Tafseer of The Family of Imraan · Aal-i-Imraan · 3:85
And whoever desires other than Islam as religion - never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.
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, exalted is His praise: وَمَنْ يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الإِسْلامِ دِينًا فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِي الآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ (85) ("And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers" (3:85)).
Abū Jaʿfar said: By this He means, exalted is His praise: and whoever seeks a religion other than the religion of Islam in order to profess it, Allah will not accept it from him = "and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers," that is to say: among those who have withheld from their own souls their share in the mercy of Allah, mighty and exalted is He.
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It has been transmitted that the adherents of every religious community (milla) claimed that they themselves were the Muslims when this verse was revealed. Thereupon Allah commanded them to perform the pilgrimage (ḥajj), if they were truthful, for it belongs to the way of life (sunna) of Islam to perform the ḥajj. But they refused, and thus Allah refuted their argument by it.
The mention of the narration about that:
7356 - Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, he said: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, who said: ʿIkrima asserted concerning "and whoever seeks a religion other than Islam": the religious communities said: "We are the Muslims!" Thereupon Allah, mighty and exalted is He, revealed: وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلا وَمَنْ كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ [Surah Āl ʿImrān: 97] ("And it is owed to Allah by the people to make the pilgrimage to the House, for whoever is able to find a way to it; and whoever disbelieves — then indeed, Allah is free of need of the worlds" (3:97)). Then the Muslims performed the ḥajj, while the disbelievers (kuffār) stayed home.
7357 - Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Al-Qaʿnabī related to us, he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of ʿIkrima, who said: "and whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him" — the Jews said: "But we are the Muslims!" Thereupon Allah, mighty and exalted is He, revealed to His Prophet ﷺ, in order to refute them with an argument, that: لِلَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلا وَمَنْ كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ ("It is owed to Allah by the people to make the pilgrimage to the House, for whoever is able to find a way to it; and whoever disbelieves — then indeed, Allah is free of need of the worlds").
7358 - Yūnus related to me, he said: Sufyān informed us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of ʿIkrima, who said: When "and whoever seeks a religion other than Islam" was revealed, to the end of the verse, the Jews said: "But we are Muslims!" Allah, mighty and exalted is He, said to His Prophet ﷺ: Say to them that: لِلَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلا وَمَنْ كَفَرَ ("It is owed to Allah by the people to make the pilgrimage to the House, for whoever is able to find a way to it; and whoever disbelieves") — namely among the adherents of the religious communities — فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ ("then indeed, Allah is free of need of the worlds").
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And others said concerning this verse what follows:
7359 - Al-Muthannā related this to us, he said: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣāliḥ related to us, he said: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَالَّذِينَ هَادُوا وَالنَّصَارَى وَالصَّابِئِينَ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ up to His word وَلا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ [Surah Al-Baqarah: 62] ("Indeed, those who believe and those who adhere to Judaism and the Christians and the Ṣābiʾūn — whoever among them believes in Allah and the Last Day" up to "nor will they grieve" (2:62)). Thereupon Allah, mighty and exalted is He, revealed after it: "and whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him."
