وَإِذْ قَالَتِ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ يَا مَرْيَمُ إِنَّ اللّهَ اصْطَفَاكِ وَطَهَّرَكِ وَاصْطَفَاكِ عَلَى نِسَاء الْعَالَمِينَ  يَا مَرْيَمُ اقْنُتِي لِرَبِّكِ وَاسْجُدِي وَارْكَعِي مَعَ الرَّاكِعِينَ (٤٢-٤٣)

ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَنبَاء الْغَيْبِ نُوحِيهِ إِلَيكَ وَمَا كُنتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ يُلْقُون أَقْلاَمَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ يَكْفُلُ مَرْيَمَ وَمَا كُنتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ يَخْتَصِمُونَ (٤٤)

إِذْ قَالَتِ الْمَلآئِكَةُ يَا مَرْيَمُ إِنَّ اللّهَ يُبَشِّرُكِ بِكَلِمَةٍ مِّنْهُ اسْمُهُ الْمَسِيحُ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ وَجِيهًا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ وَمِنَ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ  وَيُكَلِّمُ النَّاسَ فِي الْمَهْدِ وَكَهْلاً وَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ  قَالَتْ رَبِّ أَنَّى يَكُونُ لِي وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِي بَشَرٌ قَالَ كَذَلِكِ اللّهُ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاء إِذَا قَضَى أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ  وَيُعَلِّمُهُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَالتَّوْرَاةَ وَالإِنجِيلَ  وَرَسُولاً إِلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنِّي قَدْ جِئْتُكُم بِآيَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ أَنِّي أَخْلُقُ لَكُم مِّنَ الطِّينِ كَهَيْئَةِ الطَّيْرِ فَأَنفُخُ فِيهِ فَيَكُونُ طَيْرًا بِإِذْنِ اللّهِ وَأُبْرِىءُ الأكْمَهَ والأَبْرَصَ وَأُحْيِـي الْمَوْتَى بِإِذْنِ اللّهِ وَأُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا تَأْكُلُونَ وَمَا تَدَّخِرُونَ فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَةً لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ  وَمُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَلِأُحِلَّ لَكُم بَعْضَ الَّذِي حُرِّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَجِئْتُكُم بِآيَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ فَاتَّقُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ إِنَّ اللّهَ رَبِّي وَرَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُوهُ هَـذَا صِرَاطٌ مُّسْتَقِيمٌ  (٤٥-٥١)

فَلَمَّا أَحَسَّ عِيسَى مِنْهُمُ الْكُفْرَ قَالَ مَنْ أَنصَارِي إِلَى اللّهِ قَالَ الْحَوَارِيُّونَ نَحْنُ أَنصَارُ اللّهِ آمَنَّا بِاللّهِ وَاشْهَدْ بِأَنَّا مُسْلِمُونَ  رَبَّنَا آمَنَّا بِمَا أَنزَلَتْ وَاتَّبَعْنَا الرَّسُولَ فَاكْتُبْنَا مَعَ الشَّاهِدِينَ (٥٢-٥٣)

وَمَكَرُواْ وَمَكَرَ اللّهُ وَاللّهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ  إِذْ قَالَ اللّهُ يَا عِيسَى إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَيَّ وَمُطَهِّرُكَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ثُمَّ إِلَيَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَأَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ فِيمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ  فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فَأُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن نَّاصِرِينَ  وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّالِحَاتِ فَيُوَفِّيهِمْ أُجُورَهُمْ وَاللّهُ لاَ يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ (٥٤-٥٧)

