Christians and Jews Receive their Reward Twice Over Upon Embracing Islaam. The saying of Allah, the Exalted: “Those to whom We gave the Scripture [i.e. the (Torah) and the (Gospel)] before it (i.e. the Quran), are believers in it (i.e., their scholars). And when it is recited to them, they say: \We believe in it. Indeed it is the truth from our Lord. Indeed even before it we were Muslims (those who submit themselves to Allah (God)). They will be given their reward twice over due to their patience, and because they repel evil with good and spend (in charity) out of what We have provided for them. And when they hear Al-Laghw (dirty, false, evil vain talk), they withdraw from it and say: \To us our deeds, and to you your deeds. Peace be upon you. We seek not (the way of) the ignorant.\ [Al Qasas: 52-55] Allah informs us of the scholars of the people of the scripture, they believe in the Quran as Allah the Most High Said: “Those to whom We gave the Book [the Tawrat (Torah)] recite it (i.e. obey its orders and follow its teachings) as it should be recited (i.e. followed), they are the ones who believe in it.” [Al Baqarah: 121] “And there are, certainly, among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), those who believe in Allah and in what has been revealed to you, and in what has been revealed to them, humbling themselves before Allah.” [Aal Imraan: 199] “Say (O Muhammad): \Believe in it (the Quran) or do not believe (in it). Verily, those who were given knowledge before it (the Jews and the Christians), when it is recited to them they fall down on their faces in humble prostration.\ And they say: \Glorified is our Lord! Truly, the Promise of our Lord must be fulfilled.\ [Israa: 107-108] “...and you will find the nearest in love to the believers (Muslims) are those who say: \We are Christians.\ That is because amongst them are priests and monks, and they are not arrogant. And when they hear what has been sent down to the Messenger (Muhammad), you see their eyes overflowing with tears because of the truth that they have recognized. They say: \Our Lord! We believe; so record us amongst the witnesses.” [Al Maidah: 82-83] Sa’eed ibn Jubair said: “This verse was revealed because of seventy priests that Al Najashi (King of Ethiopia) sent to the Messenger, may the Salat and Salam be upon him. When they arrived, he recited the chapter of Ya-seen to them, when he finished, they cried and embraced Islam.” This verse was also revealed about them: “Those to whom We gave the Scripture [i.e. the (Torah) and the (Gospel)] before it (Quran), are believers in it (i.e., their scholars). They are the people of the Torah and the Bible, those who didn’t alter their book, they believe in the Quran. “And when it is recited to them, they say: \We believe in it. Indeed it is the truth from our Lord.”” Meaning that if the Quran is recited to them they say: ‘We believe in it, it is the truth that we know has been sent down from our Lord’. This is because of its similarity to what the messengers before came with, the true accounts that it consists of and the orders and prohibitions in it that are in harmony with the highest degree of wisdom. “Indeed even before it we were Muslims.” Meaning that before the Quran was revealed we were Muslims, we were monotheistic, sincere and obedient to Allah (God), believing that Muhammad would be sent during the end of times and that the Quran would be revealed to him due to that being foretold in the Torah and the Bible. “They will be given their reward twice over, due to their patience” Meaning those who have these characteristics would be given a double reward, those who believed in the first Book (Bible/Torah), then the second (Quran), the first prophet (‘Isa/Jesus) and the second prophet (Muhammad), this is why Allah the Exalted said: “...due to their patience” Meaning patience upon following the truth and being steadfast upon acting on it, not shaken by doubts, lusts or love for status, for indeed bearing such situations is difficult. Abu Musa al Ash’ari narrated that the Messenger of Allah, may the Salat and Salam be upon him, said: “Three types of people will be given their reward twice over; a person from the people of the book, one who believed in his prophet and then believed in me...” Imam Ahmad narrated that Al Qasim said: The Messenger of Allah said something beautiful, he said: “Whoever embraces Islam from the people of the two scriptures (Jews and Christians) will be given a double reward...” And when they hear Al-Laghw (dirty, false, evil vain talk), they withdraw from it and say: \To us our deeds, and to you your deeds. Peace be upon you. We seek not (the way of) the ignorant.\ Muhammad ibn Ishaq said: “About 20 Christians traveled to the Messenger of Allah in Makkah when news of him reached them in Ethiopia. They found him in the Grand Mosque, sat with him, talked to him and asked him questions. When they finished asking him what they wanted, he called them to Allah, the Most High, and recited some of the Quran to them. Upon hearing the Quran, their eyes started overflowing with tears, and so they responded to Allah and believed in Him. They recognized the characteristics of the Messenger that they were told of in their book. When they got up to leave, Abu Jahl ibn Hisham and a group of men from Quraish stood in their way and said: “May Allah shame such a group of travelers, the people of your religion only sent you to bring back the news of this man to them, but you were not content with your gatherings with him until you forsook your religion and believed in what he says. We do not know of any travelers more foolish than you.” They replied: “May peace be upon you, we will not act ignorantly towards you, you are upon what you are upon, and we are upon what we are upon.” Summarized from: Tafseer Ibn Katheer, Fat-hul Qadeer and Tayseer Al Kareem Ar Rahmaan (Tafseer As Sa’di).
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 01:09:53 +0000