Quran Garden

Session 400

Chapter 3

Verses 73 & 74

"But do not trust in any but those who follow your religion." Say, "Surely, the only guidance is God's guidance," that anyone should be given the like of what you were given, or that they should argue against you before your Lord.  Say, "All grace and bounty is in God's hand; He gives it to whomever He wills." God is Infinite, All-Knowing.

(Chapter 3: Verse 73)

When Islam spread in Arabia, some of the Jews and Christians of Medina conspired to sow doubt within the Muslim community, as the following verse illustrates:

A group of the People of the Book says, "At the beginning of the day, you should claim to believe in what was sent down to those who believed, and then, at the end of the day, you should reject it, so that hopefully they will revert." (3:72)

They thought, "Let's declare that we have accepted Islam, and then renounce it shortly after.  We are the trustees of the heavenly scriptures, and people trust our judgment.  Hopefully, others would leave Islam with us."  They aimed to demoralize the Muslim community.  Of course, for such a plan to work, they had to keep it a secret.  They said, "But do not trust in any but those who follow your religion." 

Allah exposed their deception to the believers by revealing the verses under study. Thus, He spoiled their plan and turned the psychological war against those who ignited it.  Allah further highlighted their fears:

Say, "Surely, the only guidance is God's guidance," that anyone should be given the like of what you were given, or that they should argue against you before your Lord.

The perpetrators of this scheme claimed that they were the only source of guidance and that they were entrusted to lead people to the heavens.  It would have been understandable if their goal were to convert people from Islam to Christianity or Judaism.  Sadly, they could not care less if people followed their religions.  All they aimed for was chaos and delusion and to leave Muhammad with no followers.  They conspired to keep their plans secret rather than bring forth an intelligent argument against Islam. 

Here we should ask, what were they afraid of?  For decades, they felt superior to others because of their connection to the heavens, and they used this knowledge to rule over the pagans.  Now, with the new message revealed to Muhammad, people around them established a more robust and untainted connection to the heavens.  The People of the Book also knew that Islam is the final message and the Quran the final heavenly scripture, so the advantage they once enjoyed was lost forever.  Rather than embracing the truth, they desperately wanted to deprive people of it.  They feared that the Muslims would soon be able to hold their own while arguing against them in matters of faith.   

All of that pointed to their foolishness and lack of faith.  Why? Because they operated under the illusion that God was unaware of their secrets.  They forgot that God knows what the hearts conceal, so their plans could never work.  God says:

And the disbelievers schemed; God also schemed; God is the Best of Schemers. (3:54)

Sadly, the Children of Israel have littered their history with false narratives about God's knowledge.  For example, when the Israelites left Egypt and went wandering in the desert, they claimed that God instructed Moses as follows: "Mark the homes of the faithful, for My punishment will descend soon and seize the whole country." That is to say, if they did not put signs on their doors, God would not know, and He would punish the wrong people.  

God answers with, "Surely, the only guidance is God's guidance" and "All grace and bounty is in God's hand; He gives it to whomever He wills." As long as the grace is within the hands of God, people of deception will never be able to misguide others as they wish.   Allah grants His guidance and grace to those who deserve such gifts, and no one can take that away except Him.   

The verse ends with "God is Infinite, All-Knowing," meaning that Allah is not limited by supply, so He can grant grace to all His creations.  Yet, Allah is also All-Knowing of who deserves the grace and whose heart is corrupt.  He says in the next verse of Al-Imran:

And He singles out for His mercy whoever He will. His grace is infinite. (Chapter 3: Verse 74)

Every moment of life is a blessing –not a right– from God.  He showers His mercy by granting the blessings of faith to whomever He wills.  The disbelievers and some of the People of the Book wanted to subject God's scriptures and teachings to their whims.  They did not hate Islam or the Quran; they simply could not stand the fact that it was not revealed to one of them.  God says:

They say, "Why was this Quran not sent down to one of the great men of the two cities?" Are they the ones who hand out your Lord's grace? We are the Ones Who give them their share of livelihood in this world, and We have raised some of them above others in rank, so that some may take others into service: your Lord's grace is better than anything they accumulate. (43:31-32)

             Allah replied that the disbelievers are not in charge of God's mercy: He, the All-Knowledgeable, the All-Wise, puts His message and mercy where He sees fit.  In fact, the phrase "singles out" means that there is a selection.  One party is chosen while all others are excluded, and no one except Allah has any say or influence on this decision.  The jealousy and resentment of those who opposed Muhammad only distanced them further from God.  He says:

They seek to extinguish God's light with their mouths, whereas God refuses but to complete His light, even though the unbelievers detest it.  It is He Who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth that He may make it prevail over all religions, however hateful this may be to those who associate partners with God. (9:32-33)