ذَلِكَ نَتْلُوهُ عَلَيْكَ مِنَ الآيَاتِ وَالذِّكْرِ الْحَكِيمِ  إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِيسَى عِندَ اللّهِ كَمَثَلِ آدَمَ خَلَقَهُ مِن تُرَابٍ ثِمَّ قَالَ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ  الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ فَلاَ تَكُن مِّن الْمُمْتَرِينَ  فَمَنْ حَآجَّكَ فِيهِ مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ فَقُلْ تَعَالَوْاْ نَدْعُ أَبْنَاءنَا وَأَبْنَاءكُمْ وَنِسَاءنَا وَنِسَاءكُمْ وَأَنفُسَنَا وأَنفُسَكُمْ ثُمَّ نَبْتَهِلْ فَنَجْعَل لَّعْنَةُ اللّهِ عَلَى الْكَاذِبِينَ  إِنَّ هَـذَا لَهُوَ الْقَصَصُ الْحَقُّ وَمَا مِنْ إِلَـهٍ إِلاَّ اللّهُ وَإِنَّ اللّهَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ  فَإِن تَوَلَّوْاْ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ عَلِيمٌ بِالْمُفْسِدِينَ (٥٨-٦٣)

And remind them also of the incident when the angels said [to Mary:] “God has selected you and blessed you with purity1 and by exalting you above womankind chosen you [for the manifestation of a great sign.2 So] O Mary! remain obedient to your Lord and kneel and prostrate before Him with those who bow before Him.”3 (42-43)

These4 are tales from the unknown [O Prophet!] which We are revealing to you and [in reality] you were not present at the time when the attendants of the temple were casting lots to decide which of them should have charge of Mary nor were you present with them when they were having an argument [in this matter].5 (44)

Remind them when the angels said: “Mary! God gives you glad tidings of a command from Him.6 His name is the Messiah,7 Jesus son of Mary.8 He shall be noble9 in this world and in the world to come, and shall be one of those who are favoured. He shall preach [in his capacity of a prophet] in his cradle10 and in elderly age too11 and shall be counted among the righteous.” “Lord”, she said, “how can I bear a child when no man has touched me?” He replied: “In this manner God creates whom He wants.” When He decrees a matter, He need only say: ‘Be,” and it is.12 [Consequently, it will happen thus and God] will instruct him in law and in wisdom which is the Torah and the Gospel,13 and send him forth as a Messenger to the Israelites.14 [Consequently, this is what happened and he called upon the Israelites saying:]15 “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord:16 from clay I will make for you the likeness of a bird, then I breathe into it and by God’s directive it becomes a living bird. By God’s leave I heal the blind man and the leper, and raise the dead to life. And I can tell you what you eat and what you stock in your houses. Surely in it is a great sign for you, if you are true believers. I come to confirm the Torah17 which preceded me and to make lawful for you some of the things forbidden to you18 and [look] I bring you a sign from your Lord: therefore fear God and obey me. Indeed, God is my Lord and yours also;19 therefore serve Him only. This the straight path.” (45-51)

So when Jesus felt that these people [of his nation] were persistent in their denial come what may, he said [to his disciples20]: “Who will help me in the cause of God?”21 The disciples replied: “We are God’s helpers.22 We profess faith in God23 and bear witness that we submit to Him. Lord, we believe in what You revealed [and in order to fulfill its requisites] follow the prophet. So count us among those who have borne witnesses to him.”24 (52-53)

[This is what happened] and the Israelites started to devise covert schemes [against him]25 and [in response,] God also devised a hidden scheme and in such scheming God is the supreme Schemer.26 At that time when God said: “Jesus, I have decided to give you death and lift you up to me27 and I shall purify you from these who have disbelieved [in you]28 and shall grant your followers29 supremacy over these disbelievers till the Day of Judgement.30 Then to Me you shall all return. So at that time I shall give verdict on what you have been differing in. As for these disbelievers, I shall sternly punish them both in this world and in the world to come31 and there shall be none to help them and [from among them] those who profess faith [in God] and do righteous deeds, He shall give them their reward in full and [in reality] God does not befriend such wrong-doers.” (54-57)

