60 Page Notes

03 Surah Ali-Imran (continued)

Page __ Grammar 

Page 60 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

3:78

3:79

3:80

3:81

3:82

3:83

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 60 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

To understand the Hadith and Sunnah context of Page 60 of the Quran (Surah Ali 'Imran, Verses 78–83), we have to look closely at the primary themes of these verses: the distortion of scripture by some of the People of the Book, the true nature of prophetic servitude, the primordial covenant (Mithaq) taken from all Prophets regarding Prophet Muhammad, and ultimate submission to Allah.

Here is a breakdown of the Hadiths, Sunnah, and classical prophetic context (Asbab al-Nuzul / Context of Revelation) related to this specific passage.

1. Context of Verse 78: Altering and Misrepresenting Scripture

"And indeed, there is among them a party who alter the Scripture with their tongues so you may think it is from the Scripture, but it is not from the Scripture..." (Quran 3:78)

Related Hadith: The Warning Against Asking the People of the Book

This verse directly speaks to Tahrif (distortion of previous scriptures). The Sunnah provides explicit guidelines on how Muslims should treat the narrations and claims of previous scriptures in light of this distortion.

• Sahih al-Bukhari (7362): Narrated by Ubaidullah bin Abdullah: Abdullah bin Abbas said, "O Muslims! How can you ask the People of the Book about anything while your Book (the Quran) which was revealed to His Prophet is the most recent Book from Allah? You read it unadulterated, and Allah has told you that the People of the Book changed their Scripture and distorted it, and wrote the Scripture with their own hands and said, 'It is from Allah,' to sell it for a little gain. Doesn't the knowledge which has come to you prevent you from asking them?"

Related Hadith: The Stance on Israelite Traditions (Isra'iliyyat)

Because scripture was mixed with human altered phrasing (as verse 78 states, "they say, 'It is from Allah,' but it is not from Allah"), the Prophet ﷺ taught a balanced approach to their narrations:

• Sahih al-Bukhari (4485): Narrated by Abu Hurairah: The People of the Book used to read the Torah in Hebrew and explain it in Arabic to the Muslims. On that, Allah's Messenger ﷺ said, "Do not believe the People of the Book and do not disbelieve them, but say: 'We believe in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to you...'"

2. Context of Verses 79–80: Rejecting the Deification of Prophets

"It is not for a human to whom Allah has given the Scripture and authority and prophethood to then say to the people, 'Be servants to me rather than Allah'..." (Quran 3:79)

Occasion of Revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul)

Classical commentators like Ibn Kathir and Al-Wahidi record a specific event in the Sunnah / Seerah that triggered this verse:

• A delegation of Christians from Najran and Jewish rabbis from Medina came to the Prophet ﷺ. A man named Abu Rafi' al-Qurazi asked, "O Muhammad, do you want us to worship you as the Christians worship Jesus, son of Mary?" The Prophet ﷺ responded immediately: "Allah forbid that we should worship anyone other than Allah, or command anyone to worship anyone other than Allah! Allah did not send me for that, nor did He command me to do that." Following this exchange, verses 79 and 80 were revealed.

Related Hadith: Forbidding Excessive Praise

The Prophet ﷺ strictly enforced the principle in verse 79—that a prophet is only a slave and messenger, never to be elevated to a deity.

• Sahih al-Bukhari (3445): Narrated by 'Umar bin al-Khattab: I heard the Prophet ﷺ saying, "Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians exaggerated in praising the son of Mary, for I am only a slave. So, call me the slave of Allah and His Messenger."

3. Context of Verses 81–82: The Covenant of the Prophets

"And [remember] when Allah took the covenant of the prophets, [saying], 'Whatever I give you of the Scripture and wisdom and then there comes to you a messenger confirming what is with you, you must believe in him and support him'..." (Quran 3:81)

Hadith on the Supremacy of the Final Covenant

This verse establishes that if any previous Prophet had been alive during the time of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, they would be textually and legally bound by their covenant to follow him.

• Musnad Ahmad (14631) & Sunan ad-Darimi: Narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah: Umar bin al-Khattab brought a copy of the Torah to the Prophet ﷺ and said, "O Messenger of Allah, this is a copy of the Torah." The Prophet ﷺ remained silent, so Umar began to read it, and the face of the Prophet ﷺ changed color (with anger). Umar notice this and said, "I seek refuge with Allah from the wrath of Allah and His Messenger! We are pleased with Allah as our Lord, Islam as our religion, and Muhammad as our Prophet." The Prophet ﷺ then said: "By the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, if Moses were to appear to you and you were to follow him and leave me, you would go astray from the straight path. If he were alive and reached my prophethood, he would have followed me." (Graded Hasan / Good by several hadith scholars).

4. Context of Verse 83: Submission to Allah (Islam)

"So is it other than the religion of Allah they desire, while to Him have submitted [all] those within the heavens and earth, willingly or by compulsion, and to Him they will be returned?" (Quran 3:83)

Prophetic Sunnah on the Concept of "Willing vs. Compelled" Submission

The scholars of Tafsir link the "compelled" submission mentioned in this verse to the natural laws of the universe (all creation must obey Allah's physical laws) as well as those captured in battle who eventually embraced Islam genuinely.

• Sahih al-Bukhari (4557): In explaining similar concepts of people entering Islam, Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Allah wonders at those people who will enter Paradise in chains." (Meaning, those captured in war who were initially brought in by compulsion, but through experiencing the justice of Muslims, their hearts opened to Islam, and they entered Paradise as willing believers).