In the name of Allah, the merciful, the beneficent
Only right concept of faith can impart consistency and happiness in life. Faith is the basis of all human activities and relationship.
The Christ, son of Mary was but a messenger. Other messengers have passed away before him. His mother was a saintly woman. They both ate (earthly) food. Behold how clear we make (our) relations to them and then behold how perverted they are. Say: Would you worship in place of Allah anything that has no power to harm or benefit you? It is Allah who hears all and knows all.
Say: people of the scriptures! Do not step bounds of truth in your religious beliefs; and do not follow the vain desires of those who have gone astray before time, and have led many other astray and are still straying from the right path.
(The repast: “Al Maidah” 5; 75-77)
The verses which make it absolutely clear that the claims that Jesus Christ was God himself or that Allah was one constituent element in a trinity are enough to put the claimants in the same category as people who have rejected the faith. These verses are followed by the ones we are discussing here, starting with a verse which states the facts about Jesus Christ and his saintly mother. The verse describes them as people who used to eat ordinary food. This was a simple fact in the life of Jesus Christ (peace be on him) and his saintly mother. Eating food is a characteristic of living creatures which prove the humanity of Christ and his mother. Food is normally eaten to satisfy an undeniable physical need. Whoever needs to eat food in order to live cannot be a deity. Allah’s life needs no food to support it because he lives and remains alive by himself. He does not need to have any created thing like food to enter or leave his body. Limitless he is indeed in his glory.
This logic was both clear and powerful that no one can deny the facts. Therefore, it is followed by a condemnation of their attitude as they refuse to accept this logic: “behold how clear we make our revelations to them and then behold how perverted they are.”
This ordinary human life which Christ lived has troubled those who wanted to make him a deity in spite of his teachings to The contrary. They went to a great deal of controversy and argument about the nature of the Christ and whether he was divine or human.
Speaking from a different angle, but using the same clear logic, the surah wonders at their objectionable attitude; “say; would you worship in place of Allah anything that has no power to harm or benefit you? It is Allah who hears all and knows all.” It should be noted that the Quranic verse deliberately uses the word “Anything” rather than “anyone in order to group together all creatures that have been worshipped, including those who have reason. The Quran here refers to the fact that they are creatures and, as such, they are far removed in nature from divinity, thus, Jesus, the holy spirit and Mary are included under “anything” because, by nature, they are some of Allah’s creation. The expression has its own powerful connotations implying that it is totally illogical that a creature may deserve to be worshipped when that creature cannot harm or benefit anyone.
“It is Allah who hears all and knows all.” As such, it is Allah who can cause harm and bring benefit, it is he who hears the supplication of his servants and accepts their worship and knows what they entertain in their minds and what intentions they have behind their supplication and worship, other beings cannot answer prayers or supplication since they cannot hear or know everything.
This part is concluded by a general appeal the Prophet (Pbuh) is required to make to the people of the scriptures; “say: people of the scriptures! Do not overstep the bounds of truth in your religious beliefs: and do not follow the vain desires of those who have gone astray aforetime and have led many others astray and are still straying from the right path.” All these deviant beliefs have originated with trying to give Jesus (peace be on him) a supreme position of honor, which caused them to “overstep the bounds of truth.” It is the vain desires of the Roman rulers who brought their idolatrous beliefs into Christianity and the vain desires of the clerical synods which have given rise to all those allegations which have distorted the Christian faith. It should be remembered that Jesus Christ conveyed his message in all honesty as a messenger of Allah. He said; “Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Whoever associates partners with Allah, Allah shall forbid him entrance to paradise, and the fire will be his abode, wrongdoers will have no helpers.” This last address is a final attempt to save the people of the scriptures and to help them rid themselves of deviation, conflict, vain desires which have caused earlier Christians to go astray and to lead many people astray.
Before concluding our commentary on this section, we should refer briefly to three main facts. The first relates to the painstaking effort which Islam makes in order to establish the correct concept of faith on the clear basis of the absolute oneness of Allah, and to eradicate all traces of polytheistic beliefs that have distorted earlier religions. The true nature of the Godhead is stated clearly and all divine attributes are associated with Allah alone. No human being or other creature has any share of these attributes. This great effort indicates that the establishment of the correct concept of faith is of vital importance in imparting consistency and happiness to human life. It also indicates that Islam considers faith the basis for all human activities and human relations.
The second fact is that the Quran declares unequivocally that those who claim that Allah is the Christ, son of Mary, or those who claim that Allah is the third of a trinity are disbelievers. Now that Allah has given his verdict, it is not open to any Muslim to consider such people as following a divine faith. While Islam does not compel anyone to abandon his beliefs in order to embrace Islam, it does not approve of considering non-Islamic beliefs as a religion which is acceptable to Allah. It declares here that such beliefs will never be acceptable to Allah, since they are, in their total, a rejection of the faith.
The third fact is a logical consequence of the preceding ones. It tells us that there can be no relationship of alliance or patronage with anyone of the people of the scriptures who entertain such beliefs by a Muslim who believes in the oneness of Allah as stated clearly by Islam.
A Muslim believes that Islam, the religion of submission to Allah, in its final form preached by Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him), is the only religion which Allah accepts from mankind.
As such, speaking about mutual support between the followers of religions against atheism appears to be nonsensical. When beliefs differ so radically, there can be no meeting ground between them. From the Islamic point of view, everything in life is based essentially on faith.
