Tafseer of The Family of Imraan · Aal-i-Imraan · 3:114
They believe in Allah and the Last Day, and they enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and hasten to good deeds. And those are among the righteous.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Explanation of the saying of the Exalted: لَيْسُوا سَوَاءً مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ أُمَّةٌ قَائِمَةٌ يَتْلُونَ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ وَهُمْ يَسْجُدُونَ (113) ("They are not all alike. Among the People of the Book is an upright community that recites the signs of Allah during the hours of the night, while they prostrate themselves.") (3:113)
Abū Jaʿfar said: By His saying, exalted is His praise, "They are not all alike," He means: the two groups of the People of the Book—the believers among them and the unbelievers—are not alike. By this it is meant that they are not equal to one another. He says: they are not equivalent to one another, but they differ among themselves in piety and corruption, in good and evil.
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It was said only "They are not all alike," because therein lies the mention of the two groups of the People of the Book whom Allah mentioned in His saying: وَلَوْ آمَنَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُمْ مِنْهُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ ("And had the People of the Book believed, it would have been better for them. Among them are believers, but most of them are corrupt transgressors (fāsiqūn).")—this is the previously mentioned verse, 110 of Sūrah Āl ʿImrān. Then He, exalted is His praise, gave information about the state of the two groups in His sight, the believer among them and the unbeliever, and said: "They are not all alike," that is to say: these are not equal, the believers among them and the unbelievers. Thereafter He, exalted is His praise, began the report concerning the characteristic of the believing group of the People of the Book, praised them and lauded them—after He had described the corrupt group among them with what He ascribed to it of cowardice, faint-heartedness of spirit, the covenant of humiliation and abasement, persistence in poverty and neediness, and bearing the disgrace of this world and the disgrace of the Hereafter—and He said: "Among the People of the Book is an upright community that recites the signs of Allah during the hours of the night, while they prostrate themselves"—the three verses, up to His saying: وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالْمُتَّقِينَ ("And Allah is All-Knowing of the God-fearing.").
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His saying "an upright community" (ummatun qāʾimatun) is in the nominative case on the basis of His saying "among the People of the Book."
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A group of the grammarians of Kūfa and Baṣra, and the most eminent among them in their craft, erroneously held that what comes after "alike" (sawāʾ) in this place, namely His saying "an upright community," is an exposition (tarjama) of "alike" and an explanation of it, in the meaning: there are not alike among the People of the Book an upright community that recites the signs of Allah during the hours of the night, and another that is unbelieving. They claimed that the mention of the other group was omitted, because mention of one of the two groups, namely "the upright community," was deemed sufficient. As an example of this they cited the saying of Abū Dhuʾayb:
I disobeyed my heart concerning her; I am to her command obedient, yet I do not know whether the striving after her is right guidance.
And he did not say: "or not right guidance," because he was content with his saying "or whether it is right guidance" without the mention of "or not right guidance." And the saying of another:
I behold you, and I do not know whether it is a care that has preoccupied me— and whoever bears care has, of old, become submissive and abased.
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Abū Jaʿfar said: Nevertheless, it is with them an error that one who wishes to say "it is alike whether you stand or sit" should say "it is alike whether you stand" and stop there, until he says "or sit." For they permit the omission of the second part only in those expressions that are sufficient with a single part, but not in that which falls short of that, such as "I do not care" (mā ubālī) or "I do not know" (mā adrī). Thus they permitted saying: "I do not care whether you stand," while one means "I do not care whether you stand or sit," because "I do not care" is sufficient with a single part; and likewise with "I do not know." But they refused to permit that with "alike" (sawāʾ), on account of its incompleteness and because it is not sufficient with a single part. Thus, in their interpretation of His saying "They are not all alike; among the People of the Book is an upright community"—according to what we have related from them, in the direction in which they explained it—they have neglected their own principles of Arabic, in that they permitted in it an omission which, according to themselves, is not permitted in the language with "alike," and they have misunderstood the explanation of the verse. For "alike" (sawāʾ) in this place has the meaning of completeness and sufficiency, not the meaning which the one whose saying we have related assigned to it.
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It has been mentioned that His saying "Among the People of the Book is an upright community"—the three verses—was revealed concerning a group of the Jews who accepted Islam and whose Islam was good.
*Mention of who said that:
7644 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq, saying: Muḥammad ibn Abī Muḥammad related to me, on the authority of ʿIkrima or on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, saying: When ʿAbdullāh ibn Salām, Thaʿlaba ibn Saʿya, Usayd ibn Saʿya, Asad ibn ʿUbayd, and those of the Jews who accepted Islam with them had accepted Islam, believed, held it to be true, longed for Islam, and become steadfast in it, the rabbis of the Jews and the unbelievers among them said: "No one has believed in Muḥammad and followed him except our worst! Had they been of our best, they would not have abandoned the religion of their fathers and turned to another." Then Allah, Mighty and Exalted is He, revealed concerning that, regarding their saying: "They are not all alike; among the People of the Book is an upright community that recites the signs of Allah," up to His saying: وَأُولَئِكَ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ ("and these are among the righteous.").