These are our verses and a reminder replete with wisdom which We are reciting to you.32 Jesus is like Adam in the sight of God. He created him from dust and then commanded: “Be”, and he was.33 This is the truth from your Lord34 therefore you should not be in any doubt.35 Then if they still dispute with you after you have received knowledge in this regard, then tell them: “Come, let us call our sons and your sons, our wives and your wives, our people and your people,36 then We pray37 and call down the curse of God on every liar.”38 This is the whole truth. There is no god but God. Surely it is God who is the Mighty, the Wise One.39 If they show indifference then [their stubbornness will become evident to people also] because God knows such mischief mongers. (58-63)

(Translated from Ghāmidī’s al-Bayān by Shehzad Saleem)

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1. The Almighty whilst isolating her from others instructed and trained her in a special way so that she is able to combat the testing times which lie in store for her.

2. She has been chosen to mother Jesus (sws) who was indeed a great sign sent by God to communicate the truth to the Israelites so that they were left with no excuse to deny it. Indeed, this singular honour bestowed on Mary (sws) stands unrivalled.

3. This is an elaboration of the directive of obeying the Almighty mentioned earlier. It also portrays the congregational prayer which Mary (sws) was always able to offer because she was stationed in the temple of Solomon (rta). Here, the prayer has been called as kneeling and prostrating before God. A use of these words portray the intense devotion and concentration which is the real majesty of the prayer. The Qur’ān has adopted this style at many places to delineate this aspect of the prayer.

4. In the ongoing discourse, these verses address the Prophet (sws) and the objective is to direct the attention of the addressees to the fact that without divine revelation the Prophet (sws) would not have been able to recount these incidents with such precision and truth because this portion of the history of the People of the Book finds almost no mention in the Bible.

5. It is evident from the Bible that the responsibilities in the temple were generally fixed by casting lots; however, the dispute which arose was probably because after witnessing the signs which were evident from the very first day of Mary’s acceptance for this responsibility no one from among the servants of the temple wanted to be deprived of this great honour.

6. These are glad tidings for Mary about the birth of a child without any role by a male. However, these glad tidings have been given by commencing them only with the word “command” so that the nature of the whole matter remains evident to her and a lady who is a virgin and an embodiment of chastity and modesty is, in the first place, even prepared to listen to what is intended to be said to her.

7. This is a title of Jesus (sws). There was a tradition among the Israelites according to which prophets and kings were declared so after a type of sacred oil was rubbed on their heads. For Jesus (sws), it was as if this declaration was made right after his birth in his cradle directly by the Almighty Himself. Thus this title of Messiah became specific for him. In the Gospels, he is called the Messiah of God for this very reason.

8. The implication is that he will not be the son of a father. In the opinion of Imām Amīn Ahsan Islāhī by calling Jesus (sws) as son of Mary (sws), the Qur’ān has left no possibility for people who through weak interpretations wanted to alter its clear directives. His words are:

If Jesus (sws) was the son of a father, then what was the hindrance for the Qur’ān to call him after his father’s name instead of calling him son of Mary (sws)? The Qur’ān could also have called him Messiah son of Joseph, but it did not. Why after all? (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986), 93)

9. The nobility mentioned is the same as the one which is mentioned earlier in relation to John (sws). Imām Amīn Ahsan Islāhī has shed light on various aspects of this nobility thus:

It is evident from the narrative in Luke that it was at the age of twelve that Jesus (sws) gave instruction for the first time in the temple; however, even in this tender age such was the nature of wisdom of his words, the eloquence of his speech and the grandeur of his style that the jurists. the Pharisees, the chief soothsayer (kāhin) and all the staff of the temple became dumbfounded. In utter astonishment, they would inquire after the identity of the person who would speak with such majesty as if he was speaking on behalf of God. When he started to preach in the settlements of Judea, it had a great impact all over. People would come to listen to him in multitudes. Both the jurists and the Pharisees were dumbstruck. In order to corner him and reduce his fame among the masses, they would pose different questions to him. Jesus (sws) would answer them in a few words in such a convincing manner that they would have nothing to say in return and would dare not open their mouths. Not much time elapsed before the fame of his nobility spread so much that the masses started to call him the king of Israel and would be full of praise for him. Matters reached such an extent that this issue came before the Roman authorities: Herodotus and Pilatus as a critical issue. However, they too in spite of their power and authority were awe-stricken before the greatness and fame of Jesus (sws).

