3
SURE
Ali İmran Suresi
⌄
⌄
3
4
6
7
He is the One Who sent down this Book to you. There are two kinds of versus in this book: those [the majority of the versus] which are straight forward (and precise in meaning:) they are the essence of the Book. The remainder [few verses] are ambiguous. Those who have doubts in their hearts always go after the laters and try to interpret them arbitrarily and create mischief. In fact nobody except God knows their real meaning!17.Those who have faith, on the other hand, say: "We accept these versus [though we do not know their meaning yet] to be all words of God."
8
9
10
11
12
13
You recently witnessed how your troop [in the first battle of Islam] defeated the disbelievers in spite of the fact that as you saw with your own eyes they were twice as big as your troop! Indeed God strengthens with his aid whom he pleases. Here there is an important lesson for those who are open-minded thinkers.
14
15
16
17
18
19
The only acceptable religion in the sight of God is Islam (as presented to Abraham and all other prophets including Moses, Jesus and Mohammad. ) The followers of the former religions sinfully deviated [from this God pleasing way of life] after God revealed the Book to their prophets. Thus, those who disbelieve in the Lord’s revelations would find it that God is fast in punishing such a sin.
20
Therefore, if they (the followers of other man made religions) dispute with you, say to them: "My followers and I have submitted ourselves only to God {and call ourselves the Submitters (Muslim in Arabic)}" Then say to the Jews, Christian and those who are ignorant: “Are you also willing to submit yourself to the will of God?” If they say “yes”, they are guided. If they refuse, do not worry [or take it personally] as your only mission is to relay the words of the Lord; leave them to God as He watches over His servants.
21
23
24
25
26
Say: "O Lord! Power is yours. You give power to whoever you decide and take power away from whoever you choose. You take whoever you desire to the highest rank and bring down whoever you choose to the lower rank [for a good reason.] All good is at your disposition and you are capable of doing whatever you will."
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
When she gave birth to the child she [in a disappointed tone] said: "I delivered a girl. " Of course God knew that she gave birth to a girl. The lady continued: “The male is not [socially/ physically handicapped] like a female [and a male would have served the purpose for which I had dedicated my child better.] I am going to name Her Mary and trust you to protect her and her offspring from the rejected devil.”
37
The Lord then accepted the nice gesture of the woman and let Mary to grow up and become a pure and beautiful woman under the custody of Zachariah. Anytime that Zachariah would enter her room, he would find food there. When he would ask who has offered you this food, Mary would answer: "It is from God. The One Who generously provides for whoever He wills."
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
And Jesus said: "I have been appointed as a Prophet to the Jewish nation. I am blessed by my Lord with the following miracles: I will make a bird out of clay; then I will blow into it and make it a real bird by the will of God (see John 8-28.) I will restore the vision to the blind, heal the leprous and bring dead back to life by the will of the Lord (se John 12-49.) I will tell you what you eat and what you have stored at the privacy of your home. All these miracles in order to convince those who believe in God (see John 3-2.)"
50
51
52
53
54
They (the corrupt Jews who were killing the Lord’s Prophets one after another for daring to guide them to the right path) devised a plan (seeking for his death sentence through the Romans) and God devised a plan of His Own (condemning the Jews to the misery till the Day of Resurrection. ) None can atop the Lord’s plan.
55
God then said: "O Jesus, I am recalling you from your mission (as these people do not deserve my favor) and summon you to myself and disinfect you from the attack of the disbelievers. I will give superiority to those who followed you (Christians) over those who rejected you (the Jews) until the Day of Resurrection. Then You will all return to me so that I judge about what you were disputing over."
56
57
59
61
63
64
Say: "O the followers of the Scripture, let us establish a common ground: That we worship none but God; that we do not associate no partner with God, that we do not idolize any human being (whether such person is a Prophet, sport champion, actor, politician, etc. )" Now if they refuse this proposal, say: “Bear witness that we are Muslim (submitters to God.)
65
O you the followers of the Scripture, Why do you argue about [the religion of ] Abraham [as to whether he was a Jew or a Christian?] Do you not realize that the Torah (being used to give birth to Judaism) and the Gospel (being used to create Christianity) were revealed long after him? (if Abraham was on the right path, then there is no need to follow "man-made" Judaism or Christianity to attain salvation. ) Why do you forget about logic [in your discussions]?
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
[Their contention is:] "follow only the one who is of your own religion. " [In response to such statement] say to them: “The true guidance comes from God (and not necessarily from someone of your own religion) Now if they start disputing with you about the subject Say: “ Blessing someone with His revelation is at the discretion of God, the Generous, the knowledgeable [He may, therefore, bless whoever He wills with His revelations whether the person is a Jew or not.)”
75
[Not all the followers of the Scripture are alike. ] Some of them can be trusted with a hoard of Gold. Some of them, on the contrary, cannot be trusted even with a coin as you have to beg them continuously so that they pay that back. They are the ones who say: "God will not hold us (the chosen people, loved by God) responsible for our dealing with the gentiles!" They falsify the word of God and they know it well (See Deuteronomy Ch. vs. as an example of such falsification.)
