قُلۡ اَ تُحَآجُّوۡنَـنَا فِى اللّٰهِ وَهُوَ رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّکُمۡۚ وَلَنَآ اَعۡمَالُـنَا وَلَـكُمۡ اَعۡمَالُكُمۡۚ وَنَحۡنُ لَهٗ مُخۡلِصُوۡنَۙ‏ ﴿2:139﴾ اَمۡ تَقُوۡلُوۡنَ اِنَّ اِبۡرٰهٖمَ وَاِسۡمٰعِيۡلَ وَاِسۡحٰقَ وَيَعۡقُوۡبَ وَالۡاَسۡبَاطَ كَانُوۡا هُوۡدًا اَوۡ نَصٰرٰى​ؕ قُلۡ ءَاَنۡـتُمۡ اَعۡلَمُ اَمِ اللّٰهُ​ ؕ وَمَنۡ اَظۡلَمُ مِمَّنۡ كَتَمَ شَهَادَةً عِنۡدَهٗ مِنَ اللّٰهِ​ؕ وَمَا اللّٰهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:140﴾ تِلۡكَ اُمَّةٌ قَدۡ خَلَتۡ​ۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتۡ وَلَـكُمۡ مَّا كَسَبۡتُمۡ​ۚ وَلَا تُسۡـئَـلُوۡنَ عَمَّا كَانُوۡا يَعۡمَلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:141﴾

(2:139) Say (O Prophet): “Will you then dispute with us concerning Allah when He is our Lord and your Lord?¹³⁸ Our deeds are for us and your deeds are for you. And it is Him that we serve exclusively.”¹³⁹ (2:140) Or do you claim that Abraham and Ishmael, Isaac and Jacob and the descendants (of Jacob) were “Jews” or “Christians?” Say: “Who has greater knowledge, you or Allah?”¹⁴⁰ Who does greater wrong than he who conceals a testimony he has received from Allah? Allah is not heedless of the things you do.¹⁴¹ (2:141) Now, they were a people who passed away. Theirs is what they earned, and yours is what you earn; you shall not be questioned concerning what they did. 

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Notes

138. The one principle that the Prophet and his followers unreservedly stood for was that God alone should be served. Does that call for dispute and quarrel? If anyone, it is the Muslims who are entitled to quarrel with the Jews and Christians, for it is they rather than the Muslims who insist that others beside God should also be made objects of service and adoration. 

An alternative translation of this portion could be: ‘Would you then dispute with us for the sake of Allah?’ In this case the meaning of the verse would be that if their dispute was sincere, it was easy to put an end to it by, agreeing to serve none but God. 

139. They are told that everyone is responsible for his own conduct. If they have earmarked a part of their service and devotion to others than God, let them do so and see for themselves what it leads to. The Muslims did not want to keep them from error by force. As for themselves, they had consecrated their service, obedience and worship to God alone. If the Jews and Christians could bring themselves to recognize the right of the Muslims to do so, the dispute could automatically be brought to an end, 

140. This remark is addressed to the ignorant mass of Jews and Christians who sincerely believed that all the Prophets belonged to their religious denomination.

141. This remark is addressed to the Jewish and Christian theologians who were not unaware that Judaism and Christianity, with their existing characteristics, had emerged at a relatively late period in history. They nevertheless considered Truth to he confined to their own religious sects. They also perpetuated the misunderstanding that man’s ultimate happiness and success lay in following the beliefs, institutions and legal codes which had been developed by their jurists, theologians and mystics long after the Prophet of God had passed away. When these theologians were asked to which among their religious communities Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and other Prophets belonged, they evaded a reply. This was because they could not state categorically that they belonged to their own sect. On the other hand, they could not reply explicitly in the negative, for such an admission would have undermined the very basis of their claim that Truth was confined to their fold.