The second aspect of the nobility of Jesus (sws) is that in spite of the fact that he was born without a father and in general circumstances, it cannot be imagined that a child who does not have a father seldom would be respected and honoured – the case of Jesus (sws) was just the opposite: since he was born as a result of the word kun, such was the nature of this miraculous command that from the very day he was born he was regarded as noble in the eyes of the masses to such an extent that no one was invested with it in those times. All his life he was surrounded by enemies who were after his life; however, no one could dare call him a child born out of wedlock. If a group from among the Jews were bold enough to make this allegation, it was in later times; no one had the courage to do it in his times. The glad tidings of this nobility were given to Mary (sws) together with the glad ridings of his birth for the reason that she is assured that not being born from a father will not effect the nobility of the child or that of her own.

The third aspect of this is that it negates the nonsensical incidents recorded in the Gospels that the Jews, God forbid, slapped Jesus (sws), made fun of him, abused him and spate on his face. Most of these absurd tales are incorrect as we shall later explain. The enemies of the messengers of God do dare to disparage them and for this they are even granted an opportunity by the Almighty to some extent; however, they cannot exceed a limit; if a nation tries to cross it, the Almighty protects His messenger Himself and such wretched people are destroyed. (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986), 92)

10. This extra-ordinary incident in the case of Jesus (sws) occurred to rule out any possible allegation being leveled against Mary (sws) and she was given these glad tidings at this instance to assure her that before they open their mouths to speak against her, the Almighty will open a mouth in her favour which will silence all others.

11. The implication is that he will reach an elderly age and speak in a similar way as a prophet.

12. This is an explanation of the command of kun with which Jesus (sws) was born.

13. These words of the Qur’ān not only explain the mutual relationship between the Torah and the Gospel, they also explain that the Gospel was revealed to unveil the very facts of faith and ethics which the Israelites had forgotten. It was not meant to change the directives of the Torah but to complete them so that their wisdom and spirit is brought to light in every respect and the sharī‘ah of God does not end up as something lifeless and burdensome for the people.

14. The Qur’ānic words used are رَسُولاً إِلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ. An ellipsis of a verb has occurred before them: رَسُولاً يَبْعَثُهُ. Jesus (sws) like John (sws) was not merely a prophet (nabī), he was also a messenger (rasūl). It is evident from the verse that his messengerhood was specific towards the Israelites and they had to bear the consequences in this world of denying or accepting him. Consequently, when instead of professing faith in him, the Israelites went after his life, the Almighty according to His law about His Messengers imposed on them the punishment according to which they would remain subservient to the followers of Jesus (sws) till the Day of Judgement.

15. By suppressing a large part of the account of Jesus (sws) here, as is the general style of the Qur’ān, it has put forth Jesus (sws) as a preacher before the Israelites: he presented his message before them in this manner and for this he even showed them miracles.

16. The Arabic words used are: جِئْتُكُم بِآيَةٍ. The word آيَة occurs as a noun not defined by the article alif lām to express generality and not singularity. The implication is that Jesus (sws) has brought forth a sign from the Almighty notwithstanding the fact that it manifests in one form or more than one forms.

17. The Arabic words used are: مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ. The word مُصَدِّقًا is an accusative of state (حال) and is co-ordinated to the sentence قَدْ جِئْتُكُم بِآيَةٍ. The construction is thusو جِئْتُكُم مُصَدِّقاً  جِئْتُكُم بِآيَةٍ. The implication is that Jesus (sws) came not to abrogate the Torah but to establish it and to fulfill its predictions regarding the prophets which are to come and which the Israelites can read.

