the religion of truth from amongst those to whom the Book has been brought, until they pay the tribute by their hands and be as little ones.
30 The Jews say Ezra is the son of God ; and the Christians say that the Messiah is the son of God ; that is what they say with their mouths, imitating the sayings of those who misbelieved before. — God fight them ! how they lie[1]!
They take their doctors and their monks for lords[2] rather than God, and the Messiah the son of Mary; but they are bidden to worship but one God, there is no god but He ; celebrated be His praise, from what they join with Him !
They desire to put out the light of God with their mouths, but God will not have it but that we should perfect His light, averse although the misbelievers be!
He it is who sent His Apostle with guidance and the religion of truth, to make it prevail over every other religion, averse although idolaters may be !
O ye who believe ! verily, many of the doctors and the monks devour the wealth of men openly, and turn folk from God’s way ; but those who store up gold and silver and expend it not in God’s way,
- ↑ The Moslem tradition is that Ezra, after being dead 100 years, was raised to life, and dictated from memory the whole of the Jewish Scriptures which had been lost during the captivity, and that the Jews said he could not have done this unless he had been the son of God. There is no Jewish tradition whatever in support of this accusation of Mohammed’s, which probably was entirely due to his own invention or to misinformation. Bâidhâvî, the well-known commentator, says that it must have been true because the Jews themselves, to whom the passage was read, did not deny it.
- ↑ Alluding to the word rabbi, which in Arabic is applied to God alone.
