Al 'Imran: (84) Say, "We believe in Allah..."

It is known that the Almighty, having mentioned in the preceding verse that He took a covenant from the Prophets to affirm the Messenger who comes confirming what they possessed, clarifies in this verse that one of the characteristics of Muhammad (peace be upon him) is his affirmation of what was with them, saying: {Say, "We believe in Allah..."} until the end of the verse. Herein lie several issues:

Issue 1: The Singularity of the Command {Say} and the Plurality of {We}

There are several interpretations for this:

1. When the Almighty addressed the Prophet, He addressed him in the singular form, yet He taught him that when addressing the people, he should use the plural form as a sign of reverence and magnification, similar to how kings and great rulers speak.
2. He first addressed him in the singular to indicate that no one conveys this divine command to the creation except him. Then He said {We} to signal that when he says this, his companions agree with him.
3. The Almighty singled him out in this command with {Say} to show his role as a confirmer of what was with them. Then He said {We} to indicate that this command is not exclusive to him but is incumbent upon all believers, as stated: {The Messenger has believed in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], "We make no distinction between any one of His messengers."} (Al-Baqarah: 285).

Issue 2: The Order of Beliefs Mentioned

Belief in Allah is mentioned before belief in the Prophets because belief in Allah is the foundation of belief in prophethood. In the second rank, belief in what was revealed to him (the Quran) is mentioned. This is because the scriptures of other Prophets were altered and distorted, so there is no way to know their true state except through what Allah revealed to Muhammad (peace be upon him). Thus, what was revealed to Muhammad serves as the foundation for what was revealed to the other Prophets, which is why it is mentioned before them.

In the third rank, some Prophets are mentioned—those whose existence the People of the Book acknowledge, though they differ regarding their prophethood. {And the Descendants [Al-Asbat]} refers to the descendants of Jacob (peace be upon him), whose twelve tribes Allah mentioned in Surah Al-A'raf.

Allah obligated affirmation of the prophethood of all Prophets (peace be upon them) for several benefits:

1. Establishing the Prophet's role as a confirmer of all Prophets, as this condition was considered when taking the covenant.
2. Indicating the contradictory nature of the People of the Book's doctrines. They only affirm a Prophet because a miracle appeared through him, which implies that anyone through whom a miracle appears must be a Prophet. Therefore, singling out some for affirmation and others for denial is contradictory; the truth is affirming all and acknowledging the prophethood of all.
3. The preceding verse stated: {Do they seek a religion other than that of Allah, while to Him has submitted [all] that is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly...} (Al 'Imran: 83). This serves as a warning that their insistence on denying some Prophets is turning away from the religion of Allah and disputing with Allah. Here, belief in the prophethood of all Prophets is manifested so that the description applied to the People of the Book—disputing Allah in judgment and command—is removed from the Prophet and his Ummah.
4. In the first verse, it was mentioned that the covenant was taken from all Prophets to believe in every Messenger who came after them. Here, the covenant was taken from Muhammad (peace be upon him) to believe in every Messenger who came before him, but no covenant was taken from him regarding Messengers who would come after him. This verse thus indicates that there will absolutely be no Prophet after him.

If one asks: Why is the preposition 'ala (upon/to) used with {revealed} in this verse, while the preposition ila (to) was used in similar previous verses? We reply: Because both meanings are present; revelation descends from above and reaches the Messengers. Thus, sometimes one meaning is expressed, and sometimes the other. It is also said that 'alaynā (to us/upon us) is used regarding the Messenger because revelation descends to him, whereas ilaynā (to us) is used regarding the Ummah because the revelation reaches them from the Messenger as a final destination. This interpretation is strained, as seen in the verse {What was sent down to you} (Al-Baqarah: 4) and {And a party of the People of the Scripture said, "Believe in what was sent down to those who believed..."} (Al 'Imran: 72).

Issue 3: The Status of Previous Prophets

Scholars differed on how belief in these preceding Prophets, whose laws were abrogated, should be held. The core of the disagreement is: When their law (Shari'ah) is abrogated, does their prophethood also become abrogated?

• Those who say their prophethood is abrogated hold that we believe they were Prophets and Messengers, but we do not believe they are Prophets and Messengers now.
• Those who say the abrogation of the law does not necessitate the abrogation of prophethood hold that we believe they are Prophets and Messengers in the present time. Pay attention to this point.

Issue 4: The Meaning of {We make no distinction between any one of them}

There are several interpretations:

1. Al-Asamm said: Distinction can occur by preferring some over others, or by claiming they were not on the same path of obedience to Allah. This means: We affirm that they were all upon one religion in calling to Allah and submitting to His commands.
2. Some said the meaning of {We make no distinction between any one of them} is that we do not believe in some while disbelieving in others, as the Jews and Christians did.
3. Abu Muslim said: {We make no distinction between any one of them} means we do not separate what they agreed upon, similar to the verse {And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided} (Al 'Imran: 103), and the condemnation of those who were divided: {Indeed, those whom you call upon besides Him have perished, and you have lost what you used to claim.} (Al-An'am: 94).

As for {and we are Muslims to Him}:

1. Our affirmation of the prophethood of these Prophets was only because we are submissive to Allah's command and resigned to His judgment. This signals that our state is the opposite of those whom Allah addressed: {Do they seek a religion other than that of Allah, while to Him has submitted [all] that is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly...} (Al 'Imran: 83).
2. Abu Muslim said: {and we are Muslims to Him} means we are surrendered to Allah's command with acceptance and without opposition. This is the characteristic of those who believe in Allah—they are people of peace (Islam). Disbelievers are described as warring against Allah, as stated: {The recompense of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger...} (Al-Ma'idah: 33).
3. The phrase {and we are Muslims to Him} implies exclusivity. The meaning is: We submit to Him and not for any other purpose, such as reputation, showing off, or seeking wealth. This serves as a warning that their state is the opposite, as they do nothing and say nothing except for reputation, showing off, and seeking wealth. And Allah knows best.

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