Sūrat Āl ʿImrān
Section 7 of 22 · Surah Studies · Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
A Common Word
After that, Allah (swt) says in effect: if you will not believe, then at least this — and He says, qul, to the Prophet (peace be upon him): yā ahl al-kitāb, O People of the Book, taʿālaw ilā kalimatin sawāʾin baynanā wa-baynakum — come to a formula of faith that is universal between us, common to us both. The common expression, the common formula of faith, is what they too had once held, until they changed it:
قُلْ يَـٰٓأَهْلَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ تَعَالَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ كَلِمَةٍ سَوَآءٍۭ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمْ أَلَّا نَعْبُدَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ وَلَا نُشْرِكَ بِهِۦ شَيْـًٔا وَلَا يَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُنَا بَعْضًا أَرْبَابًا مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا۟ فَقُولُوا۟ ٱشْهَدُوا۟ بِأَنَّا مُسْلِمُونَ
“Say, “O people of the Book, come to a word common between us and between you, that we worship none but Allah, that we associate nothing with Him and that some of us do not take others as Lords instead of Allah.” Then, should they turn back, say, “Bear witness that we are Muslims.”” (3:64)
Allā naʿbuda illā Allāh, wa-lā nushrika bihi shayʾā, wa-lā yattakhidha baʿḍunā baʿḍan arbāban min dūni Allāh. Monotheism: that we worship Allah alone, that we ascribe no partner to Him, and that we do not take one another as lords. Fa-in tawallaw fa-qūlū ishhadū bi-annā muslimūn: if they refuse, then say at least: bear witness that we are of the submitters.
The sūrah then continues with further discussion of Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him). Such a discussion always ends at Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him), with the words:
مَا كَانَ إِبْرَٰهِيمُ يَهُودِيًّا وَلَا نَصْرَانِيًّا وَلَـٰكِن كَانَ حَنِيفًا مُّسْلِمًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ
“Ibrāhīm was neither a Jew nor a Christian. But he was upright, a Muslim, and was not one of those who associate partners with Allah.” (3:67)
Mā kāna Ibrāhīmu yahūdiyyan wa-lā naṣrāniyyā. Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him) was not a yahūdī; he was not a naṣrānī; wa-lākin kāna ḥanīfan musliman — he was the submitter, a muslim and a ḥanīf, which is to say a pure monotheist. Muslims, therefore, are called Muslims on account of their action. The name is not tied to a place. "Muslim" is not tied to a place or to a person; it is not "Muhammadans". We are called Muslims, and Muslim means the submitters, those who submit to the will of Allah.
The sūrah warns that there are People of the Book who wish to see the believers deviate; they would dearly love them to deviate as well. And this portion closes with the observation that they are not going to listen.