This article is a tafsir of the opening [6] verses of Surah al-Imran. A large section of this chapter addresses the Christians regarding Jesus, Esa [Allah bless him]. It refutes the idealogy that Esa [Allah bless him] was the son of God. Allah is one, has no partners and creates however he wishes.
Surah Al Imran – [Family of Imran]
It has been mentioned by the scholars of tafsir that this surah is Madani [revealed after Hijrah], and its beginning portion was revealed in relation to the delegation of Najran. This delegation came to The Prophet ﷺ with 60 riders, amongst whom was the leader and his followers. They argued with regards to Eesa [Allah bless him], saying, ‘If he is not the son of Allah, then who is his father?’ Thus, the first eighty or so verses of Surah Al Imran were revealed regarding them.
Verses 1-4
الٓمٓ[1] ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ[2] نَزَّلَ عَلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ بِٱلْحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَأَنزَلَ ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةَ وَٱلْإِنجِيلَ[3] مِن قَبْلُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَأَنزَلَ ٱلْفُرْقَانَ ۗ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ ذُو ٱنتِقَامٍ[4]
Translation: Alif. Lām. Mīm. Allah: There is no god but He, the Alive, the All-Sustaining. He has revealed to you the Book with the truth, confirming what has been before it, and has sent down the Torah and the Injīl. earlier to give guidance to mankind, and has sent down the Furqān (the Criterion of right and wrong). Surely, those who have rejected the verses of Allah, for them there is severe punishment. Allah is Mighty, the Lord of Retribution. [Al-Imran: 1-4]
Commentary:
The Statement of Allah ‘He revealed to you the book with the truth’: ‘The book’ refers to the Quran and ‘the truth’ refers to justice/fairness.
The statement of Allah ‘Confirming that which was before’: which is the [previous] divine books. It is said that when referring to the Quran the word نَزَلَ is used [with Tashdeed], whereas with regards to the Tawrat and Injeel the word أنْزَلَ is used. This is because the latter were revealed all at once whereas the Quran was revealed in portions. [Over a period of 23 years]
The word ‘Tawrat’ comes from the root word ‘ورى’, meaning ‘to kindle a fire’, thus implying that the Tawrat is brightness.
The word Injeel comes from the word ‘نَجْلٌ’ (beget; extract; make apparent) i.e Allah has manifested the truth through the Injeel and obliterated all falsehood.
Shaykh Abu Mansur Lughawi has stated that ‘Injeel’ is a non-Arab word that has been Arabised. Some scholars have further stated that if ‘Injeel’ was an Arabic word, then it would have been derived from the word النَّجْلِ, meaning the appearance and spreading of water on the surface of the Earth. As stated earlier, this word can also mean ‘to extract’ or ‘to make apparent’, thus implying that it is through the Injeel that knowledge and rulings have been extracted.
A further opinion is that the meaning of the word النَّجْلِ is ‘origin’, suggesting that the Injeel is the origin of knowledge and rulings.
As for the word Furqan there are two viewpoints regarding it:
- The view of Qatadah and the majority of scholars: That it is the Quran. Abu Ubaidah says that the Quran is named Furqan because it distinguishes [فَرَقَ] truth from falsehood and believers from disbelievers.
- The view of Abu Sulaiman Dimishqi: It separates truth from falsehood with regards to the dispute surrounding Esa [Allah bless him].
Sudai [Allah bless him] has mentioned that this verse shows the order of revelation i.e First the Tawrat was revealed, then the Injeel, then the Quran which contains guidance for the people. [Whenever the Tawrat and Injeel are referred to in the Quran, it refers to the original divinely books that were revealed and not the present day old and new testament]
The statement of Allah: ‘Indeed those that disbelieve in the verse of Allah’. Ibn Abbas [Allah bless him] says: ‘The Christian delegation of Najran are being referred to here, as they rejected the Quran and Muhammad ﷺ. ‘
The word ‘Intiqam’ is to show severe punishment.
Verse 5 – 6
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَخْفَىٰ عَلَيْهِ شَىْءٌۭ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ [ ٥] هُوَ ٱلَّذِى يُصَوِّرُكُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْحَامِ كَيْفَ يَشَآءُ ۚ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ [٦]
Translation: Surely nothing on earth or in the heavens is hidden from Allah. He is the One Who shapes you in the wombs of your mothers as He wills. There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him—the Almighty, All-Wise. [Al-Imran: 5-6]
Commentary:
The statement of Allah: ‘Indeed Allah nothing is hidden from him in the earth and in the heavens’
Abu Sulaiman Dimishqi says: This is exposing the Christians of Najran in that they [came to Nabi ﷺ] with plots to trick/mislead him ﷺ [however they failed]. This verse also contains mention of the formation of a child in the mother’s womb, as a warning regarding the matter of Esa [Allah bless him]. [In verse 59 Allah mentions the matter of Esa alaihissalam]
– Extracted from Zad al-Masir [Tafsir Ibn Jawzi]
