The following is an excerpt from The Endless Banquet: A Thematic Explanation of the Qur’an (Volume I) by Shaykh Hamzah Abdul Malik.

Juz 3: The Power Of Allah

While Surah al-Baqarah frequently addresses the Children of Israel and their history as a reference point for religious struggles, surah Al ‘Imran addresses the belief of Christians for most of the ayat leading up to the end of the Juz.

The themes of these ayat revolve around a conversation between the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and a delegation of sixty Arab Christians from a region called Najran. This delegation approached the Prophet to examine the validity of his claim to Prophethood.

AYAT 1-9

Allah immediately establishes His perfect attributes and the revelations that He has sent down to humanity, emphasizing that one must accept them all if they are to truly believe and save themselves from punishment. He also clarifies that He controls how people are created, foreshadowing the miraculous creations of Adam, Yahya, and ‘Isa, all of whom will be mentioned later.

Once His attributes and Books are affirmed, Allah then turns our attention to how those books are interpreted. He warns against certain groups trying to focus on ambiguous verses and building their theology based on that. Such interpretations oppose the reality Allah has established: that the true foundation of interpreting the Word of Allah must be through the clear and unambiguous verses. Adherence to the ambiguous verses stems from an imbalance in a person’s heart that can only be cured by turning to Allah.

AYAT 10-22

Before addressing the misconceptions of the People of the Book, Allah first demonstrates how success can only be attained through believing in Him. Moreover, He shows us that any benefits gained from disbelief will never serve as a protection from the punishment of Allah. He cites the fate of the Pharaoh and the battle of Badr as examples of how material power will always be defeated when it opposes the power of faith and assistance from Allah. The allurement of worldly pleasures does not even compare to the pleasures of the Hereafter. Thus, those who disbelieve in the guidance of Allah will be those who suffer great loss both in this world and in the next.

“The love of desirable things is made alluring for men- women, children, gold and silver treasures piled up high, horses with fine markings, livestock, and farmland- these may be the joys of this life, but God has the best place to return to.” (3:14) — “The love of desirable things is made alluring for men- women, children, gold and silver treasures piled up high, horses with fine markings, livestock, and farmland- these may be the joys of this life, but God has the best place to return to.” (**3:14**)

Once Allah has explained the reality of disbelievers, He then expounds upon the reality of believers, their characteristics, and their beliefs and true religion.

AYAT 23-32

Allah then directs our attention to the People of the Book and how they avoid being held accountable by their own Book, highlighting the lack of faith they have in their own scripture. This section implies that the People of the Book avoid embracing its full guidance because they believe it would prevent them from maintaining their power. Such acts will not amount to any good in the Hereafter since Allah will serve justice in the Hereafter for those who reject guidance in this world.

Allah has full control over who attains power and who loses it just as clearly as He controls the day and the night, and the living and the dead. No amount of deception will be hidden from Allah. So regardless of claims of loving Allah, any attempt to follow disbelievers will surely be met with a tragic end. On the other hand, those who follow the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ will attain the true love of Allah because he represents the guidance of Allah. Thus, obeying him is tantamount to obeying Allah.

AYAT 33-63

Now that the foundation has been set regarding the reality of belief and disbelief, Allah lays out the true stories of Prophetic lineages, specifically the family of ‘Imran . It is the family of ‘Imran that sits at the centre of the theological misunderstandings of the Judeo-Christian communities.

Through these ayat, Allah clarifies the story of how Maryam was conceived and her relationship with Prophet Zakariyya. Moreover, these ayat also provide certain details of her miracles and the similarity between the birth of Yahya, ‘Isa, and Adam. Allah relates, in unambiguous terms, the details regarding the miracles of ‘Isa as a human Messenger like those before him. He also highlights his personal belief in Allah, and how Allah raised him and will liberate him from those who have used him to justify their disbelief in Allah.

At this point, Allah details the evidence of the story of Prophet ‘Isa so clearly, that He orders Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to challenge the people of Najran to call upon Allah with him along with all of their families, and ask Allah to curse the one who is lying. This is the most emphatic expression of truth that people who claim faith in Allah can make. This expression also exposes the lack of confidence the people of Najran had in their own beliefs about ʿĪsā.

