Volume 8 Surah 9 - Enjoy Islam

Al-Tawbah (The Repentance) | RELATIONS WITH OTHER RELIGIONSPeople of earlier revelations! Why do you disbelieve in God’s revelations when youyourselves bear witness [to their truth’? People of earlier revelations! Why do youcloak the truth with falsehood, and knowingly conceal the truth? A party of the peopleof earlier revelations say [to one another]: ‘Declare at the beginning of the day, thatyou believe in what has been revealed to the believers, and then deny it at the end ofthe day, so that they might go back on their faith.’ (3: 70-72)There are some among them who twist their tongues when quoting the Scriptures, sothat you may think that [what they say] is from the Scriptures, when it is not from theScriptures. They say: ‘It is from God,’ when it is not from God. Thus, they deliberatelysay of God what they know to be a lie. (3: 78)Say: ‘People of earlier revelations, why do you disbelieve in God’s revelations, whenGod Himself is witness to all that you do?’ Say: ‘People of earlier revelations, why doyou try to turn those who have come to believe away from the path of God, seeking tomake it appear crooked, when you yourselves bear witness [to its being straight’? Godis not unaware of what you do.’ (3: 98-99)The people of earlier revelations ask you to have a book sent down to them fromheaven. They asked Moses for something even greater than that, when they said: Makeus see God with our own eyes.’ The thunderbolt smote them for this their wrongdoing.After that, they took to worshipping the calf even after clear evidence of the truth hadcome to them. (4: 153)They want to extinguish God’s light with their mouths, but God will not allowanything but to bring His light to perfection, however hateful this may be to theunbelievers. (Verse 32)History witnessed repeated violations by the Jews of their treaties with theMuslim state in Madinah, as also their scheming against the Muslims. Theseviolations led to the encounters with the Jewish tribes of Qaynuqā`, al-Nadīr andQurayzah and also the Battle of Khaybar. Their efforts to bring together all the forceshostile to Islam in an unholy alliance, with the aim of exterminating Islam altogether,are well known.They have continued to scheme against Islam and the Muslim community eversince. They were instrumental in the chaotic events that led to the assassination of thethird rightly-guided Caliph, `Uthmān ibn Affān, and to the emergence of division inthe Muslim community. They were the main culprits in the conflict that took placebetween `Alī and Mu`āwiyah. They led the way in the fabrication of false statementsattributed to the Prophet, historical reports and baseless interpretations of Qur’ānic91