18. These items were prohibited to them because of the excesses committed by their scholars in religion and because of their baseless religious edicts which they issued as a result.

19. The Qur’ān here has corrected the expression “my father” and “your father” which occurs at numerous places in the Gospels. This is what Jesus (sws) had actually said; however, since in Hebrew the word for father and God is the same and so is the word for son and servant, when the Christians invented the belief of divinity of Jesus (sws) they used this similarity of words to their advantage.

20. This word حَوَارِي has probably come into Arabic from Hebrew. It is very close in its meaning to the Arabic word ansār which means “helpers” and “supporters”. Here it is used specifically for the students of Jesus (sws) who professed faith in him, helped him in good and bad circumstances and finally became the exponents of his preaching in each and every settlement of the Israelites.

21. The implication is that when Jesus (sws) felt from the attitude of leaders and scholars of the Israelites that it was impossible to convince them and that they now were adamant on their denial, he sought help from his disciples that whatever responsibilities the Almighty would impose on them in the coming phases, they would help him in discharging them. The sentence which he uttered at this instance to seek their help in the opinion of Imām Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, on the one hand reflected his fervour for preaching and on the other it was as if he was also saying that he has embarked upon the path of his Lord and those who had the courage should support him in treading this tough terrain.

22. The Arabic words used are: نَحْنُ أَنصَارُ اللّهِ. In response to the call of مَنْ أَنصَارِي إِلَى اللّهِ given by Jesus (sws) instead of saying نَحْنُ أَنصَاركَ إلىُ اللّهِ they said نَحْنُ أَنصَارُ اللّهِ. Imām Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, while explaining the connotations of these words, writes:

In the call of Jesus (sws) the word إِلَى is explaining the distance which exists between the path and the destination and as a preacher it was befitting for him that he inform his addressees of the hardships of this path and the distance one would need to traverse; however, the disciples in their fervour to follow him responded in a manner that the whole distance was covered in just one leap and saying this was in fact befitting to their emotional commitment to faith and religion in this delicate phase of the preaching mission of Jesus (sws). (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986), 99)

23. From here onwards are mentioned details of the requirements and corollaries of what is stated succinctly in مَنْ أَنصَارِي إِلَى اللّهِ. It is evident from this that the disciples fully knew what being helpers of God meant and what their responsibility was in this regard.

24. The disciples expressed the fact that once they became fully aware of this truth, they would not conceal it; in fact they would bear evidence to it before others. Thus their name should be written among such people on the Day of Judgement and not among people who hide the truth.

25. What were these schemes? While explaining them, Imām Amīn Ahsan Islāhī writes:

Firstly, these people alleged that he and his disciples were guilty of breaking the traditions of their ancestors and humiliating their elders so that emotions of the common man could be inflamed against them.

Secondly, they would send various people to him to ask questions which could afford them with the material on the basis of which they could issue edicts of disbelief and apostasy against him. This assignment was carried out with great fervour by the jurists and Pharisees of the Jews. From the parables and similes cited by Jesus (sws), they would gather material which in their opinion was enough to issue an edict that killing him had become obligatory.

Thirdly, since in those times the Romans were in political power, hence in order to incite them efforts were made to afford them with appropriate material for the purpose. Initially, questions about the payment of khirāj were posed to Jesus (sws) so that it could be proven that he forbids people from paying khirāj to the caesar. However, Jesus (sws) silenced his critics with his answers. Then they alleged that Jesus (sws) wanted to become the king of Israel. For this, they tried to gather material from the parables uttered by Jesus (sws) and to provide it to the Roman government in order to inflame it against him.

Fourthly, they were able to win over Judas, a hypocrite and one of the twelve disciples of Jesus (sws) by illegally gratifying him; they were successful in convincing him of disclosing the whereabouts of Jesus (sws) and having him arrested. (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986), 102)

26. What probably happened was that the face of the person who was guilty of disclosing the whereabouts of Jesus (sws) in his secluded abode at the mount of olive was made to resemble Jesus (sws). Consequently, the Jews crucified him and kept on humiliating him. On the other hand, they were not even able to lay hands on Jesus (sws).

