They are indeed disbelievers who say: Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary”. Say: who can prevail with Allah in any way if it be His will to destroy the Messiah, son of Mary, and his mother and everyone on earth? To Allah belongs the kingdom of the Heavens and the Earth and all that is between them. He creates what He wills and Allah is able to do all things.
The Jews and the Christians say: “we are the children of Allah and His loved ones.” Say: why then does He punish you for your sins? You are indeed human beings of His creation. He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them and to Him all shall return.
People of the Scriptures, Our Messenger has come to make things plain to you after an interval during which there were no messengers, lest you should say: “No one has come to give us happy news or to warn us.” Now there has come to you a bearer of happy news and a warner. Allah is able to do all things. (The Repast, “Al Ma’idah”:5:18-19)
Deviant concepts crept into the faith of Christians which concentrated on the claim that Jesus Christ had a divine nature. These led to bloody conflict, enmity and hatred between various Christian sects which still continue even today.
The last divine message states the final word of truth in this matter. The last messenger, Muhammad (Pbuh), explains to the people of earlier scriptures the true nature of correct divine faith: “They are indeed disbelievers who say: Allah is one of Trinity”. (as will be mentioned later in the surah)
An attempt is being made to persuade them to listen to the voice of reason, upright nature and fact: “Say: who can prevail with Allah in any way if it be His will to destroy the Messiah, son of Mary, and his mother and everyone on earth?” This represents an absolute difference between Allah, His nature, will and dominion on the one hand and the nature of Jesus (peace be on him), his mother and all beings on the other.
The difference is clear and total. Allah is single, nothing is like Him, His will is absolute; His authority is total; no one can do anything to reverse His will should He desire to destroy the Messiah, son of Mary, his mother and everyone on earth. He, the most glorious owns and creates everything, while everything is created; To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them. He creates what He wills and Allah is able to do all things.
The Islamic faith thus appears to all in its true light: simple, clear, and straigh-tforward. Its clarity is even more enhanced in comparison to all erroneous concepts, legends and pagan beliefs which have crept into the faith of a section of those who were given earlier scriptures. The first distinctive feature of Islamic faith becomes prominent as it states without any trace of ambiguity the true nature of godhead, servitude and submission to Allah and separates the two positions most decisively.
The surah then mentions another claim pressed by the Jews and Christians: “The Jews and the Christians say: we are the children of Allah and His loved ones”. They allege that some sort of parenthood belongs to Allah. If this fatherhood is not a physical one, then it is spiritual. Whatever it is, it throws an element of doubt on the concept of the oneness of Allah and detracts from the decisive separation between the position of Allah and that of his servants. The fact is that this separation is necessary for the clarity of faith and the proper order of human life. It is essential so that all worship is addressed to Allah by all his creation. They thus have a single legislative authority which sets for them their values, standards, laws and sys-tems, with no confusion of authority which may result from a confusion of qualities and positions. It is not merely a question of deviant beliefs, but the question of their consequences which are bound to corrupt life as a whole.
As a logical consequence of their claim that they are the children of Allah and His loved ones, the Jews and Christians claimed that He would not punish them for their sins, and would not be in hell for more than a few days, if at all. This means in plain terms that Allah’s justice is not administered properly or equally, and that He favors a section of his servants by allowing them to spread corruption on the earth without punishing them as He punishes others who would do the same. Can we imagine the sort of corrupt life that may result from such a concept?
At this point, Islam rejects most decisively such deviant beliefs and their practical consequences which corrupt life. It stresses the fact that Allah’s justice is absolute. “Say: Why then does he punish you for you sins? You are indeed human beings of His creation. He forgives whom he wills and punishes whom He wills. Their claims of being Allah’s children are thus stated to be false. They are no more than other human beings. Forgiveness or punishment is determined by the same rule, based on Allah’s will which has established certain reasons for forgiveness and different ones for punishment. Neither is determined by any special relationship by Allah.
We then have a reiteration of the fact that everything belongs to Allah and returns to Him; to Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, and to Him all shall return”.
It goes without saying the one who possesses is different from what is possessed. Limitless as He is in His glory, His will is absolute and to Him all return.
A renewed address is made to the people of the scriptures in order to allow them no excuse whatsoever. They are made to visualize most clearly their eventual destiny: “People of the scriptures, Our messenger has come to make things plain to you after an interval during which there were no messengers, lest you should say: “No one has come to give us happy news or to warn us.” Now there has come to you a bearer of happy news and a warner. Allah is able to do all things”.
With such a decisive clarity, all issues are made plain. No longer can the people of earlier scriptures claim that the unlettered messenger has not been sent to them. Allah tells them: “People of the scriptures, Our messenger has come to make things plain to you”. “No longer can they profess that they have not been warned or given happy news for a long period which might have allowed forgetfulness or deviation to creep in . Now someone to warn them and to give them happy news has come to them.
They are reminded that nothing can resist Allah’s power, nothing can defy Him. He can send a messenger from among the unlettered nation and He can punish the people of the scriptures for what they may earn: Allah is able to do all things”.
Thus, this round of confrontation with people of earlier revelations comes to an end. It has exposed their deviant beliefs which they introduced in the true faith preached by their messengers. It states most clearly the only faith which Allah accepts from believers and pronounces as false all their excuses which they reiterate in justification of their negative attitude to the Prophet. It calls on them to follow the divine guidance on the one hand weaken, as the effects of their scheming against the Muslim community on the other. Moreover, the way the Muslim community and all those who seek guidance must follow, is clearly marked out.