77
78
79
No man, to whom God gives the Book, wisdom and Prophet hood, would say to the people: "Worship me instead of God (as Christians attribute it to Christ. )" Such person (Jesus) will surely say: “Worship none but the Lord (Matthew 4-10.) Be sincere Rabbis in teaching the Scripture as you have learnt (and do not falsify it.)”
80
81
[Know that] God gathered all prophets and said: "I will give you the wisdom and the Scripture; then I will send a Prophet of Mine (as explained in Luke 22-Matthew 24-Malachi 1-who will confirm [the Divine source of] your Scriptures [and finish your teachings. ] Do you agree to believe in him, help him [by laying the grounds for him] and carry the heavy responsibility of this covenant of yours with Me ?" They all said: “Yes.” God then said: “I take you all as witness to this event; I also bear witness with you.”
82
83
84
Say: "We (Muslims) believe in God and whatever He has revealed to us as well as whatever He has revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, the Patriarchs, Moses, Jesus and all other Prophets. We do not prefer none of them over the others [and respect them equally]; and we submit ourselves to God [in Arabic it will be expressed: We are Muslims.]"
85
86
88
89
90
91
92
93
All lawful food [in Islam] was also lawful for the children of Israel (Jacob) but Israel prohibited some of them for himself [and this tradition lasted] until the revelation of Torah [to Moses clarifying what is lawful and what is not lawful as far as God is concerned. ] Tell them to study their laws first [before arguing about why such and such food which is unlawful in Judaism has been made lawful in Islam.]
94
95
96
97
In Mecca there are clear signs [of the Lord’s will to keep this cite as the center of His worship. ] You will find there a spot where Abraham used to worship. God has made Mecca a sanctuary; whoever enters there, will find safety and security (even during the dark ages of ignorance no body dared to disturb the peace of Mecca and any attack was dismantled even before being started.) Know that it is your obligation to God to visit this place for His worship, if you have the economic mean to travel there. The one who disobeys this commandment should know that God is self sufficient and not in need of anybody’s obedience [and disobedience of God is the person’s loss.]
98
99
Say to those who believe in the Scripture: "Why do you stand in the way of the people who seek [the truth in] the revelations of God and want them to follow your crooked way while you know the truth (about the authenticity of Qur’an and the fabrication of the existing Scriptures)? Know that God is never unaware of what you are doing.
100
101
102
103
Hold fast to the rope [that God has sent you as a mean of rescue] and do not be divided [adhering yourselves to such an such sect, nationality, culture, etc. ] Be grateful to God who put the feeling of brotherhood in your heart while you were enemies and saved you while you were at the brink of Hellfire. See how clearly God make his revelations to you; may you [choose to] be guided.
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
You (Mohammad and his followers) are the best community ever appeared among the mankind as you invite people to do good, forbid them of evil deeds and believe in God. If the people of the Scripture would also believe in God, it would be good for them. Some of them believe but most of them are the sinners.
111
112
For the simple reason that they have turned their backs to the revelations of God, and have gone so far as to kill the Lord’s Prophets, they are cursed by God. Consequently, they will be disgraced and humiliated whenever they face you unless they uphold God’s covenant as well as respect their peace treaty with you. A little bit security that they may enjoy is not earned by them but has been the result of the help and kindness of others (American help in case of Israel, for instance.)
113
114
115
116
117
118
The believers should not take as intimate friend those who do not think like themselves. The tongue of these outsiders have already declared their hatred towards your style of life (refer to the interviews of their leaders openly published in the Western media); imagine how stronger of hate they keep in their heart towards your belief. God is thus clearly warning you; may you use your brain.
119
You extend your love towards them out of your belief in their (original/ lost) Scripture. They, on the contrary, seek a common ground with you at your presence and bite their fingers out of rage at your absence [as they cannot beat you in argument]! Say to them: "Die in your rage." [They can not hide their wicked attitude from the Lord as] God is aware of the most innermost thoughts of every one.
120
121
122
Two troops of yours (the one of Banu Salmah & Banu Harithah) were about to show cowardice (when Abdulllah bin Ubayy, the hypocrite, and his troop left the battlefield) not believing that God is present to help them. [This was a lesson so that] The believers should always put their trust in God [even though the odds seems against them.]
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
142
143
144
Mohammad is only a [human being chosen to be a] Prophet [of God]: many prophets have already passed before him. Should he die or be killed [in the battlefield, ] would you desert your ranks? Anyone who turns back does not hurt God in the least. God rewards only those who are thankful [that their Lord has guided them to the right path and show their gratefulness by action.]
