Surah al-Baqarah (The Cow) 2 : 135

Overview (Verses 135 - 141)

The Argument Is Finally Settled
 
Against this historical background of God’s covenant with Abraham, the building of the Ka`bah and the entitlement to the religious heritage of Abraham, the sūrah takes a closer look at some Jewish and Christian arguments and claims. It exposes the weakness in those arguments and the insidious ulterior motives behind them. The passage is rounded off by presenting Islam as man’s comprehensive and universal religion, opposed and rejected only by those who are stubborn and ungrateful:
 
They say, ‘Follow the Jewish faith — or, follow the Christian faith — and you shall be rightly guided.’ Say, ‘No. We follow the faith of Abraham, who was truly devoted to God, and was not of those who associated partners with God.’ Say [all of you], ‘We believe in God and in what has been revealed to us, and in what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants, and in what was given to Moses and Jesus, and in what all prophets have been given by their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to God we have surrendered ourselves. ‘ If they come to believe in the way you believe, they will be rightly guided; but if they turn away, they will be in schism, but God will protect you from them; He hears all and knows all.’ (Verses 135-137)
 
The Prophet is instructed here to confront the Jews and the Christians together with the same challenge, and call upon them equally to revert, together with the Muslims, to the original religion of Abraham, the founding father of the faith of Islam on earth. He was the one to make a covenant with God and he was true to his covenant.
 
Then the Muslims are called upon to acknowledge and declare an overall unity of faith, from that of Abraham right up to that of Jesus and Muĥammad.
 
The principle of the unity and universality of faith, and the unity of all prophets and messengers all through the ages, is the cornerstone of Islamic faith. It lends legitimacy to the Muslim community’s claim to the legacy of Abraham and to the right of trusteeship for God’s religion in this world. It is this principle as a fundamental backbone of Islam that gives it its universal characteristic, which brings people together under the same banner, free of all prejudice or discrimination. It makes the Muslim community open to all people in a spirit of genuine love and peace.
 
This leads to the conclusion that Islam, in its broad, universal sense, is the true guidance. Its followers shall succeed and prosper while its opponents will never find a firm basis to stand upon. On the contrary, they will live in constant turmoil and confusion.
 
This testimony from none other than God Almighty will give Muslims reassurance and make them proud of their faith and confident that they will overcome setbacks and tribulations and prevail over their enemies. God is on their side and “will protect you from them; He hears all and knows all.” (Verse 137)
 
The duty of believers is to uphold the faith and take pride in it and wear the distinctive mark of the true servants of God which makes them stand out and surpass all others in the world: “[This message takes its] hue from God; who can give a better hue than God? Him alone do we worship.” (Verse 138) He has given a very distinctive colour to the message He has chosen to be the last to mankind. It serves as a basis on which to establish an all-embracing human unity, free of all prejudices and fanaticism, giving no special status to any race or colour.
 
We need to reflect a little here about a unique and highly significant aspect of the Qur’ānic mode of expression. The beginning of this verse is a statement made by God: “This message takes its hue from God; who can give a better hue than God?” (Verse 138) The rest of the verse is a statement by the believers. The Qur’ān joins both statements without anything to separate or distinguish one from the other. This is a great honour to the believers when their statement is joined to that of God, indicating their very close link with their Lord. Examples of such highly significant type of expression are numerous in the Qur’ān.
 
The argument is then brought to its climax by posing the ultimate question: “Say, ‘Would you dispute with us about God? He is our Lord and your Lord. To us our deeds shall be credited and to you, your deeds. To Him alone we are devoted.’“ (Verse 139)
 
There can be no room for doubt about God’s oneness and sovereignty over all creation. He is the Lord of all of us, and He shall judge everyone by their own deeds. As Muslims, we devote our life and existence totally to God alone. We seek no other beings with or beside Him; and to us, these are incontrovertible and indisputable facts on which the faith of Islam rests.
 
In terse and forceful language, the sūrah poses other rhetorical questions regarding the faith of earlier prophets, well known to the Jews and the Christians: “Do you claim that Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes were Jews or Christians?” (Verse 140) These lived long before Moses, and their faith preceded both Christianity and Judaism. God states the truth about their faith: “Say: ‘Do you know better than God?’“ (Verse 140) No answer could be offered to such a rhetorical question. Besides, both Jews and Christians knew very well that these Prophets lived long before their faiths. They further have, in their own Scriptures, clear statements speaking of the Prophet who would be sent with a message of the pure monotheistic faith of Abraham, but they suppressed that. Hence, the warning that God is fully aware of what they suppress: “Who is more wicked than one who suppresses a testimony he has received from God? God is not unmindful of what you do.” (Verse 140)
 
As the sūrah makes its final, irrefutable argument, showing the great gulf separating Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and his sons from the Jews who were the Prophet’s contemporaries, it repeats the verse with which it concluded its discourse about Abraham and his descendants who submitted themselves to God: “That community has passed away. Theirs is what they earned and yours is what you have earned. You shall not be questioned about what they did.” (Verse 141) With this powerful statement, all arguments are brought to their decisive conclusion.