Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 135

(Ayah 135) ➊ The People of the Book used to invite the Muslims to Judaism and Christianity and considered guidance to be exclusive to their own religion. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says that Abdullah bin Suriyah (a Jew) said to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), “Guidance is only what we are upon, so if you follow us, you will be rightly guided,” and the Christians said the same. Upon this, this verse was revealed. (Ibn Kathir with a Hasan chain) That is, say: We will follow the religion of Ibrahim (Abraham), who was Hanif and Muslim, meaning, turning away from all groups and the ways of forefathers, turning solely to Allah and being fully obedient to Him, and was not of the polytheists. You yourselves admit that his religion was the truth. Your condition is such that, on one hand, you are caught in shirk, considering Uzair and Masih (peace be upon them) as sons of Allah, sometimes believing in three gods, sometimes worshipping the cross. On the other hand, instead of following divine revelation, you are caught in imitating the rabbis and monks, divided into sects. With what face do you claim to be upon guidance? Alas! Now the majority of Muslims are in the same state: just as the Jews, Christians, and polytheists abandoned the Hanif religion and considered adherence to a few rituals, innovations, superstitions, and acts of shirk as the religion of guidance, similarly, they too have abandoned the Qur’an and Sunnah and made it obligatory to follow elders who came centuries after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who were not even prophets. They have considered asking from others besides Allah, visiting the graves of elders instead of Hajj, and abandoning prayer, fasting, and zakat in favor of self-invented litanies, practices, and retreats as a means of nearness to Allah. If anyone calls to Tawheed and the Qur’an and Sunnah, he is declared irreligious and misguided.

➋ Islam is actually the name of a collection of beliefs and principles, that is, the belief in Tawheed and following divine revelation. This is also what is meant by religion and millah. All the prophets were followers of the same religion and millah, that is, Islam; if there is any difference, it is in some rulings. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ اَلْاَنْبِيَاءُ إِخْوَةٌ لِعَلاَّتٍ، اُمَّهَاتُهُمْ شَتَّی وَ دِيْنُهُمْ وَاحِدٌ ] “All the prophets are paternal brothers, their mothers (i.e., their laws) are different, and their religion is one.” [ بخاری، أحادیث الأنبیاء، باب قول اللہ تعالٰی …: ۳۴۴۳، عن أبی ہریرۃ رضی اللہ عنہ ] In this sense, the religion of Muhammad is also the millah of Ibrahim; Judaism and Christianity are outside the millah of Ibrahim, because they fell into shirk instead of Tawheed of Allah, and into imitation of rabbis and monks instead of following divine revelation, and abandoned acting upon the Torah and Gospel. If they were truly Muslim, they would have believed in you because the attributes of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) are present in the Torah and Gospel. See also Surah Al-Imran (64 to 68).