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Al-Baqara

"And the Jews say, the Christians follow nothing (good) and the Christians say, the Jews follow nothing (good) while they recite the (same) Book. Even thus say those who have no knowledge, like what they say. So Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection in that wherein they differ.

And who is more unjust than he who prevents (men) from the mosques of Allah, from His name being remembered therein, and strives to ruin them? (As for) these, it was not proper for them to enter them except in fear. For them is disgrace in this world, and theirs is a grievous chastisement in the Hereafter.

And Allah’s is the East and the West, so wither you turn thither is Allah’s purpose. Surely Allah is Ample-giving, Knowing." Ch. 2:113-115

Muslims warned not to follow the ways of the Jews and Christians

Perhaps you are surprised, and would like to ask how this section refers to Muslims and Islam, when, in fact, it talks about the Jews and Christians? These verses definitely have a strong connection with Muslims and Islam, as I shall explain shortly. As you know Al-Fatihah is the prayer where the believer requests Allah for guidance on the path of those upon whom He has bestowed favors, not those upon whom wrath is brought down, nor those who went astray. That prayer has a very comprehensive meaning as I discussed in my commentary on the Al-Fatihah. However, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has specifically explained the meaning of those upon whom wrath is brought down and those who went astray as being the Jews and Christians. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) gave this interpretation on the basis of the Holy Quran, for it is said about the Jews in the very beginning of the Al-Baqarah:

"And they incurred Allah’s wrath" (2:61).

The verse I quoted in the beginning of this lesson says that the Jews say that the Christians do not follow any good, and the Christians say that the Jews do not follow any good although they both read the Book. The book refers to their revealed scripture, the Old Testament, which forms the major portion of the Bible, and which is read by both the Jews and the Christians. In the section prior to this, in verse 111 it is stated:

"And they say: None shall enter the Garden except he who is a Jew, or the Christians."

Two errors of the Jews and the Christians are pointed out here. Their first mistake is that each one of these groups regards itself as the only one deserving paradise, and the other destined to hell fire. Their second error is that they do not see any goodness in each other, as pointed out in the verse:

"And the Jews say, the Christians follow nothing (good), and the Christians say, the Jews follow nothing (good)."

These are two very common faults of human nature i.e., regarding oneself as pure, clean, and sinless, while finding faults with others, and turning a blind eye to any good qualities in those with whom we have the slightest disagreement. Since these two weaknesses are so common, why were the Jews and Christians singled out in the Holy Quran? The answer to this lies in the Quranic statement, "while they recite the same Book." This verse points to the fact that they both have a common scripture which they both believe in and recite. In light of this fact, such extreme prejudice is very surprising. What is the lesson in this for the Muslims? Both these religions i.e., Judaism and Christianity are affiliated with different prophets i.e., Prophet Moses and Prophet Jesus, and they share only a part of their Book, i.e., the Old Testament, and not the New Testament. Muslims on the other hand are the followers of the same Prophet, and their scripture from its first to the last letter is the same. It is a pity that believers in One God, the same Prophet and the same scripture would follow the example of the Jews and the Christians. Is it not true, however, that there are seventy two sects amongst the Muslims? Is it not also true that each one of these sects considers only itself to be worthy of paradise and all others deserving hell? Is this not similar to the opinion of the seventy two sects of the Jews, and the opinion of Christians sects about each other? Is it not the condition of the Muslims that each one of their sects cannot see any goodness in the other? This was exactly the prevailing state of affairs amongst the seventy two sects of the Jews and the Christians, although they shared a common scripture.

Divine warning not heeded by Muslims of the present age

All the sects amongst the Muslims believe in the same scripture, the Holy Quran. In this Book, which is full of purity and wisdom, the Muslims are enjoined:

"and be not disunited";

immediately prior to this it is said:

"And hold fast by the covenant (rope) of Allah" (3:103).

The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said the covenant (rope) of Allah is His Book, which extends from the heaven to the earth . Whosoever holds on to this covenant and acts upon it will progress morally, and spiritually till he reaches heavenly heights. The Quran, therefore, enjoins the Muslims to unite on the Holy Quran. If any differences arise, they should seek the answer to their differences from the Holy Quran. All the sectarian divisions would not have occurred among the Muslims if they had sought the answer to their differences from the Holy Quran. Why then, did the Muslims become so narrow minded that their different sects see no goodness in the others, and regard the others as having gone astray, in fact disbelievers, although they all read the same scripture? This was also prophesied by the Holy Quran in the verse:

"Even thus say those who have no knowledge, like what they say,"

"And those who have no knowledge say: Why does not Allah speak to us, or a sign come to us? Even thus said those before them, the like of what they say",

The verse that follows is the charter of freedom of religion, and conscience for the world:

"So Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection in that wherein they differ."

