An-Nisāʾ: 170–171
"So believe; it is better for you" and similarly "Desist; it is better for you."
The accusative case (naṣb) is due to an implied verb. When He urged them toward faith and toward desisting from the Trinity, He knew He was directing them toward a matter, so He said: "Better for you." That is: intend or perform a matter that is better for you than what you are currently in of disbelief and Trinity, which is faith and monotheism.
"Do not commit excess in your religion."
The Jews committed excess regarding the Messiah by lowering him from his status, as they claimed he was born of illegitimacy. The Christians committed excess by raising him above his measure, as they made him a god.
"And do not say about Allah except the truth."
This is to declare Him transcendent above having a partner or a child.
Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad recited Innama al-Masīḥ (The Messiah is only...) with the weight of al-sikkīt.
He was called "a word from Allah" and "a word from Him" because he came into existence by His word and His command alone, without the intermediary of a father or a drop of semen. He was called "a spirit from Allah" and "a spirit from Him" for that same reason: he is a possessor of a spirit who came into existence without a part from a living being—unlike a drop of semen separated from a living father. Rather, he was invented purely by the command of Allah and His power.
The meaning of "He cast it to Mary" is: He delivered it to her and brought it into being within her.
"Three"
This is the predicate of an omitted subject. If the report is true that they say He is one essence in three aqānīm (hypostases)—the hypostasis of the Father, the hypostasis of the Son, and the hypostasis of the Holy Spirit—and that by the hypostasis of the Father they mean the Essence, by the Son they mean Knowledge, and by the Holy Spirit they mean Life, then the estimation is: "Allah is three." Otherwise, the estimation is: "The gods are three."
What the Qurʾan indicates is their explicit statement that Allah, the Messiah, and Mary are three gods, and that the Messiah is the son of God from Mary. Do you not see His saying: "Did you say to the people, 'Take me and my mother as deities besides Allah?'" (Al-Māʾidah: 116), and "The Christians say, 'The Messiah is the son of Allah'" (At-Tawbah: 30)? The well-known and widespread report about them is that they speak of divinity and humanity in the Messiah, from the side of the Father and the Mother.
This is indicated by His saying: "The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, is only..."
He affirmed that he is a son to Mary, connected to her as children are connected to their mothers, and that his connection to Allah Almighty is only in that he is His messenger and that he exists by His command and His creation of a living body without a father. Thus, He negated that he is connected to Him as sons are connected to fathers.
His saying: "Exalted is He above having a son"—and Allah’s account is more reliable than the account of others.
The meaning of "Exalted is He above having a son" is: Declare Him transcendent, a declaration of transcendence, from having a son. Al-Ḥasan recited an yakūna with a kasrah on the hamzah and a rafʿ on the nūn, meaning: "Exalted is He; He does not have a son," treating the speech as two sentences.
"To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth."
This is an explanation of His transcendence above what they attribute to Him. It means that everything within them is His creation and His property, so how could a part of His property be a part of Him? Furthermore, "part" is only valid for physical bodies, and He is exalted above the attributes of bodies and accidents.
"And sufficient is Allah as a Disposer of affairs."
All of creation entrusts their affairs to Him; He is independent of them, and they are needy of Him.
