Wa qālū lan yadkhula l-jannata illā man kāna hūdan aw nasārā (Q 2:111)
The plural pronoun in the verb qālū (they said) refers to the Jews and Christians in Medina. This reference can be understood from illā man kāna hūdan aw nasārā (unless he is a Jew or a Christian). So, the abovementioned statement can be translated as follows: They [i.e., the Jews and the Christians]
said, “No one will enter Paradise unless he is a Jew or a Christian.” Their statement constitutes a truth claim. However, it is not clear, whether the
9 Hans-Georg Gadamer, “Text and Interpretation,” in Diane P. Michelfelder and Richard E. Palmer (eds), Dialogue & Deconstruction. The Gadamer-Derrida Encounter (Albany: The State University of New York Press, 1989), 35.
intention was to humiliate each other, or the Muslims. According to Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī, the first possibility seems to be closer to the meaning of the text, as indicated in verse 113 that will be discussed. He says that Q 2:113 constitutes a more detailed explanation of Q 2:111 by mentioning the statement of the Jews against the Christians and vice versa.10
Tilka amāniyyuhum (Q 2:111)
The word amāniyy is a plural form of umniyya, meaning “wish for something.”
It has the same meaning as munya (singular) or munā (plural).11 The phrase was interpreted by Muqātil ibn Sulaymān as tamannaw ‘alā Allāh (they wished on God).12 This word is translated by Abdul Haleem as “wishful thinking.” The phrase is accordingly translated as “This is their own wishful thinking.” The similar meaning can be found in Hartmut Bobzin’s German translation of the verse, “Das sind jedoch nur ihre Wünsche.” This indicates that their truth claim was denied by God.
Qul hātū burhānakum (Q 2:111)
The phrase hātū burhānakum means “to bring or produce your evidence.”
The word hāti, according to al-Zamakhsharī, has the same meaning as ahdir (provide; make something available).13 Muqātil ibn Sulaymān interpreted the words burhānakum as hujjatukum min al-tawrāt wa al-injīl (your evidence from the Torah and gospel).14 In order to reject such a truth claim, the Prophet Muhammad was ordered to challenge them to provide evidence (burhān). This was difficult because entering into paradise is one of the eschatological aspects that are known only to God.
Balā man aslama wajhahū li Allāhi wa huwa muhsinun (Q 2:112) According to al-Zamakhsharī, the word balā is mentioned here in order for
the Prophet Muhammad to reject the truth claims of the Jews and Christians of Medina.15 The phrase man aslama wajhahū li Allāhi is interpreted by al- Zamakhsharī as man akhlasa nafsahū lahū lā yushriku bihī ghayrahū (anyone
10 Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī, Mafātih al-Ghayb, vol. 4 (Beirut: Dār al-Fikr, n.d.), 8.
11 Ibn al Manzūr, op. cit (note 4), 4283.
12 Muqātil ibn Sulaymān, Tafsīr Muqātil ibn Sulaymān, ed. Ahmad Farīd, vol. 1 (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-‘Ilmīya, 2003), 72.
13 Al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1 (Riyad: Maktabat al-‘Abikan, 1998), 311.
14 Muqātil ibn Sulaymān, op. cit. (note 12), vol. 1, 72.
15 Al-Zamakhsharī, op. cit. (note 13), vol. 1, 311.
who purifies himself for God and does not associate others with Him).16 It means that he believes in the One and Only God. Similarly, al-Tabarī interprets the phrase as “those who submit themselves to God in a sincere way.”17 Al-Rāzī has a similar interpretation. He insisted that the meaning of man aslama wajhahu is “those who submit their heart to the obedience of God (islām al-nafs li tā‘at Allāh).” A modern interpreter, Ibn ‘Āshūr, says in his al-Tahrīr wa al-Tanwīr, that the meaning of the word islām is “taslīm al-dhāt li awāmir Allāh” (the total obedience of the person to God’s commands). Accordingly, he says, “Paradise will not be a monopoly for anyone, but it will be possessed by all those who submit to God.”18 All these interpreters agree on the point that the word aslama does not mean to enter Islam exclusively, but to submit to God, regardless of the fact whether a person is a Jew, Christian or Muslim.
In terms of the phrase wa-huwa muhsinun, interpreters differ. According to al-Tabarī, it means that someone’s submission to God had to be sincere.
Unlike al-Tabarī, al-Rāzī said that it means that “someone’s obedience to God must be followed by good deeds, not by bad ones.”19 Ibn ‘Āshūr tried to combine the two opinions by saying it is not enough only to submit one’s heart to Allah and to conduct good deeds without ikhlās (sincere devotion).20 Fa lahū ajruhū ‘inda rabbihi wa lā khawfun
‘alayhim wa lā hum yahanūna (Q 2:112)
This statement insists that those who devote themselves will be rewarded by God, that there is no fear for them, and that they will not grieve. There are no difficult words here, except the structural change or alteration from the singular to the plural pronoun.
Wa qālat al-yahūdu laysat al-nasārā ‘alā shay’in wa qālat al-nasārā laysat al-yahūdu ‘alā shay’ (Q 2:113)
According to al-Zamakhsharī, the combination between the negative particle/
verb laysa and the unspecific word shay’ indicates the exaggeration in the
16 Ibid.
17 Muhammad ibn Jarīr al-Tabarī, Jāmi‘ al-Bayān fī Ta’wīl Ay al-Qur’ān, vol. 2 (Cairo:
Dār Hajar, 2001), 431.
18 Muhammad ibn al-Tāhir ibn ‘Āshūr, al-Tahrīr wa al-Tanwīr, vol. 2 (Tunis: al-Dār al-Tūnīsiyya li al-Nasyr, 1984), 674.
19 Al-Rāzī, op. cit. (note 10), vol. 4, 4.
20 Ibn ‘Āshūr, op. cit. (note 18), vol. 2, 675.
negation.21 The Qur’anic statement indicates that the Jews and Christians were in a conflict and each group accused the other group of going astray.