Tafsir of Al Imran 3:61

"Then whoever argues with you..." From among the Christians.

"...concerning him..." Concerning ‘Isa (Jesus).

"...after what has come to you of knowledge..." Meaning: after the clear proofs that necessitate knowledge.

"Come..." Meaning: "Hasten." The intent is to come forward with resolve and determination, just as you would say, "Come, let us think about this matter."

"Let us call our sons and your sons..." Meaning: let each of us, you and I, call our sons, our women, and our own selves to the mubahala (mutual imprecation).

"Then let us pray earnestly..." Then let us invoke the curse of God upon the liars among us and among you. Al-bahla (with fatha or damma) means the curse. "May God bahala him" means He cursed him and distanced him from His mercy. It is derived from the expression "I abhalahu" (I abandoned him), meaning I neglected him. A bahil camel is one left to itself. This is the origin of al-ibtihal, which was later used for any prayer performed with great effort, even if it does not involve cursing.

Historical Account: It is narrated that when he invited them to the mubahala, they said, "Let us return and consider." When they were alone, they said to al-‘Aqib, their leader, "O ‘Abd al-Masih, what is your view?" He replied, "By God, you know, O assembly of Christians, that Muhammad is a sent Prophet and he has brought you the decisive truth regarding your master. By God, no people have ever engaged in mubahala with a Prophet and had their elders survive or their young ones grow up. If you do this, you will surely perish. If you insist on your religion and remaining as you are, then bid the man farewell and return to your lands."

The Messenger of God (ﷺ) came out, having brought al-Husayn in his arms and holding the hand of al-Hasan, with Fatimah walking behind him and ‘Ali behind her. He said, "When I pray, you say 'Amen'." The Bishop of Najran said, "O assembly of Christians, I see faces that, if God willed to move a mountain from its place, He would do so by them. Do not engage in mubahala with them, or you will perish, and not a single Christian will remain on the face of the earth until the Day of Resurrection."

They said, "O Abu al-Qasim, we have decided not to engage in mubahala with you, but to leave you to your religion and we shall remain on ours." He said, "If you refuse the mubahala, then accept Islam; you will have what the Muslims have and owe what they owe." They refused. He said, "Then I will fight you." They replied, "We have no strength to fight the Arabs, but we will make a treaty with you that you will not raid us, nor frighten us, nor turn us away from our religion, on the condition that we pay you two thousand garments every year—one thousand in Safar and one thousand in Rajab—and thirty suits of iron armor." He made peace with them on those terms and said, "By Him in whose hand is my soul, destruction had hung over the people of Najran. Had they invoked the curse, they would have been transformed into monkeys and swine, the valley would have burned with fire upon them, and God would have eradicated Najran and its people, even the birds on the treetops, and within a year, not a single Christian would have remained."

From ‘Aisha (may God be pleased with her): The Messenger of God (ﷺ) went out wearing a cloak of black hair. Al-Hasan came, and he brought him in; then al-Husayn came, and he brought him in; then Fatimah, then ‘Ali. Then he said: "God only intends to remove from you the impurity, O people of the household" (Al-Ahzab: 33).

If you ask: What was the purpose of his invitation to the mubahala other than to distinguish the liar from his opponent, a matter that concerns only him and the one he is debating? What is the meaning of including the sons and women?

I reply: This is a stronger indication of his confidence in his position and his certainty of his truthfulness, as he dared to expose his most beloved ones—the pieces of his own liver—to this. He did not limit it to exposing himself. It shows his confidence in the falsehood of his opponent, such that his opponent and his loved ones would be destroyed by total eradication if the mubahala were to take place.

He specified the sons and women because they are the most beloved of family and the closest to the heart. A man might sacrifice himself for them and fight to the death to protect them. Hence, in wars, they would bring their women along to prevent them from fleeing, and those who defended them with their lives were called "protectors of the sanctities."

He mentioned them before his own self to draw attention to their delicate status and close rank, and to signal that they are prioritized over the self and are the ones for whom the self is sacrificed.

In this is evidence—than which there is nothing stronger—of the excellence of the Ashab al-Kisa (the People of the Cloak), peace be upon them.

In this is also a clear proof of the validity of the Prophet’s (ﷺ) prophethood, for no one—neither supporter nor opponent—has narrated that they accepted his challenge.