7645 — Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Yūnus ibn Bukayr related to us, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq, saying: Ibn Abī Muḥammad, the mawlā of Zayd ibn Thābit, related to me, saying: Saʿīd ibn Jubayr or ʿIkrima related to me, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, with something similar.
7646 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: "They are not all alike; among the People of the Book is an upright community"—the verse—he says: not the whole people perished; Allah still had among them a remnant.
7647 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, saying: Ibn Jurayj said: "an upright community"—they are ʿAbdullāh ibn Salām, Thaʿlaba ibn Salām his brother, Saʿya, Mubashshir, and Usayd and Asad, the two sons of Kaʿb.
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Others said: the meaning of it is: the People of the Book and the community of Muḥammad, which is upright in the right of Allah, are not alike in the sight of Allah.
*Mention of who said that:
7648 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of al-Ḥasan ibn Yazīd al-ʿIjlī, on the authority of ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd, that concerning His saying "They are not all alike; among the People of the Book is an upright community" he used to say: the People of the Book and the community of Muḥammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, are not alike.
7649 — Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Aḥmad ibn al-Mufaḍḍal related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: "They are not all alike; among the People of the Book is an upright community"—the verse—he says: these Jews are not alike to this community that is upright.
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Abū Jaʿfar said: We have already explained that the more correct of the two views concerning this is the view of the one who says: the account is completed at His saying "They are not all alike," as information from Allah about the matter of the believers among the People of the Book and the unbelievers among them, and that His saying "Among the People of the Book is an upright community" is a newly commenced report, with praise of the believers among them and the description of their characteristic, according to what Ibn ʿAbbās, Qatāda, and Ibn Jurayj said.
* * *
By His saying "an upright community" He, exalted is His praise, means a group that is upright upon the truth.
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We have already demonstrated the meaning of "the community" (al-umma) previously in a manner that makes repetition unnecessary.
As for "the upright" (al-qāʾima): the people of interpretation differed over its explanation.
Some of them said: its meaning is: the just one.
*Mention of who said that:
7650 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: "an upright community," he said: a just one.
* * *
Others said: no, the meaning of it is that it is upright upon the Book of Allah and what He has commanded therein.
*Mention of who said that:
7651 — Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda concerning His saying "an upright community," he says: upright upon the Book of Allah, His obligations (farāʾiḍ), and His limits (ḥudūd).
7652 — It was related to me on the authority of ʿAmmār, saying: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, His saying "an upright community," he says: upright upon the Book of Allah, His limits (ḥudūd), and His obligations (farāʾiḍ).
7653 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "Among the People of the Book is an upright community," he says: a rightly-guided community, upright upon the command of Allah, which did not deviate from it nor abandon it as the others abandoned and neglected it.
* * *
Others said: no, the meaning of "upright" is: obedient.
*Mention of who said that:
7654 — Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Aḥmad ibn al-Mufaḍḍal related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: "an upright community"—the verse—he says: these Jews are not alike to this community that is devoutly obedient (qānita) to Allah; and "the devoutly obedient" (al-qānita) is the obedient one.
* * *
Abū Jaʿfar said: The most correct of these views in its explanation is what Ibn ʿAbbās, Qatāda, and those who share their view said, according to what we have related from them, even though all the remaining views are close in meaning to the meaning of what Ibn ʿAbbās and Qatāda said concerning it. That is because the meaning of His saying "upright" is: sincerely standing firm upon the guidance, the Book of Allah, His obligations, and the prescriptions of His religion; and justice and obedience and the other causes of good belong to the characteristic of those people who sincerely stand firm upon the Book of Allah and the sunna of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. A parallel of this is the report which al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr related on the authority of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that he said:
7655 — "The likeness of the one who stands firm upon the limits of Allah (ḥudūd) and the one who falls into them is like the likeness of a people who boarded a ship"—and then he gave them a parable.
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The one who stands firm upon the limits of Allah is thus the one who steadfastly adheres to that which Allah has commanded him and to the avoidance of that which Allah has forbidden him.
* * *
Abū Jaʿfar said: The explanation of the saying is thus: among the People of the Book is a group that clings to the Book of Allah, holds fast to it, is steadfast in acting according to what is in it and according to what His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, instituted for them.
Explanation of the saying: يَتْلُونَ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ وَهُمْ يَسْجُدُونَ (113) ("who recite the signs of Allah during the hours of the night, while they prostrate themselves.") (3:113)
Abū Jaʿfar said: By His saying "they recite the signs of Allah" He means: they read the Book of Allah during the hours of the night. And by His saying "the signs of Allah" He means: what He has sent down in His Book of lessons and admonitions. He says: they recite that during the hours of the night (ānāʾ al-layl), that is to say: in the hours of the night, and they ponder it and reflect upon it.
