Overview (Verses 58 - 61)

A Challenge to Stop All Argument
 
This which We recite to you is a revelation and a wise reminder.” The case of Jesus in the sight of God is the same as the case of Adam. He created him of dust and then said to him: “Be” and he was. This is the truth from your Lord: be not, then, among the doubters. If anyone should dispute with you about this [truth] after all the knowledge you have received, say: “Come. Let us summon our sons and your sons, our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves; then let us pray humbly and solemnly and invoke God’s curse upon the ones who are telling a lie. (Verses 58-61)
 
At this point in the story of Jesus, which has been beset by controversy, the sūrah adds certain comments establishing the basic facts which are deduced from such a narration. The Prophet is instructed on how to answer the people of earlier revelations with a decisiveness which ends all controversy and makes the facts, as stated by Islam, absolutely clear to all. These conclusions begin in this sūrah with a statement about the truthfulness of the revelations received by Muĥammad: “This which We recite to you is a revelation and a wise reminder.” (Verse 58)
 
These stories and all the Qur’ānic instructions are revelations from God. God recites His revelations to His Messenger. This expresses the honour and compassion God bestows on His Messenger. What honour could be greater than that God Himself recites to His Prophet His own revelation and wise reminder? That it is a wise reminder needs no assertion because it states the great and basic facts which concern man and life in a method and a style that address human nature directly and gently, appealing to it in a friendly way, unknown in any other address.
 
This is followed by a final comment on Jesus’s true nature and on the phenomenon of creation in relation to God’s will, which creates everything as it has created Jesus: “The case of Jesus in the sight of God is the same as the case of Adam. He created him of dust and then said to him: ‘Be,’ and he was.” (Verse 59) The birth of Jesus is indeed amazing when compared to what is familiar to man. It is, however, far from amazing when it is compared with the creation of Adam, the father of the human race. The people of earlier revelations who debated and argued about Jesus’s nature, because of his miraculous birth, and wove around him all sorts of legends and fantasies because he had no father, believed that Adam was created of dust, and that it was the breathing of God’s spirit into him which made of him a human being. They did not, however, weave any similar legends around Adam as they did around Jesus. They did not claim that Adam had any Divine nature. Yet, the very element which made Adam a human being is the same one which caused Jesus to be born without a father: God’s spirit was breathed into both Adam and Jesus. There was also the Divine command, “Be”, to initiate whatever God wanted to initiate and cause to come into existence.
 
We can, then, appreciate the simplicity of the creation of Jesus, Adam and all creatures. We find ourselves accepting it with ease and clarity. We indeed wonder why the birth of Jesus should lead to all these disputes and arguments when it took place according to God’s law which applies to all creation.
 
We can also appreciate the method of the Qur’ān, the wise reminder, in addressing human nature with simple, realistic and natural logic which makes even the most complicated of matters appear to be so simple.
 
When we have had this clear statement of the facts, a direct address is made to the Prophet reassuring him of the truth which he has received and which is recited to him. That truth is impressed on the mind of the Prophet as also the minds of his Companions who were exposed to the doubts raised by the people of earlier revelations and their baseless arguments: “This is the truth from your Lord: be not, then, among the doubters.” (Verse 60)
 
The Prophet did not entertain even the slightest of doubts as to the truth of what was revealed to him from his Lord at any moment in his life. The fact that this reassurance is needed, however, gives us an idea of how effective the schemes of the enemies of the Muslim community had been at the time. It also indicates that the Muslim community will always be subject to such schemes, and will always need reassurance of the truth it holds in the face of all deceivers. For these renew their scheming and adopt new methods of deception in every generation.
 
Now that the whole affair is stated absolutely clearly and the truth has appeared to all, God instructs His noble Messenger to end all arguments and debates about this straightforward affair and invite those who continue to argue to join him in a mutual prayer to God to judge between them, in the form which is explained in the next verse: “If anyone should dispute with you about this [truth] after all the knowledge you have received, say: ‘Come. Let us summon our sons and your sons, our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves; then let us pray humbly and solemnly and invoke God’s curse upon the ones who are telling a lie.’”
 
The Prophet did actually call on those who disputed what he said on this matter to present themselves at a meeting to be attended by all people. All those who attended would pray humbly and solemnly to God to curse the party which lied. His opponents, however, feared the results of such a prayer and refused the offer. The truth was then clear for everyone to see. The reports which we have of that particular affair tell us that those deceivers had not accepted Islam because they were keen to maintain their position among their people. The clergy at the time enjoyed a great many privileges, much power, and a luxurious lifestyle. We have to remember that those who try to turn people away from this religion, do not need any proof to accept it. They simply follow their own interests and try to safeguard their own ambitions. Such an attitude is bound to make people turn away from the clear truth which is apparent to all.