It is then stated:

"And who is more unjust than he who prevents (men) from the mosques of Allah, from His name being remembered therein, and strives to ruin them? (As for ) these, it was not proper for them to enter them except in fear. For them is disgrace in this world, and theirs is a grievous chastisement in the Hereafter."

These Divine words indicate unambiguously that the discussion is now focused upon the Muslims as was indicated by the previous wordings also. This verse mentions clearly the preventing from the Mosques of Allah. The Jews and the Christians did not stop those who differed from them in their religious views, from their places of worship. In this century, we have witnessed ourselves that the Christians, in fact, invite people of other faiths to their churches, so as to influence the visitors with the goodness of their faith. It was only the different sects of the Muslims who not only prevented each other from coming to their mosques, but also fought amongst themselves in such matters. On trivial matters such as pronouncing the words, ‘wa-la-zaleen or wa-la-daleen,’ on saying ‘ameen,’ loudly or silently, on where to place the hands when standing up for prayer etc., people clashed with one another in the mosques, and the sect to which the mosque belonged, excluded the other one from entering it. The evil of calling each other as heretics is an old one amongst the Muslims. Such action took place for the first time during the sedition of the Khawarij, in the time of the fourth Caliph Hazrat Ali,. However, the people were never stopped from entering the mosques, until the beginning of the thirteenth century Hijra. The condition of the Muslims, then became such that signs were posted outside the mosques indicating the sect to which the mosque belonged, and barring others from entering it. Allah says who is more unjust than the people who indulge in such action, for mosques were built for the remembrance of Allah. Those who stop people from entering them endeavor towards their desolation by such action. The famous poet of the east, Muhammad Iqbal has described this as, ‘the lamentation of the mosques that no one comes for prayer.’ Another famous poet Maulana Hali also paints a heartbreaking picture of this in his poems.

The Holy Quran says, those who prevent people from the mosques of Allah should not have entered them, but with the fear of Allah in their hearts. They have turned the House of Allah into their own private homes where from they exclude people as they desire. Such people, according to the Divine verse would be disgraced in this world, and will face chastisement in the Hereafter.

Spread of Islam in the West prophesied

The words that follow are truly amazing:

"And Allah’s is the East and the West, so wither you turn thither is Allah’s purpose. Surely Allah is Ample-giving, Knowing."

Glory be to Allah and all praise is His, Glory be to Allah who is incomparable in greatness. What a great Prophecy this is! It was made fourteen hundred years ago, and has been realized to the very letter. It states both the East and the West belong to Allah. Islam first spread to the East, which included the Middle East and Asia. The reason for this was that during that time period the East was the center of culture, learning and civilization. Islam is not the kind of religion which is propagated by taking advantage of the ignorance of uncivilized nations. Its appeal is to the enlightened mind, and not to one steeped in intellectual darkness. Fourteen hundred years ago, Europe and America were still in the dark ages. East was the center of culture and civilization, and that is why Islam spread in the East during that period. In this day and age, great progress in science and humanities has been made in the West. Religious intolerance has gradually pervaded the East, as a result of which people are barred from entering the mosques. Allah, therefore, turned the direction of Islamic acceptance towards the West, through His appointed reformer (mujaddid) Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, and his followers. Hazrat Mirza sahib presented Islam as the enlightened religion which appeals to reason, and which is backed with the wealth of knowledge and wisdom acceptable to the educated mind. Thousands of individuals in Europe and many more people in America have converted to Islam after reading the commentary of the Holy Quran, and the Islamic literature produced by the organization, he formed for this purpose. This organization is represented today by the Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam Lahore. The signs of the spread of Islam in the West are becoming more apparent every day as a result of these efforts.

The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had prophesied this in his saying that in the last age the sun shall rise in the West. The Holy Quran has called the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as the Light Giving Sun (siraj-um-muneera). It is quite a coincidence that the heavenly body called the sun also rises from the East. When we say it has set in the West, it is actually rising in the West at the time. May we dedicate our lives, and sacrifice our self for the Holy Quran, and the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), the prophecies of both having been so elegantly fulfilled after fourteen hundred years. All praise be to Allah for this!

The last verse of this lesson is:

"Surely Allah is Ample-giving, Knowing,"

In the subsequent verses of this section, the Christian beliefs of the son of God , and other objections raised in the West, for example regarding Divine revelation are answered. This is a further and clear indication that in this section the spread of Islam in the West is implied. What an amazing and a wonderful scripture is the Holy Quran!