AYAT 64-83

Now that matters of theology have been addressed, Allah encourages the Muslims to identify the best approach for giving da‘wah to the People of the Book. He directs them towards finding a common ground in their belief in Allah, and to focus on examining the religious legacy of Prophet Ibrāhīm. Here, Allah begins addressing the Christians directly, enjoining them to follow sound knowledge, and questioning their lack of will to accept His signs. He also exposes their hypocrisy and plots to mislead and deceive those who believe in Him.

AYAT 84-91

Lastly, Allah commands us to adhere to the religion of submission to Allah (Islam) as was the religion of all the Prophets that have been sent by Him in the past. He also commands us to avoid following any path that takes us away from the guidance of Allah. Allah uses unambiguous terms to explicitly express the terrible outcomes of those who persist in oppressing themselves in darkness.

However, salvation is open to those who decide to return to Him and rectify their ways. Ultimately, the greatest regrets will be held by those who meet Allah in a state of disbelief. It is those individuals who will have nothing to protect themselves from the punishment once their time has run out. It is only in this world that one can sacrifice all things beloved to them to attain righteousness.

Juz 4: Protecting The Community

AYAT 92-99

Now that Allah has comprehensively explained the major matters of history and theology, He begins to direct the People of the Book to learn from the experience of the Children of Israel who unnecessarily constricted their own laws and consequently distorted the religion of Allah.

In contrast to the Children of Israel, Allah describes the way of Prophet Ibrahim as a symbol of true religion. Additionally, He highlights the universal nature of his Prophethood, the Kaaba, and the station of Ibrahim, all of which the Children of Israel and Christians should acknowledge. Hence, Allah rhetorically asks why they reject these signs and prevent people from following the correct path to Allah.

“The first House [of worship] to be established for people was the one at Mecca. It is a blessed place; a source of guidance for all people.” (3:96) — **“The first House [of worship] to be established for people was the one at Mecca. It is a blessed place; a source of guidance for all people.” (3:96**)

AYAT 100-120

Following on from the previous section, Allah warns the believers against obeying certain factions of the People of the Book, reminding us that we already have a Messenger with Divine guidance in the form of the Qur’an. Moreover, He also reminds us to hold fast to practicing our religion until the day we die.

It is worth noting here that this guidance is not complete if it is only followed individualistically. Hence, Allah advises us believers to hold fast to the Qur’an as a community, not as separate groups. He also asks us to be united under the same guidance. Such solidarity will give us the strength we need to remain resilient under the pressure of those who disbelieve. Furthermore, we should be united in our effort to improve humanity as a whole; enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong. We should also recall that illumination and mercy in the Hereafter is contingent on holding fast to our religious dedication.

It is this exact same mission that Allah enjoins for the Children of Israel and for the Christians, yet most do not adhere to it. Instead, they disbelieved and attempted to kill their Messengers – including Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. A minority of them, however, accepted the guidance of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. and followed the religious guidelines set by the revelation of the Qur’an.

With all these realities mentioned, Allah commands us to avoid entrusting ourselves to those who have shown animosity towards us. Furthermore, Allah reminds us that true protection only comes from Him, and that our taqwa will ultimately save us from the plots of our enemies. As proof of this, Allah cites the Battle of Badr as an example of how He brings victory to the believers by sending angels to support and protect them. Finally, once again Allah emphasizes to us that He controls the outcome of everything, so there is no need to turn to anyone but Him for guidance.

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf discusses the prohibition of interest across all Abrahamic faiths, and how dealing in interest harms society.

AYAT 121-148

Even if the believers resist the temptation of entrusting themselves to the People of the Book, they may still suffer the same consequence and fall into the same pitfalls of the faith communities that preceded them. Accordingly, these ayat offer a temporary shift of focus towards discussing the practices that would lead to the downfall of the believers, a matter that must be avoided.

The first matter involves avoiding the practice of dealing in interest; a topic that was discussed extensively at the end of Surah al-Baqarah. Re-iterating this topic here serves to emphasize the gravity of the matter. Moreover, just as charity was mentioned as the countermeasure to interest, here it is mentioned again in combination with forgiving and seeking forgiveness as a means of attaining Paradise. Allah tells us to observe how the nations preceding us were tested, indicating that we should use them as reference points from which we can learn the consequence of such practices. These lessons would also educate us on who ultimately succeeded and died upon the truth as Allah will test us in the same way.

From there, foreshadowing the topic of Uhud, Allah introduces one of the greatest tests of faith: the coming of the Prophet’s eventual death ﷺ. Allah instructs us that we cannot act like those before us who went to extremes at the death of their Prophet by either making his nature greater than a Messenger or abandoning the religion altogether. Rather, Allah shows us the example of those who were steadfast and sought aid in the face of matters of death. These were the people of excellence.

