Context from Tafheem: Having established Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim عليه السلام) as the archetype of the pure monotheist (Hanif) and a Muslim, and having shown that his true legacy is one of faith rather than lineage, this concluding section of the narrative directly applies these lessons. It challenges the claims of the Jews and Christians, defines the correct belief, and presents the final, decisive argument about who truly follows the religion of Abraham.
سورة البقرة (Surah Al-Baqarah)
آية 135
القرآن: وَقَالُوا كُونُوا هُودًا أَوْ نَصَارَىٰ تَهْتَدُوا ۗ قُلْ بَلْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا ۖ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ
Translation: And they say, “Be Jews or Christians, and you will be guided.” Say, “Rather, [we follow] the creed of Abraham, inclining toward truth (Hanif), and he was not of those who associated partners with Allah.”
Explanation (Tafheemul Quran):
Maududi explains this verse confronts the exclusivist claims of the People of the Book head-on.
· The Claim: Both Jews and Christians asserted that the path to guidance lay exclusively in adopting their respective religious identities.
· The Islamic Response: The Prophet is commanded to reject this entirely and declare the true path: “Rather, [we follow] the creed (Millah) of Abraham, inclining toward truth (Hanif).” The term Hanif signifies one who turns away from all falsehood and inclines solely toward pure monotheism.
· The Defining Characteristic: The crucial qualifier is that Abraham “was not of those who associated partners with Allah (Mushrikin).” This distinguishes his creed from both Trinitarian Christianity (which associates partners with God in divinity) and from rabbinical Judaism, which, in the Islamic view, had associated partners with God through racial exclusivism and legalistic innovations that displaced pure submission.
آية 136
القرآن: قُولُوا آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطِ وَمَا أُوتِيَ مُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰ وَمَا أُوتِيَ النَّبِيُّونَ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّنْهُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ
Translation: Say, “We believe in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Descendants, and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him.”
Explanation:
This verse provides the comprehensive, universal declaration of Islamic belief in contrast to the selective faith of others.
· All-Encompassing Belief: Muslims are to declare belief in Allah, and in all revelation sent to all prophets, specifically naming key figures from both the Israelite (Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Jesus) and the Ishmaelite (Abraham, Ishmael) lines, as well as the collective prophets (“the Descendants”).
· “We make no distinction”: This is the critical principle. Unlike the Jews who rejected Jesus and Muhammad, or the Christians who effectively rejected Moses’ law and Muhammad, or the polytheists who rejected all, the Muslim creed accepts all true prophets without discrimination. This demonstrates the universality and consistency of the Islamic message.
· The Concluding Identity: The declaration culminates in the identity statement: “and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him.” Belief in all prophets logically leads to submission to the One God who sent them all.
آية 137
القرآن: فَإِنْ آمَنُوا بِمِثْلِ مَا آمَنتُم بِهِ فَقَدِ اهْتَدَوا ۖ وَإِن تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّمَا هُمْ فِي شِقَاقٍ ۖ فَسَيَكْفِيكَهُمُ اللَّهُ ۚ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
Translation: So if they believe in the same as you believe in, then they have been guided; but if they turn away, they are only in dissension. Then Allah will be sufficient for you against them. And He is the Hearing, the Knowing.
Explanation:
Maududi states this verse outlines the logical outcome of the previous declaration.
· The Test: If the People of the Book accept this comprehensive belief—which includes belief in Muhammad (ﷺ) as the final prophet—then they are truly guided.
· The Reality: If they turn away (as they did), their refusal places them merely in a state of “dissension” (Shiqaq)—stubborn opposition to the unified truth. They are not on a separate valid path, but in rebellion against it.
· Divine Reassurance: The believers are told that God will be sufficient to deal with them. He hears their false claims and knows their inner state.
آية 138
القرآن: صِبْغَةَ اللَّهِ ۖ وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ اللَّهِ صِبْغَةً ۖ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ عَابِدُونَ
Translation: [Adopt] the dye of Allah. And who is better than Allah in dye? And we are His worshippers.
Explanation: This is a metaphorical claim to the authentic, divine creed. Sibghah means dye or color. Maududi explains it signifies an all-pervading quality. The “dye of Allah” is the natural monotheistic disposition (Fitrah) with which He created humanity, and the religion of Islam which restores it. No creed “colors” or shapes a human’s soul more perfectly than the one from God. The verse concludes by reaffirming the core act: “we are His worshippers.”
