The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 68
CH. 3 57. Then as ĀL-E-‘IMRĀN disbelieve, I will punish them PT. 3 فَأَمَّا الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا فَأُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَابًا for those who مش شَدِيدًا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَمَا لَهُمْ with a severe punishment in this مِنْ تُصِرِينَ world and in the next, and they shall have no helpers. 3 346 prophet, he died an accursed death on the cross (Deut. 21:22, 23). They also sought (3) to bring false charges against him, especially the heinous charge of an illegitimate birth; and (4) to be thus able to compass the destruction of his entire movement. They were completely foiled in all these designs. Jesus died, not on the cross, but a natural death, respected and revered by devoted followers. He was cleared of the false charges imputed to him and has ever been regarded as one of the sacred band of God's great Prophets. Last of all, his followers have for centuries held his rejecters, the Jews, under their heels. The words, those who follow thee, originally referred to the Christians and the words, those who disbelieve, to the Jews. Later, however, when Islam made its appearance, the words those who follow thee, naturally came to include Muslims, who believe in the divine mission of Jesus; and history tells us that Muslims and Christians have both dominated the Jews whenever and wherever they have come in contact with them. The prophecy about giving dominance to the believers in Jesus over his rejecters was, however, to 508 Second be fulfilled in its completest form at the time of his second advent which has now taken place in the person of Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, whose message is for all the nations of the world. The clause, those who disbelieve, would, therefore, now apply to all those from among Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and others who reject the Messiah who has come in fulfilment of the prophecies of both Jesus and the Holy Prophetof Islam. No wonder then that the words: "O Jesus, I will cause thee to die (a natural death). . . and will place those who follow thee above those who disbelieve" also formed part of the revelation vouchsafed to Aḥmad (Izālah'-i-Auhām, p. 192). 346. Commentary: The words, those who disbelieve, here refer to Jews, who have suffered great hardships throughout the ages. The tale of their woes and afflictions at the hands of Titus about 70 years after the crucifixion of Jesus pales into insignificance before the sufferings to which they have been subjected in some parts of Europe in our own time.