سُوْرَةُ اٰلِ عِمْرٰنَ

Surah Aal-i-Imraan (3) — Ayah 31

The Family of Imraan · Medinan · Juz 3 · Page 54

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ ٱللَّهَ فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحْبِبْكُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿31﴾
Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم to mankind): "If you (really) love Allâh then follow me (i.e. accept Islâmic Monotheism, follow the Qur’ân and the Sunnah), Allâh will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
قُلْ qul Say
إِن in If
كُنتُمْ kuntum you
تُحِبُّونَ tuḥibbūna love
ٱللَّهَ l-laha Allah
فَٱتَّبِعُونِى fa-ittabiʿūnī then follow me
يُحْبِبْكُمُ yuḥ'bib'kumu will love you
ٱللَّهُ l-lahu Allah
وَيَغْفِرْ wayaghfir and He will forgive
لَكُمْ lakum for you
ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ dhunūbakum your sins
وَٱللَّهُ wal-lahu And Allah
غَفُورٌۭ ghafūrun (is) Oft-Forgiving
رَّحِيمٌۭ raḥīmun Most Merciful

Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

(Ayah 31){قُلْ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّوْنَ اللّٰهَ فَاتَّبِعُوْنِيْ …: } The Jews, Christians, and polytheists all claimed to love Allah. In this verse, Allah commanded His Messenger (peace be upon him) to say to them: If you love Allah, then there is only one way for your claim to be true: accept me as a Prophet and follow me. By doing so, not only will your love for Allah be accepted, but Allah will also love you, you will become beloved to Allah, and He will forgive your sins. Shah Abdul Qadir (may Allah have mercy on him) writes: “Whoever claims to love someone should love in the way the beloved desires, not in the way he himself wishes, and only in this way will the beloved love him.” (Mawdhih) This address also applies to Muslims: if you claim to love Allah, then verbal expression of love is not enough; rather, follow me in all your words and actions. Allah’s love cannot be attained through self-invented ways; that is why there is severe condemnation of innovation (bid‘ah) in the hadith.

Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

31. 1 Both the Jews and Christians claimed that Allah loves us and that we love Allah, especially the Christians, who, in their reverence and love for ‘Isa and Maryam عليهما السلام, went to such extremes that they elevated them to the rank of divinity. Regarding this, they thought that in this way, they sought nearness to Allah and His pleasure and love. Allah said that His love and pleasure cannot be attained through their claims and self-invented ways. There is only one way: have faith in My last Messenger and follow him. This verse has provided a criterion and standard for all claimants of love, that if a seeker of divine love wants to achieve this goal through following Muhammad ﷺ, then indeed he is successful and truthful in his claim; otherwise, he is both a liar and will remain unsuccessful in attaining this goal. The Prophet ﷺ also said, "Whoever does an act which is not in accordance with our matter, i.e., different from the way we have shown, it is rejected."

31. 2 That is, not only will your sins be forgiven because of following the Messenger ﷺ, but you will become beloved from being a lover. And how lofty is this rank, that a human being attains the status of being beloved in the court of Allah.

Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

Say, "If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your sins. And Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful."

[33]
The Importance of Following the Sunnah and the Rejection of Innovation (Bid‘ah):

The addressees of this verse are not only Muslims, but also the People of the Book, disbelievers, polytheists, and the general masses, because almost all of them claim and profess love for Allah. So Allah Almighty has clarified that if you are truthful in your claim, then the only way is that you begin to follow the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The result of this will be that not only will you love Allah, but Allah Himself will begin to love you. Also, in this verse, there is a point of reflection for Muslims: the beautiful manner in which this verse emphasizes following the Sunnah—perhaps it could not have been emphasized more than this. The concept of “following” (ittiba‘) is much broader than “obedience” (ita‘at). Obedience is only in commands and prohibitions, whereas following is that you do as you see the Messenger of Allah ﷺ doing; whatever he likes, you also like, and whatever he dislikes, you also dislike, because he is the best example for you. And the third lesson from this verse is that Muslims must completely avoid innovations (bid‘ah), because innovation is the very opposite of Sunnah. The commonly understood definition of innovation is to introduce a new act into the religion which has no connection to it, and any such act that is performed after him ﷺ as a part of the religion and with the intention of reward is rejected. The person who promotes innovations is a severe criminal, because even after his death, the share of the sins of those who act upon that innovation continues to accumulate in his record of deeds. He is also a severe criminal in the sense that he considers himself in the position of the Lawgiver (Shari‘), and by making his invented act a part of the religion, he wants to complete the religion, even though the religion was completed during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.