59 Page Notes

03 Surah Ali-Imran (continued)

Page __ Grammar 

Page 59 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

3:71

3:72

3:73

3:74

3:75

3:76

3:77

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 59 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 59 of the standard Madinah Quran covers Surah Ali 'Imran (Chapter 3), verses 71 through 77. This page exposes the deceptive tactics used by certain factions of the People of the Book to destabilize the faith of the early Muslim community, addresses the integrity of financial dealings and oaths, and issues a severe warning regarding those who sell out their covenant with Allah for a cheap worldly price.

The prophetic traditions (Hadith) and contexts of revelation provide critical commentary on these themes.

1. Verses 71–73: The Strategy of False Conversion

"O People of the Scripture, why do you confuse the truth with falsehood and conceal the truth while you know [it]? And a faction of the People of the Scripture say [to each other], 'Believe in that which was revealed to the believers at the beginning of the day and reject it at its end that perhaps they will return [i.e., abandon Islam]...'"

The Deceptive Tactic to Shake the Muslims

• The Sunnah Context / Asbab al-Nuzul: Ibn Abbas and Mujahid reported that prominent rabbis from the tribes of Medina engineered a psychological tactic to plant seeds of doubt among the less knowledgeable Muslims. They instructed their followers to pretend to accept Islam publicly in the morning, pray alongside the Muslims, and then loudly renounce it and declare it false by evening. Their goal was to make onlookers think, "These are educated people of scripture; if they abandoned Islam after trying it, they must have found a major flaw in it."

• Citation: Recorded by Ibn Abi Hatim, Al-Wahidi (Asbab al-Nuzul), and heavily corroborated across classical exegesis including Tafsir Ibn Kathir and Tafsir al-Tabari under these verses.

2. Verse 75: Financial Integrity and the Trust (Amanah)

"And among the People of the Scripture is he who, if you entrust him with a great wealth [a talent], he will return it to you. And among them is he who, if you entrust him with a single coin [a dinar], he will not return it to you unless you are constantly standing over him. That is because they say, 'There is no blame upon us concerning the unlearned.' And they speak untruth about Allah while they know [it]."

The Pre-Islamic Justification for Theft

The verse highlights a corrupt theological view held by some who believed they were exempt from moral or financial integrity when dealing with non-Jewish Arabs ("the unlearned"), believing their wealth was fair game.

• The Hadith Context: It is recorded that when this verse was revealed, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ explicitly condemned this predatory worldview and affirmed that Islam demands absolute honesty across religious lines. He ﷺ said: "The enemies of Allah have lied! Everything that was practiced in the Days of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah) is beneath my feet, except for the fulfillment of trusts (Amanah). The trust must be returned to the one who entrusted you, whether they are a righteous person or a sinner."

• Citation: Tafsir al-Tabari and Al-Jassas (Ahkam al-Quran), cited as an essential legal foundation on international business ethics in Islam.

3. Verse 77: The Gravity of False Oaths and Business Fraud

"Indeed, those who exchange the covenant of Allah and their [hatched] oaths for a small price will have no share in the Hereafter, and Allah will not speak to them or look at them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them; and they will have a painful punishment."

This particular verse is backed by some of the most strictly authenticated and terrifying warnings in the entire Hadith corpus regarding business fraud and taking false oaths in a court of law.

The Land Dispute of Ash'ath ibn Qays

• The Hadith: Abdullah ibn Mas'ud narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Whoever takes a false oath to deprive a Muslim of his property unjustly, will meet Allah while He is angry with him." The companion Ash'ath ibn Qays then walked in and said to the gathering: "What is Abdullah narrating to you? By Allah, this verse was revealed specifically concerning me! I had a dispute with a Jewish man over a piece of land, and he denied my right. I brought him to the Prophet ﷺ, who told me: 'Do you have proof?' I said, 'No.' The Prophet ﷺ said to the Jewish man, 'Take an oath.' I exclaimed, 'O Messenger of Allah, if he takes an oath, he will swear falsely and take my property!' At that exact moment, Allah revealed this verse: 'Indeed, those who exchange the covenant of Allah and their oaths for a small price...'"

• Citation: Sahih al-Bukhari (Book 44, Hadith 8) and Sahih Muslim (Book 1, Hadith 257).

Selling Goods with False Oaths

• The Hadith: In a closely related tradition that applies verse 77 directly to everyday commerce, Abu Dharr reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: "There are three people whom Allah will not speak to on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He look at them, nor will He purify them, and they will have a painful punishment." The Prophet ﷺ repeated this three times. Abu Dharr asked, "They are ruined and lost! Who are they, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied: "The one who lets his garment trail beneath his ankles out of pride (Al-Musbil), the one who reminds people of his charity to hurt them (Al-Mannan), and the merchant who sells his goods by means of a false oath (Al-Munaffiqu sil'atahu bil-halifil-kādhib)."

• Citation: Sahih Muslim (Book 1, Hadith 192).