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Taking Allah’s Color: Commentary of the Quran (Chapter 2:138-141) By: Mohammad Sobhanie

Commentary of the Quran

Commentary of the Quran (Chapter 2:138-141)

By: Mohammad Sobhanie

Taking Allah’s Color

بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

صِبْغَةَ اللَّـهِ وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ اللَّـهِ صِبْغَةً وَنَحْنُ لَهُ عَابِدُونَ ﴿١٣٨﴾ قُلْ أَتُحَاجُّونَنَا فِي اللَّـهِ وَهُوَ رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكُمْ وَلَنَا أَعْمَالُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَالُكُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُخْلِصُونَ ﴿١٣٩﴾ أَمْ تَقُولُونَ إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطَ كَانُوا هُودًا أَوْ نَصَارَى قُلْ أَأَنتُمْ أَعْلَمُ أَمِ اللَّـهُ وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن كَتَمَ شَهَادَةً عِندَهُ مِنَ اللَّـهِ وَمَا اللَّـهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١٤٠﴾ تِلْكَ أُمَّةٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَلَكُم مَّا كَسَبْتُمْ وَلَا تُسْأَلُونَ عَمَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١٤١

 

Translation:

2:138 Say, “Take Allah’s color, and who can give a better color than Allah? Therefore, we worship and submit to Him alone.”

2:139 Say (O Prophet to the Jews and Christians), “Do you dispute with us about Allah’s (decision) while He is our Lord and your Lord, and we are accountable for our deeds and you for your deeds, and we have dedicated our worship to Him alone?”

2:140 Or do you say that Ibrahim, Isma`il, Ishaq, Ya`qub and Al-Asbat, were Jews or Christians?  Ask them (O Prophet), “Do you know better than Allah? And who is more unjust than the one who conceals the testimony which Allah has entrusted to him? And (be sure that) Allah is not unaware of what you do.”

2:141 They were a people who have passed away and they shall be repaid for what they earned and you for what you earn. And you will not be questioned as to what they did.

 

Commentary:  The religion of Allah (SWT) is likened in the verse 2:139 to a dye, which enables man to take on the color of the attributes of Allah (SWT) [(صِبْغَةَ اللَّـهِ)], such as the attributes of truthfulness, justice, generosity, etc. Indeed, one should ask himself which color (religion) could be better than the color (religion) of Allah (SWT) [(وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ اللَّـهِ صِبْغَةً)]? Therefore, Muslims worship Allah (SWT) and submit to Him with sincerity, [(وَنَحْنُ لَهُ عَابِدُونَ)] & [(وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُخْلِصُونَ)].

صِبْغَةَ اللَّـهِ ۖ وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ اللَّـهِ صِبْغَةً ۖ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ عَابِدُونَ ﴿١٣٨

2:138 Say, “Take Allah’s color, and who can give a better color than Allah? Therefore, we worship and submit to Him alone.”

 

The Jews of Medina argued that the Prophet of Islam should be amongst the offspring of the Children of Israel. The verse 2:139 asks “Do you dispute with us about Allah’s (decisions)?” [(قُلْ أَتُحَاجُّونَنَا فِي اللَّـهِ)]. Whereas, Allah (SWT) knows to whom He should entrust His divine message, [Al-Anam 6:124 (اللَّـهُ أَعْلَمُ حَيْثُ يَجْعَلُ رِسَالَتَهُ)].

In other instances, they argued as whom would receive eternal salvation and redemption [(وَقَالُوا كُونُوا هُودًا أَوْ نَصَارَىٰ تَهْتَدُوا), 2:135]? There is no sense in discussing this issue. Since “He(Allah) is our Lord and your Lord.” [(وَهُوَ رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكُمْ)] and we are accountable for our deeds and you for your deeds [(وَلَنَا أَعْمَالُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَالُكُمْ)], and we have dedicated our worship to Him alone, [(وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُخْلِصُونَ)]”.

قُلْ أَتُحَاجُّونَنَا فِي اللَّـهِ وَهُوَ رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكُمْ وَلَنَا أَعْمَالُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَالُكُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُخْلِصُونَ ﴿١٣٩

2:139 Say (O Prophet to the Jews and Christians), “Do you dispute with us about Allah’s (decision) while He is our Lord and your Lord, and we are accountable for our deeds and you for your deeds, and we have dedicated our worship to Him alone?”

 

Following the aforementioned arguments, verse 2:140 asks the People of the Book if “Ibrahim, Isma`il, Ishaq, Ya`qub and Al-Asbat, were Jews or Christians.” It should be noted that both Judaism and Christianity came after these messengers. Furthermore, these messengers had all confessed that they were Muslims [Al-Baqara 2:133] and Allah (SWT) attests that “Ibrahim was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was a true Muslim” [Al-i-Imran 3:67]. Are the Jews of Medina then claiming that they know better than Allah (SWT) [(قُلْ أَأَنتُمْ أَعْلَمُ أَمِ اللَّـهُ)]?

أَمْ تَقُولُونَ إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطَ كَانُوا هُودًا أَوْ نَصَارَى قُلْ أَأَنتُمْ أَعْلَمُ أَمِ اللَّـهُ …… ﴿١٤٠

2:140 Or say you that Ibrahim, Isma`il, Ishaq, Ya`qub and Al-Asbat, were Jews or Christians Say, “Do you know better or does Allah ……”

 

The verse 2:140 ends with this question: “who is more unjust than he who conceals the truth that he has from Allah”, and we should be sure that He is aware of what we do.

……وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن كَتَمَ شَهَادَةً عِندَهُ مِنَ اللَّـهِ وَمَا اللَّـهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١٤٠

2:140 ……And who is more unjust than the one who conceals the testimony which Allah has entrusted to him? And (be sure that) Allah is not unaware of what you do.”

 

Regardless of whether one accepts or rejects the divine facts, Prophet Ya’qub and his children constituted the early nation of the Children of Israel. They themselves were solely accountable for their deeds [(تِلْكَ أُمَّةٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ)], just as how the contemporary generation of Israelites are responsible for their actions [(وَلَكُم مَّا كَسَبْتُمْ)]. The later generations of Israelites will not be questioned for what their ancestors did [(وَلَا تُسْأَلُونَ عَمَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ)]. This is true for every nation, including the nation of Islam.

تِلْكَ أُمَّةٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَلَكُم مَّا كَسَبْتُمْ وَلَا تُسْأَلُونَ عَمَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١٤١

2:141 That was a nation who has passed away. They shall receive the reward of what they earned, and you of what you earn. And you will not be asked of what they used to do.

 

The end of the first part of the Glorious Quran

December 28-2017

9th Rabil’al Athani, 1439

اللَّهُمَّ أَحْسِنْ عَاقِبَتَنَا فِي الْأُمُورِ كُلِّهَا وَأَجِرْنَا مِنْ خِزْيِ الدُّنْيَا وَعَذَابِ الْآخِرَة

Appendix:

[(الْأَسْبَاطَ)] al-asbat are prophets that were sent to the offspring of the twelve sons of Prophet Ya’qub (Jacob)

 

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