* * *
As for "the hours of the night" (ānāʾ al-layl): these are the hours of the night; the singular of it is "inyun," as the poet said:
Sweet and bitter, like the bend of the arrow-shaft is his strength, in every hour (inyin) that the night has allotted to him, he shoes himself.
And it has been said that the singular of "al-ānāʾ" is "inan," shortened, just as the singular of "al-amʿāʾ" (the bowels) is "miʿan."
* * *
The people of interpretation differed over its explanation.
Some of them said: its explanation is: the hours of the night, as we said.
*Mention of who said that:
7656 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: "they recite the signs of Allah during the hours of the night," that is to say: the hours of the night.
* * *
7657 — It was related to me on the authority of ʿAmmār, saying: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, he said: "the hours of the night," the hours of the night.
7658 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, saying: Ibn Jurayj said: ʿAbdullāh ibn Kathīr said: we heard the Arabs say: "the hours of the night," the hours of the night.
Others said: "the hours of the night," the depth of the night.
*Mention of who said that:
7659 — Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Aḥmad ibn al-Mufaḍḍal related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: "they recite the signs of Allah during the hours of the night," as for "the hours of the night": that is the depth of the night.
Others said: no, by it was meant a people who used to perform the last evening prayer (al-ʿishāʾ al-ākhira).
*Mention of who said that:
7660 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of al-Ḥasan ibn Yazīd al-ʿIjlī, on the authority of ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd concerning His saying "they recite the signs of Allah during the hours of the night": it is the ʿatama prayer (the late evening prayer); they perform it, while the rest of the People of the Book do not perform it.
7661 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Ayyūb related to me, on the authority of ʿUbaydullāh ibn Zaḥr, on the authority of Sulaymān, on the authority of Zirr ibn Ḥubaysh, on the authority of ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd, saying: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stayed away from us one night for a long time; he was with one of his household and wives, and he did not come to us for the ʿishāʾ prayer until a part of the night had passed. Then he came, and among us was one who was praying and among us one who was lying down, and he gave us good news and said: "Verily, no one of the People of the Book performs this prayer." Then Allah revealed: "They are not all alike; among the People of the Book is an upright community that recites the signs of Allah during the hours of the night, while they prostrate themselves."
* * *
7662 — Yūnus related to me, saying: ʿAlī ibn Maʿbad related to us, on the authority of Abū Yaḥyā al-Khurāsānī, on the authority of Naṣr ibn Ṭarīf, on the authority of ʿĀṣim, on the authority of Zirr ibn Ḥubaysh, on the authority of ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd, saying: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to us while we were waiting for the ʿishāʾ prayer—he means the ʿatama prayer—and he said to us: "There is on the earth no one of the adherents of the religions who at this time waits for this prayer except you!" He said: Then it was revealed: "They are not all alike; among the People of the Book is an upright community that recites the signs of Allah during the hours of the night, while they prostrate themselves."
Others said: no, by it was meant a people who used to pray in the time between the sunset prayer (maghrib) and the evening prayer (ʿishāʾ).
* * *
*Mention of who said that:
7663 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Al-Thawrī informed us, on the authority of Manṣūr, saying: It reached me that it was revealed: "They are not all alike; among the People of the Book is an upright community that recites the signs of Allah during the hours of the night, while they prostrate themselves," concerning [the prayer] in the time between the maghrib and the ʿishāʾ.
Abū Jaʿfar said: These views which I have mentioned are, in all their mutual difference, close to one another in meaning. That is because Allah, exalted is His mention, described these people as those who recite the signs of Allah in the hours of the night, which are its ānāʾ; and whoever recites them in the ʿishāʾ prayer recites them during the hours of the night, and likewise whoever recites them in the time between the maghrib and the ʿishāʾ, and whoever recites them in the depth of the night—each of them recites them during the hours of the night. But the most correct of the views in the explanation of the verse is the view of the one who says: "by it was meant the recitation of the Qurʾān in the ʿishāʾ prayer," because that is a prayer which no one of the People of the Book performs. Thus Allah described the community of Muḥammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, as those who perform it, in contrast to the People of the Book who were unbelieving in Allah and His Messenger.
* * *
As for His saying "while they prostrate themselves" (wa-hum yasjudūn): some of the people of Arabic claimed that the meaning of "the prostration" (al-sujūd) in this place is the name of the prayer, not the prostration itself, because recitation does not take place in the prostration nor in the bowing. Thus with him the meaning of the saying was: they recite the signs of Allah during the hours of the night while they pray.
* * *
But the meaning is not as he supposed. The meaning of the saying is rather: among the People of the Book is an upright community that recites the signs of Allah during the hours of the night in their prayer, and therein they prostrate themselves. "The prostration" (al-sujūd) is thus the well-known prostration in the prayer.
