The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page 209
PT. 1 AL-BAQARAH CH. 2 no knowledge, like what they كَذلِكَ قَالَ الَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ مِثْلَ Even thus said those who had قَوْلِهِمْ ۚ فَاللَّهُ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيِّمَةِ say. But Allah shall judge فِيْمَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that wherein they disagree. 120 so sure of the existence of God that he may be said to be actually seeing Him. No fear of the future darkens his faith. The dead past is buried and the living present has no sorrow for him. Every spiritual bliss is present. Such a state is termed or union with God" (Ã'inah). 120. Important Words: 4 (the Jews) signifies the followers of Moses or of what is known as Judaism. The word as already explained is either derived from which means, he turned to God or to the truth with repentance (Aqrab); or it is derived from (Judah) who was one of the sons of Jacob. As the descendants of formed an independent kingdom at Jerusalem which became the religious centre of the Jews, therefore the Jewish religion came to be known as Judaism and the people professing that religion as or Jews (Enc. Brit. under the word Jews. See also 2:63 and 2:112). (they read) is derived from which means: (1) he followed; (2) he read or recited (Aqrab). The Quran says, i. e. by the moon when it follows the sun; and again i. e. the Prophet reads or recites to them God's Signs. In the present verse the word may be taken to 209 signify either of these two senses, i. e. they both read the same Book or they both follow the same Book. See also 2:103. Commentary: of Islam than opposition to truth, Nothing is more foreign to the spirit wherever it may happen to be. Islam teaches that all faiths possess certain truths and the true religion is so called not because it has a monopoly of truth, but because it possesses all truth and is free from all defects. While, therefore, claiming to be a perfect and complete religion, Islam does not denounce other faiths but frankly acknowledges the truths and the virtues they possess. If this golden principle of Islam be properly understood and appreciated, much existing religious rancour and bitterness would disappear. But unfortunately, there is a general tendency among the followers of different religious systems to refuse to acknowledge the truth found in faiths, other than their own. The Quran declares this attitude of mind to be the result of lack of knowledge and wisdom, and this verse strongly condemns Jews and Christians for refusing to see any good whatever in the rival faith, in spite of the fact that they have a good deal in common,