145
146
147
148
149
151
152
God indeed fulfilled His promise to give you victory [in the battle of ohud), giving you the upper hand at the beginning. It was you who disobeyed [the order of Commander Mohammad] and started a dispute among yourselves [and left your positions in order to secure your share of the confiscated materials.] Among you, there are those who are in love with this materialistic world and those who care about their Hereafter. Thus you were tried [to find out for yourself who fights for the acquisition of wealth and who fights for the cause of God.] That is how you lost and had to retreat. The Lord, however, forgave you as He is the most gracious to the believers.
153
You were so afraid that your only concern was to flee, by climbing the mountain, without paying any attention to the Prophet who was calling you back. God then made you to worry about so many things [such as the possibility of your town being destroyed by the victorious army (outnumbering the population of the town), the loss of your fighting companions, the rumor of the death of the Prophet, etc.] so that you may learn a lesson and not to grieve for a loss in the future. Know that God is fully aware of what you are doing.
154
After the ordeal, God blessed some of you (who had shown courage) with such peace that made you drowsy. The others (who did not deserve peace) started to entertain the evil thoughts of the days of ignorance, asking why they do not have any saying in their destiny. Let them know that it is God who determines people’s destiny. In their privacy they think: "If it was up to us, none of us would have died." Let them know that [a person’s death is not due to the fact that he has been present in the battle ground and that] they would have met the death in their bed, if they had been destined to die. God thus puts you to the test to show you how strong your faith is. God is fully aware of the innermost thoughts of yours.
155
156
O you who have believed; do not adopt the disbelievers’ attitude. The latter say to their kinsmen (who prepare themselves to go on battle grounds): "If they (the previous wars’ martyrs) had stayed with us, they would not have been killed" God will make it a disappointment for them [that their “advice” is not being listened] Know that life and death is at the disposition of God and He sees everything that you do.
157
158
159
It is a blessing of God that you (Mohammad) are a gentleman. If you were a harsh commander, your followers would have abandoned you. So, forgive their shortcomings and consult with them in the State’s affair. When you all come to a decision, stick with it and put your trust in God. God loves those who put their trust in Him.
160
161
Even the Prophet of God may not abuse what he is being trusted with [and take more than his fair share of the confiscated materials in the war. ] Those who act unfaithfully have to answer their Lord on the Day of resurrection; the Day on which every soul will receive what it has earned and none will be dealt unjustly.
162
163
164
165
Now that you have suffered a set back you wonder why? Did you not make the enemy suffer twice as much (in the previous battle of Badr the Muslims killed disbelievers and got prisoners; in this battle of Ohud they suffered casualties)? Let them know that their failure is their own fault [who did not obey the order of Commander Mohammad; it is not the fault of God as] God is the Most Powerful.
166
167
When the hypocrites were told: "Come fight in the way of God or [at least] for your defense, " they replied: “We would have joined you, if we knew how to fight!” They were much closer to disbelief than belief on that day. Their lip service does not reveal their belief; indeed God knows what they hide inside.
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
God will not take you to a higher level until you go through your trials and the good is separated from the wicked. Also, God will not reveal the secrets of the world of unseen except to those of His Messenger that He decides to give such knowledge. If you believe in God and His Prophet, do good deeds and avoid the evil, yours will be a great reward.
180
It is not very smart of those who [passionately] hold on to what God has [generously] given them [and do not spend nothing out of it on charity. ] On the Day of Judgment, they have to carry the heavy burden of what they hoard around their neck. God is the One Who will eventually take back whatever is in the heavens and on earth and He is totally aware of what you are doing.
181
183
They (the Jews) also say: "God has asked us not to believe in any Prophet unless his sacrifice is being struck with a thunder from the heaven. " Tell them: “If it is so, then why did you kill the previous Prophets who performed such a miracle (refer to the case of Prophet Elijah in I Kings, 18-19)?”
184
185
Every soul will taste the death. It is only on the Day of Resurrection that you will get your reward (the real life in Paradise.) Only those who are saved from the Fire and admitted to the Gardens of Paradise, have attained the main objective of life. As to this worldly life, it is nothing but an illusion and deceptive vanities.
186
187
Recall that God took a covenant from the followers of the Scripture that they should not hide the truth and that they should spread it [Deuteronomy (4:2), (6:7-9). Unfortunately they broke their promise [up to the point that years after Moses they did not know that there was such book known as Torah (see II Kings, 22:8-13)] and traded their faith for a hand full of money. What a loss their deal was.
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
The response of their lord [to such prayers] was: " I never let go to waste any good deed of yours, male or female alike; you are all equal in My Sight as human beings. I will, therefore forgive the shortcomings of those who were expelled from their homes, left their homes for my sake or were persecuted [in account of their belief.] I will admit them to the Gardens where canals flow underneath." Such is the Lord’s reward and none can reward as generously as God.
198
199
Among the followers of the Scripture there are some who believe in God, the previous revelations and what is revealed to you. They have the utmost respect for the Lord and do not trade his revelations for a hand full of money. They will also have their reward as God’s judgment will come pretty soon.