Tafseer of The Family of Imraan · Aal-i-Imraan · 3:83
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?
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.
The explanation of His word: أَفَغَيْرَ دِينِ اللَّهِ يَبْغُونَ وَلَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا وَإِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُونَ (83) ("Do they then seek other than the religion of Allah, while to Him has submitted whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly and unwillingly, and to Him they will be returned?") (3:83)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The reciters differ over the recitation of this.
Most of the reciters of the Ḥijāz, from Mecca and Medina, as well as the reciters of Kūfa, read it as: "Afaghayra dīni Allāhi tabghūna" and "wa-ilayhi turjaʿūn," in the second-person address form.
Some of the people of the Ḥijāz read it as: "Afaghayra dīni Allāhi yabghūna" and "wa-ilayhi yurjaʿūn," both with the yāʾ, in the form of a statement about an absent party (third person).
Some of the people of Baṣra read it as: "Afaghayra dīni Allāhi yabghūna," in the form of a statement about an absent party, and "wa-ilayhi turjaʿūn," with the tāʾ in the second-person address form.
Abū Jaʿfar said: The most correct of these is the recitation of the one who read "Afaghayra dīni Allāhi tabghūna" in the address form, and "wa-ilayhi turjaʿūn" with the tāʾ. For the verses preceding this verse are an address directed to them, and joining the address to its like is better than turning the discourse toward that which is not its like. Although the other manner is permissible, on account of what we have mentioned earlier: that in reporting a statement the discourse sometimes appears entirely in the address form, sometimes in the form of a statement about an absent party, and sometimes partly in the address form and partly in the absent-party form. His word "tabghūna" ("do you seek") and "ilayhi turjaʿūn" ("to Him you are returned") in this verse belongs to that latter category.
The explanation of the discourse is: O community of the People of the Book — "Afaghayra dīni Allāhi tabghūna," meaning: do you then seek and desire other than obedience to Allah? — "wa-lahu aslama man fī al-samāwāti wa-l-arḍ" ("and to Him has submitted whoever is in the heavens and the earth"), meaning: and to Him has submitted whoever is in the heavens and the earth, and has submitted to Him through servitude (ʿubūda), and has acknowledged to Him that Lordship (rubūbiyya) belongs to Him alone, and has submitted to Him through the pure profession of His oneness (tawḥīd) and of His divinity (ulūhiyya) — "ṭawʿan wa-karhan" ("willingly and unwillingly"), meaning: to Allah submitted willingly whoever among them submitted to Him willingly, such as the angels, the prophets, and the messengers, for they submitted to Allah willingly — "wa-karhan" ("and unwillingly"), whoever among them was unwilling.
The people of interpretation differed over the meaning of the submission of the one who resists submission (the unwilling one), and over its manner.
Some of them said: his submission is his acknowledgment that Allah is his Creator and his Lord, even though in worship he ascribes another as a partner to Him.
Mention of who said that:
7342 — Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Wakīʿ related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid: "wa-lahu aslama man fī al-samāwāti wa-l-arḍ" ("and to Him has submitted whoever is in the heavens and the earth"), he said: it is like His word: وَلَئِنْ سَأَلْتَهُمْ مَنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّهُ ("And if you were to ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they would surely say: Allah") [Surah Az-Zumar: 38].
7343 — Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid, the same.
7344 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, on the authority of Abū al-ʿĀliya, concerning His word: "wa-lahu aslama man fī al-samāwāti wa-l-arḍi ṭawʿan wa-karhan wa-ilayhi turjaʿūn," he said: every human being has acknowledged against himself that Allah is my Lord and that I am His servant. So whoever ascribes partners in his worship is the one who has submitted unwillingly, and whoever makes the servitude pure for Him is the one who has submitted willingly.
Others said: rather, the submission of the unwilling one among them was at the moment when the covenant (mīthāq) was taken from him and he acknowledged it.
Mention of who said that:
7345 — Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Wakīʿ related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Mujāhid, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "wa-lahu aslama man fī al-samāwāti wa-l-arḍi ṭawʿan wa-karhan," he said: when the covenant was taken.
Others said: by the submission of the unwilling one among them is meant the prostrating of his shadow (in sujūd).
