love willingly. Refer to Verse 2:254.
• 2. Note: no particular Commodity is mentioned But that which is loved the most.
• 3. Refer to Verse 6:146.
• 4. Israel, the other name of Isaac the Second Son of Abraham.
• 5. Pentateuch -the Scripture given to Moses Ar. ‘Taurat.
• 6. forge- concoct. Refer to Verse 61:7.
• 7. Ar. ‘Millat’.
• 8. Ar. ‘Hanif.
• 9. Ar. ‘Mushrikeen’. Those who associate others with God in authority. Refer to Verses 2:130, 2:135.
• 10. Refer to Verses 2:125, 2:127 22:29, 22:33.
• 11. The Kaba, Ar. ‘Awwala Baitin’. For Ahl Al-Bayt, see 33:33.
• 12. This Security was denied to the third Holy Husayn, son of ‘Ali and Fatimah - the Grandson of the Holy Prophet.
• 13. God’s decree.
• 14. He should know.
• 15. Ar. ‘Ghani’- Totally Needless- Free from needs. Refer to Verse 2:125.
• 16. Those given heavenly Scriptures through the apostles from God.
• 17. Know it – Aware of.
• 18. Ar. ‘Aayaat’.
• 19. Straight Ar. ‘Mustaqeem’.
• 20. See Verse 6:146.
• 21. Refer to Verses 2:130, 2:135.
• 22. Refer to Verse 2:125.
• 23. Refer to Verses 21:30, 21:31.
• 24. Refer to Verse 14:37.
• 25. Refer to Verses 2:125, 2:129.
• 26. Refer to Verse 28:12.
• 27. Refer to Verse 2:125.
• 28. See ‘Fiqh’.
• 29. Refer to Verse 3:19.