Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Surely, in disbelief are they who say that Allâh is the Messiah, son of Maryam (Mary). Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم): "Who then has the least power against Allâh, if He were to destroy the Messiah, son of Maryam (Mary), his mother, and all those who are on the earth together?" And to Allâh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them. He creates what He wills. And Allâh is Able to do all things.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
لَّقَدْlaqadCertainly
كَفَرَkafaradisbelieved
ٱلَّذِينَalladhīnathose who
قَالُوٓا۟qālūsaid
إِنَّinnaIndeed
ٱللَّهَl-lahaAllah
هُوَhuwaHe
ٱلْمَسِيحُl-masīḥu(is) the Messiah
ٱبْنُub'nuson
مَرْيَمَ ۚmaryama(of) Maryam
قُلْqulSay
فَمَنfamanThen who
يَمْلِكُyamlikuhas power
مِنَminaagainst
ٱللَّهِl-lahiAllah
شَيْـًٔاshayan(in) anything
إِنْinif
أَرَادَarādaHe intends
أَنanto
يُهْلِكَyuh'likadestroy
ٱلْمَسِيحَl-masīḥathe Messiah
ٱبْنَib'nason
مَرْيَمَmaryama(of) Maryam
وَأُمَّهُۥwa-ummahuand his mother
وَمَنwamanand whoever
فِىfī(is) in
ٱلْأَرْضِl-arḍithe earth
جَمِيعًۭا ۗjamīʿanall
وَلِلَّهِwalillahiAnd for Allah
مُلْكُmul'ku(is the) dominion
ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِl-samāwāti(of) the heavens
وَٱلْأَرْضِwal-arḍiand the earth
وَمَاwamāand what
بَيْنَهُمَا ۚbaynahumā(is) between both of them
يَخْلُقُyakhluquHe creates
مَاmāwhat
يَشَآءُ ۚyashāuHe wills
وَٱللَّهُwal-lahuand Allah
عَلَىٰʿalā(is) on
كُلِّkullievery
شَىْءٍۢshayinthing
قَدِيرٌۭqadīrunAll-Powerful
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
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.
17. Surely, those who say, "The Messiah, son of Mary [45], is Allah," have certainly disbelieved. Say, "Who then has any power against Allah, if He intended to destroy the Messiah, son of Mary, and his mother [46], and everyone on the earth altogether?" To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them. He creates whatever He wills [47], and Allah is Powerful over all things [48].
[45] The Statement of the Christians that ‘Isa is the Essence of Allah and Its Refutation:
These disbelievers are the Christians or Nasara who tried to merge divinity into the humanity of ‘Isa (Jesus) ؑ. Since this way of thinking was entirely based on misguidance and polytheism, many paths of misguidance emerged. One sect emphasized the aspect of divinity and said that Allah Almighty incarnated in the body of ‘Isa ؑ, therefore he is the very essence of Allah Almighty or is Allah Himself. Those who emphasized the aspect of humanity said that ‘Isa is not the very essence of Allah, but he is certainly the son of Allah. And those who adopted a third, intermediate path of misguidance said that Allah is not one, but three, and all three are eternal and everlasting: one is Allah, the second is ‘Isa ؑ, and the third is the Holy Spirit. Then these three together also make one god. Then, after a long time, Lady Maryam was also considered to be included in divinity (and other such superstitions). [42] The Christians associate both ‘Isa ؑ and Lady Maryam ؑ with divinity, while Sayyiduna ‘Isa ؑ (according to the Christians) could not save himself from being crucified, and Lady Maryam ؑ could not save herself from the accusation of the Jews, so what kind of divinity did they have? And if Allah were to destroy both of them and all the other humans present on this earth in an instant, is there anyone who could restrain His hand? Because the Creator of all these things is also Allah Almighty, and He alone is the Owner. And the Owner has the right to do as He wills with what He owns. [47] That is, He created ‘Isa ؑ without a father, and Hawwa (Eve) without a mother, through the means of Sayyiduna Adam ؑ,, and Sayyiduna Adam ؑ without both mother and father, and the fourth and most common form is that He creates through the union of man and woman, and He has complete power to create in every way. [48] The Statement of the Jews and Christians that “We are the Sons and Beloved Ones of Allah”:
That is, the punishment that is being inflicted upon them in this world—if they are truly the beloved of Allah, then why are they being punished and disgraced? In previous eras, you were destroyed and ruined twice, and what is your condition today? Does anyone punish and disgrace their beloved or dear ones? From this, it is clear that their claim is absolutely false and baseless. Their second claim was that we are the descendants of the Prophets, and in this respect, we are the beloved of Allah and will not face punishment in the Hereafter. Allah refuted this claim by saying that if you are truthful in your claim, then you should long for death as soon as possible, from which it is clear that only a person’s deeds can be the means of his salvation in the Hereafter; lineage and ancestry will be of no use there.
On the Day of Judgment, Lineage and Ancestry Will Be of No Use:
Thus, Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever is held back by his deeds, his lineage will not push him forward.” [مسلم کتاب الذکر۔ باب فضل الاجتماع علی تلاوۃ القرآن] And when the verse of Surah Shu‘ara: ﴿وَاَنْذِرْعَشِيْرَتَكَالْاَقْرَبِيْنَ﴾ was revealed, the Prophet ﷺ called his relatives and mentioned them by name, for example: O ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib! I will not be able to do anything for you. O Safiyyah! (the Prophet’s ﷺ aunt) I will not be able to do anything for you. O Fatimah bint Muhammad ﷺ! Ask me for whatever you want from my wealth (in this world). I will not be able to do anything for you. [بخاری۔ کتاب التفسیر سورۃ شعراء۔ مسلم کتاب الایمان۔ باب۔ وانذر عشیر تک الاقربین]