Mention of who said that:
7346 — Sawwār ibn ʿAbd Allāh related to us, saying: al-Muʿtamir ibn Sulaymān related to us, on the authority of Layth, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the word of Allah, Mighty and Exalted is He: "wa-lahu aslama man fī al-samāwāti wa-l-arḍi ṭawʿan wa-karhan," he said: the obedient one is the believer, and "karhan" (unwillingly) is the shadow of the unbeliever.
7347 — 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, concerning His word: "ṭawʿan wa-karhan," he said: the prostrating of the believer willingly, and the prostrating of the unbeliever while he is unwilling.
7348 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: "karhan," he said: the prostrating of the believer willingly, and the prostrating of the shadow of the unbeliever while he is unwilling.
7349 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Kathīr, on the authority of Mujāhid, he said: the prostrating of his face willingly, and of his shadow unwillingly.
Others said: rather, his submission is with his heart to the will of Allah, and his obedience to His command, even though he denies His divinity with his tongue.
Mention of who said that:
7350 — Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Wakīʿ related to us, on the authority of Isrāʾīl, on the authority of Jābir, on the authority of ʿĀmir: "wa-lahu aslama man fī al-samāwāti wa-l-arḍ," he said: they all obeyed Him.
Others said: by this is meant the submission of those among the people who submitted unwillingly, out of fear of the sword against themselves.
Mention of who said that:
7351 — Muḥammad ibn Sinān related to me, saying: Abū Bakr al-Ḥanafī related to us, saying: ʿAbbād ibn Manṣūr related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan concerning His word: "wa-lahu aslama man fī al-samāwāti wa-l-arḍi ṭawʿan wa-karhan," the whole verse, and he said: some groups were compelled to Islam, and other groups came willingly.
7352 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Qazaʿa al-Bāhilī related to me, saying: Rawḥ ibn ʿAṭāʾ related to us, on the authority of Maṭar al-Warrāq concerning the word of Allah, Mighty and Exalted is He: "wa-lahu aslama man fī al-samāwāti wa-l-arḍi ṭawʿan wa-karhan wa-ilayhi turjaʿūn," he said: the angels willingly, and the Anṣār willingly, and the tribe of Sulaym and ʿAbd al-Qays willingly, and the people all unwillingly.
Others said, the meaning of that is: that the people of faith submitted willingly, and that the unbeliever submitted at the time of witnessing (death or punishment), at a moment when submission no longer avails him, unwillingly.
Mention of who said that:
7353 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, His word: "Afaghayra dīni Allāhi tabghūna," the verse — as for the believer, he submitted willingly, and that availed him and was accepted from him; and as for the unbeliever, he submitted unwillingly at a moment when it does not avail him, and it was not accepted from him.
7354 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda concerning His word: "wa-lahu aslama man fī al-samāwāti wa-l-arḍi ṭawʿan wa-karhan," he said: as for the believer, he submitted willingly, and as for the unbeliever, he submitted when he saw the might of Allah (His punishment), فَلَمْ يَكُ يَنْفَعُهُمْ إِيمَانُهُمْ لَمَّا رَأَوْا بَأْسَنَا ("but their faith did not avail them once they saw Our might") [Surah Ghāfir: 85].
Others said, the meaning of that is: namely the worship of the created beings toward Allah, Mighty and Exalted is He.
Mention of who said that:
7355 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, His word: "Afaghayra dīni Allāhi tabghūna wa-lahu aslama man fī al-samāwāti wa-l-arḍi ṭawʿan wa-karhan," he said: their worship of Me all together, willingly and unwillingly, and that is His word: وَلِلَّهِ يَسْجُدُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا ("And to Allah prostrates whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly and unwillingly") [Surah Ar-Raʿd: 15].
As for His word: "wa-ilayhi turjaʿūn" ("and to Him you are returned"), that means: "and to Him," O community of those who pursue a religion other than Islam, among the Jews, the Christians, and the rest of the people — "turjaʿūn," He says: to Him you return after your death, and He recompenses you according to your deeds, the doer of good among you according to his good-doing, and the doer of evil according to his evil-doing.
And this is from Allah, Mighty and Exalted is He, a warning to His created beings that one of them returns to Him and comes to Him after his death upon a creed other than the creed of Islam.