Overview (Verses 58 - 61)

A Challenge to Stop All Argument
 
This which We recite to you is a revelation and a wise reminder.” The case of Jesus in the sight of God is the same as the case of Adam. He created him of dust and then said to him: “Be” and he was. This is the truth from your Lord: be not, then, among the doubters. If anyone should dispute with you about this [truth] after all the knowledge you have received, say: “Come. Let us summon our sons and your sons, our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves; then let us pray humbly and solemnly and invoke God’s curse upon the ones who are telling a lie. (Verses 58-61)
 
At this point in the story of Jesus, which has been beset by controversy, the sūrah adds certain comments establishing the basic facts which are deduced from such a narration. The Prophet is instructed on how to answer the people of earlier revelations with a decisiveness which ends all controversy and makes the facts, as stated by Islam, absolutely clear to all. These conclusions begin in this sūrah with a statement about the truthfulness of the revelations received by Muĥammad: “This which We recite to you is a revelation and a wise reminder.” (Verse 58)
 
These stories and all the Qur’ānic instructions are revelations from God. God recites His revelations to His Messenger. This expresses the honour and compassion God bestows on His Messenger. What honour could be greater than that God Himself recites to His Prophet His own revelation and wise reminder? That it is a wise reminder needs no assertion because it states the great and basic facts which concern man and life in a method and a style that address human nature directly and gently, appealing to it in a friendly way, unknown in any other address.
 
This is followed by a final comment on Jesus’s true nature and on the phenomenon of creation in relation to God’s will, which creates everything as it has created Jesus: “The case of Jesus in the sight of God is the same as the case of Adam. He created him of dust and then said to him: ‘Be,’ and he was.” (Verse 59) The birth of Jesus is indeed amazing when compared to what is familiar to man. It is, however, far from amazing when it is compared with the creation of Adam, the father of the human race. The people of earlier revelations who debated and argued about Jesus’s nature, because of his miraculous birth, and wove around him all sorts of legends and fantasies because he had no father, believed that Adam was created of dust, and that it was the breathing of God’s spirit into him which made of him a human being. They did not, however, weave any similar legends around Adam as they did around Jesus. They did not claim that Adam had any Divine nature. Yet, the very element which made Adam a human being is the same one which caused Jesus to be born without a father: God’s spirit was breathed into both Adam and Jesus. There was also the Divine command, “Be”, to initiate whatever God wanted to initiate and cause to come into existence.
 
We can, then, appreciate the simplicity of the creation of Jesus, Adam and all creatures. We find ourselves accepting it with ease and clarity. We indeed wonder why the birth of Jesus should lead to all these disputes and arguments when it took place according to God’s law which applies to all creation.
 
We can also appreciate the method of the Qur’ān, the wise reminder, in addressing human nature with simple, realistic and natural logic which makes even the most complicated of matters appear to be so simple.
 
When we have had this clear statement of the facts, a direct address is made to the Prophet reassuring him of the truth which he has received and which is recited to him. That truth is impressed on the mind of the Prophet as also the minds of his Companions who were exposed to the doubts raised by the people of earlier revelations and their baseless arguments: “This is the truth from your Lord: be not, then, among the doubters.” (Verse 60)
 
The Prophet did not entertain even the slightest of doubts as to the truth of what was revealed to him from his Lord at any moment in his life. The fact that this reassurance is needed, however, gives us an idea of how effective the schemes of the enemies of the Muslim community had been at the time. It also indicates that the Muslim community will always be subject to such schemes, and will always need reassurance of the truth it holds in the face of all deceivers. For these renew their scheming and adopt new methods of deception in every generation.
 
Now that the whole affair is stated absolutely clearly and the truth has appeared to all, God instructs His noble Messenger to end all arguments and debates about this straightforward affair and invite those who continue to argue to join him in a mutual prayer to God to judge between them, in the form which is explained in the next verse: “If anyone should dispute with you about this [truth] after all the knowledge you have received, say: ‘Come. Let us summon our sons and your sons, our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves; then let us pray humbly and solemnly and invoke God’s curse upon the ones who are telling a lie.’”
 
The Prophet did actually call on those who disputed what he said on this matter to present themselves at a meeting to be attended by all people. All those who attended would pray humbly and solemnly to God to curse the party which lied. His opponents, however, feared the results of such a prayer and refused the offer. The truth was then clear for everyone to see. The reports which we have of that particular affair tell us that those deceivers had not accepted Islam because they were keen to maintain their position among their people. The clergy at the time enjoyed a great many privileges, much power, and a luxurious lifestyle. We have to remember that those who try to turn people away from this religion, do not need any proof to accept it. They simply follow their own interests and try to safeguard their own ambitions. Such an attitude is bound to make people turn away from the clear truth which is apparent to all.