27. The implication is that the Almighty after claiming Jesus’ soul will also lift his body to Him so that these evil-doers are not able to desecrate it. Jesus (sws) was a Messenger of God and about Messengers of God as per a law stated by the Qur’ān, the Almighty protects them and until their mission is accomplished none of their enemies is able to harm them in any way. Similarly, the Almighty does not tolerate people showing disrespect to them and people who are bent upon this are given respite to some extent and then He necessarily shields these Messengers from their evil.

28. The implication is that the Almighty will separate him from these immoral people who are incriminated with evil concepts and take him to the world of the righteous which has been prepared for them.

29. This refers to the common followers of Jesus (sws) and those who take his name. Initially, they were called the Nazarenes and later came to be known as Christians. This is an instance of giving glad tidings which requires that there be vastness in the connotation of this word. Moreover, the words الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوكَ are mentioned in contrast to الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ. Hence they can only refer to all those who attribute themselves to Jesus (sw) in any way instead of referring to his true and sincere followers.

30. This is a mention of worldly reward and punishment for the Israelites which every person can clearly observe. This extra-ordinarily amazing prediction has not been disproved in any period of time at any place. This is such a potent and blatant proof of God and His court of justice that we can see it at all times. After this, what is it that can belie the Day of Judgement promised by the Qur’ān.

31. About the Messengers of God, the law of the Almighty is that their addressees are punished in this very world if they deliberately deny the truth communicated to them by these Messengers. The Israelites were invested with the position of shahādah by the Almighty. It is the requisite of this position also that they be punished in this world for their sins. Consequently, it is in accordance with this law that they will lead a life of subjugation to the Christians till the Day of Judgement and it is as per this law that they have been facing grievous punishments from time to time.

32. The address of the discourse shifts to the Prophet (sws) at the end of the current discussion to give assurance to him on the attitude adopted by the addressees. He is told that the real truth about Jesus (sws) is what he has been told. The myths fabricated by the Christians in this regard on the other hand are nothing but departures from the truth.

33. The implication is that when Adam (sws) did not become a deity when he neither had a father nor a mother, then how can these people regard Jesus (sws) to be a deity.

34. The Arabic words used are: الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ. The inchoative (mubtadā’) has been suppressed in this sentence. This is done at instances when all the attention of the addressees is to be directed on the enunciative (khabr).

35. The Prophet (sws) is seemingly addressed in these verses; however, in reality a little deliberation will show that the direction of address is towards the common Muslims: they should now have no doubt that the real truth about Jesus (sws) is what the Qur’ān has stated. Everything else is mere fabrication by the Christians. Consequently, the anger one can feel in this sentence is actually directed at them.

36. The way this sentence has come in this discourse shows that some of its parts have been suppressed in it as per the conventional style of Arabic. If these suppressed parts are unfolded, the verse would read: ندع نحن أبناءنا و أنتم أبناءكم و نحضر نحن أنفسنا و أنتم أنفسكم ثمه نبتهل نحن و أنتم. The translation has been done keeping this in view.

37. The Arabic word used is نَبْتَهِلْ. It means “to pray” and “to beseech”. However, since the meaning of “giving up something” is also found in it, it is also conventionally used to connote cursing someone.

38. Only a person who is really convinced of his veracity can challenge others on what is right and what is wrong on the basis of such a curse. Consequently, the Prophet (sws) challenged the Christians with this certainty; however, history tells us that they did not have the guts to accept it. This evasion proved that they themselves did not consider their view to be correct; they only wanted to stubbornly adhere to it in their false pride.

39. Divinity is only for God. Jesus (sws) has no share in it. Whatever status he has is on the basis of a servant and a messenger of the Almighty.