آية 139
القرآن: قُلْ أَتُحَاجُّونَنَا فِي اللَّهِ وَهُوَ رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكُمْ وَلَنَا أَعْمَالُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَالُكُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُخْلِصُونَ
Translation: Say, “Do you argue with us about Allah while He is our Lord and your Lord? For us are our deeds, and for you are your deeds. And we are to Him sincere.”
Explanation: This verse cuts through theological disputes with a simple, powerful argument.
· Common Lord: The debate is about the will of the same Lord—the God of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad.
· Individual Accountability: “For us are our deeds, and for you are your deeds.” Each party is responsible for its own actions based on the truth as they have received it.
· The Key Differentiator: The crucial distinction is stated: “And we are to Him sincere (mukhlisun).” Sincerity (Ikhlas)—worshipping God alone without any partners in devotion—is the essence of the Islamic claim and, in their view, what the others have compromised.
آية 140
القرآن: أَمْ تَقُولُونَ إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطَ كَانُوا هُودًا أَوْ نَصَارَىٰ ۗ قُلْ أَأَنتُمْ أَعْلَمُ أَمِ اللَّهُ ۗ وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن كَتَمَ شَهَادَةً عِندَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ ۗ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ
Translation: Or do you say that Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Descendants were Jews or Christians? Say, “Are you more knowing or is Allah?” And who is more unjust than one who conceals a testimony he has from Allah? And Allah is not unaware of what you do.
Explanation: This is the decisive, closing argument in the debate over Abraham’s legacy.
· The Absurd Claim: The verse challenges the Jews and Christians: Do you claim that the patriarchs themselves were Jews (followers of the Mosaic law given centuries later) or Christians (followers of Jesus centuries later)? This is anachronistic and illogical.
· The Ultimate Authority: The rhetorical question “Are you more knowing or is Allah?” asserts that God’s testimony in the Quran about the patriarchs being Hanif Muslims overrules any human claim.
· The Grave Accusation: Those who conceal the truth they know from their own scriptures—that these prophets were not sectarian followers but universal monotheists—are committing a great injustice (Zulm). God is fully aware of this concealment.
آية 141
القرآن: تِلْكَ أُمَّةٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ ۖ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَلَكُم مَّا كَسَبْتُمْ ۖ وَلَا تُسْأَلُونَ عَمَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
Translation: That was a nation which has passed on. They will have what they earned, and you will have what you have earned. And you will not be asked about what they used to do.
Explanation:
This is a verbatim repetition of verse 134. Maududi explains its repetition here serves as the final, bookending statement on the entire Abrahamic narrative (vv. 124-141).
· Closure: It definitively closes the discussion about ancestral claims. The past community (of the true believers from Abraham onwards) is gone.
· Reiteration of Principle: It reiterates the unshakeable Islamic principle of individual responsibility. Salvation or punishment is not inherited from Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob. “You will have what you have earned.”
· Abolition of Proxy Argument: The final line, “And you will not be asked about what they used to do,” dismantles any argument for salvation based on the deeds of forefathers. Each soul stands alone before God with its own beliefs and actions.
Summary from Tafheemul Quran Perspective (Verses 135-141):
Maududi’s commentary presents this passage as the logical and theological conclusion to the Abraham narrative. It achieves several key objectives:
- Defines the Islamic Position: It clearly states that Islam is not a new sect but the revival of the pristine Millah of Abraham—Hanifiyyah (pure monotheism) and Islam (submission).
- Refutes Exclusivist Claims: It dismantles Jewish and Christian claims to exclusive ownership of the patriarchal legacy, showing it to be historically inaccurate and logically flawed.
- Establishes Universal Belief: It presents the Islamic creed as the only one that accepts all prophets without discrimination, making it the universal and complete fulfillment of Abraham’s prayer for a united nation of submitters.
- Asserts Final Authority: It places the Quran’s testimony about the prophets above the contradictory claims of human sectarian traditions.
- Reinforces Core Accountability: It ends by re-anchoring everything in the fundamental principle of personal moral and spiritual accountability, the very theme with which Surah Al-Baqarah began. This sets the stage for the subsequent legislation for the new Ummah.
Messages from Quran 