The mountain of Uhud towers above Medina

AYAT 149-172

Once again Allah reiterates how believers should not be led astray by following the disbelievers. Instead, they should rely on Allah as their Saviour. On this occasion, He cites the Battle of Uhud as an example. Several lessons are taught through this event:

Allah takes charge of striking fear into the hearts of the disbelievers, the enemy, regardless of the odds that are in their favour. Thereby, Allah ensures the success of the community of faith in the face of opposition. It is therefore futile for believers to seek success by following the way of disbelievers in religion.
Seeking material gain by leaving the guidance of the Prophet will only lead to failure. Allah demonstrates how this came to be at Uhud, when their fortune immediately changed for the worst when they left the Prophet for worldly possessions.
The decree of Allah is inevitable, so abandoning one’s responsibilities to avoid death will only lead to the same result. The only difference is whether one meets death in a state of obedience or a state of disobedience.
Death is not the ultimate failure. Disbelief is. In fact, the greatest success lies in dying in a state of obedience, thereby, leading one to gain the forgiveness and mercy of Allah. Therefore, taking sinful measures to avoid death brings no benefit.
Believers have the greatest blessing bestowed upon them through their connection to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to whom Divine assistance is promised. Therefore, any tribulation that believers experience is due to an internal deficiency caused by our own shortcomings, or by the infiltration of hypocrisy. All of these examples are revealed to us through our reactions to experiencing hardships.

In the end, those of us who sacrifice and die for Allah will have the ultimate reward. Moreover, despite how daunting things might seem in this world, our faith in the Hereafter will allow us to overcome our hardships and look forward to being rewarded by Allah for our sacrifice.

AYAT 171-180

Allah knows that people often turn away from guidance and follow those who disbelieve to avoid death and defeat. It is for this reason that Allah addresses the reality of what is perceived as “defeat” in this world with these ayat. In reality, what disbelievers consider to be defeat in death is actually success for the believer. This is because the martyr is a person who has fulfilled their responsibility to Allah and has made the ultimate sacrifice in his obedience to the Messenger, thereby gaining the superior reward. Those who understand this reality look forward to experiencing it, while those who lack faith succumb to their internal fear and the whispers of shayṭan.

Allah also addresses what is perceived by disbelievers as “success” in the form of extensive comfort and enjoyment in this world. In reality, Allah is just giving them more time to dig deeper into sin, which will only compound their regret and punishment in the end. Conversely, the trials experienced by believers are not a punishment. Rather, they are a weeding out process separating the sincere from the hypocrites. Based on this understanding, the wealthy miser is not actually benefitting himself by holding back, but rather only binding himself more to his inevitable punishment.

“Those who are miserly with what God has granted them out of His grace should not think that it is good for them; on the contrary, it is bad for them. Whatever they meanly withhold will be hung around their necks on the Day of Resurrection. It is God who will inherit the heavens and earth: God is well aware of everything you do.” (3:180) — “Those who are miserly with what God has granted them out of His grace should not think that it is good for them; on the contrary, it is bad for them. Whatever they meanly withhold will be hung around their necks on the Day of Resurrection. It is God who will inherit the heavens and earth: God is well aware of everything you do.” (**3:180**)

AYAT 181-200

In this section, Allah lays out why it is unreasonable for believers to set out to appease the People of the Book. Allah cites the audacity of those who attribute poverty to Allah, and their demands to see specific miracles, even though they rejected and killed the previous Prophets who came with the miracles they requested.

Therefore, we should not be surprised by their disapproval and verbal abuse. These are the same people who betrayed their own religion and sold out their guidance for worldly gain. The likes of these people will undoubtedly be the losers when their death inevitably arrives.

On the other hand, the true believers are those who see the clear signs of their Lord all around them. As a consequence, they are in constant remembrance of Him in every situation. Instead of turning to disbelievers for success, they pray to Allah to safeguard them from punishment whilst following the guidance of the Messenger. It is due to this sincere devotion that Allah answers their call and rewards them for all of their struggles with something far greater than the temporary comforts that He entertains the disbelievers with in this world. In the end, the only people among the Children of Israel and Christians that will gain this reward are those who follow the same guidance from Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Guidance that is in keeping with that sent in their own scriptures, as that is the only path of success.