The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page 241
CH. 2 أمْ تَقُولُونَ إِنَّ اِبْرهِم وَاسْمُعِيلَ that وَاسْحَقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطَ كَانُوا his PT. 1 AL-BAQARAH 141. 'Do you say "Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and his children were Jews or Chris- tians?' Say, 'Do you know better unjust than he who conceals the Allah? And Allah is not هُودًا أَوْ نَصْرُى قُلْ أَنْتُمْ أَعْلَمُ اَمِ الله وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ كَتَمَ شَهَادَةً or Allah? And who is more عِنْدَهُ مِنَ اللهِ وَمَا اللهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا testimony that he has from تَعْمَلُونَ unaware of what you do. 147 تِلْكَ أُمَّةٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ Those are a people that. 142 have passed away; for them is وَلَكُمْ مَّا كَسَبْتُمْ ۚ وَلَا تُسْأَلُونَ عَمَّا what they earned, and for you shall be what you earn; and you "3:85; 4:164. b2:284. "See 2:135. reject him on that account. The central point of faith is the person of God, and if one is sincere in his connection with Him, there should be no hesitation in accepting anything that emanates from Him. The real question is, whether God has indeed chosen Muḥammad to be His Messenger. If that question 1S answered in the affirmative, nothing should stop a man from accepting Islam; and if he rejects Islam, he ranges himself against God, be he a Jew, a Christian, a Hindu or any other. 147. Commentary: In this verse Jews and Christians have been indirectly asked how Abraham and his children would fare, if salvation were monopolized by them. If they replied that these holy persons were also Jews or Christians, it would be against all the facts of history, because they belonged to pre- 241 Mosaic times when Jewish and Christian religions had not yet come into existence. Some short-sighted persons attach so much importance to their own views that they begin to ascribe them to every righteous servant of God. In their discussions, Jews and Christians represented even those of their ancestors who lived before their religions came into existence as the followers of their own faiths. This is the attitude not only of the ignorant masses, but even educated people sometimes fall a prey to this delusion. Many Christians of great learning hold the untenable belief that even those Prophets and other righteous people who lived before Jesus were saved through his alleged death on the cross. Such men should beware of God's judgement, as He is not unaware of their deeds.