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 Surah Ali 'Imran 3:110-114 [12/20]
  
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Verse Summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
كُنتُمْYou are
خَيْرَ(the) best
أُمَّةٍ(of) people
أُخْرِجَتْraised
لِلنَّاسِfor the mankind -
تَأْمُرُونَenjoining
بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِthe right
وَتَنْهَوْنَand forbidding
عَنِ[from]
ٱلْمُنكَرِthe wrong
وَتُؤْمِنُونَand believing
بِٱللَّهِ‌ۗin Allah.
وَلَوْAnd if
ءَامَنَbelieved
أَهْلُ(the) People
ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ(of) the Book
لَكَانَsurely would have been
خَيْرًاgood
لَّهُم‌ۚfor them.
مِّنْهُمُAmong them
ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ(are) the believers,
وَأَكْثَرُهُمُbut most of them
ٱلْفَـٰسِقُونَ(are) defiantly disobedient.
﴿١١٠﴾
لَنNever
يَضُرُّوكُمْwill they harm you
إِلَّآexcept
أَذًى‌ۖa hurt.
وَإِنAnd if
يُقَـٰتِلُوكُمْthey fight you,
يُوَلُّوكُمُthey will turn (towards) you
ٱلْأَدْبَارَthe backs,
ثُمَّthen
لَاnot
يُنصَرُونَthey will be helped.
﴿١١١﴾
ضُرِبَتْStruck
عَلَيْهِمُon them
ٱلذِّلَّةُthe humiliation
أَيْنَ مَاwherever
ثُقِفُوٓاْthey are found
إِلَّاexcept
بِحَبْلٍwith a rope
مِّنَfrom
ٱللَّهِAllah
وَحَبْلٍand a rope
مِّنَfrom
ٱلنَّاسِthe people.
وَبَآءُوAnd they incurred
بِغَضَبٍwrath
مِّنَfrom
ٱللَّهِAllah
وَضُرِبَتْand struck
عَلَيْهِمُon them
ٱلْمَسْكَنَةُ‌ۚthe poverty.
ذَٲلِكَThat
بِأَنَّهُمْ(is) because
كَانُواْthey used to
يَكْفُرُونَdisbelieve
بِـَٔـايَـٰتِin (the) Verses
ٱللَّهِ(of) Allah
وَيَقْتُلُونَand they killed
ٱلْأَنۢبِيَآءَthe Prophets
بِغَيْرِwithout
حَقٍّ‌ۚright.
ذَٲلِكَThat
بِمَا(is) because
عَصَواْthey disobeyed
وَّكَانُواْand they used to
يَعْتَدُونَtransgress.
﴿١١٢﴾
۞ لَيْسُواْThey are not
سَوَآءً‌ۗ(the) same;
مِّنْamong
أَهْلِ(the) People
ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ(of) the Book
أُمَّةٌ(is) a community
قَآئِمَةٌstanding
يَتْلُونَ(and) reciting
ءَايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ(the) Verses of Allah
ءَانَآءَ(in the) hours
ٱلَّيْلِ(of) the night
وَهُمْand they
يَسْجُدُونَprostrate.
﴿١١٣﴾
يُؤْمِنُونَThey believe
بِٱللَّهِin Allah
وَٱلْيَوْمِand the Day
ٱلْأَخِرِthe Last
وَيَأْمُرُونَand they enjoin
بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ[with] the right
وَيَنْهَوْنَand forbid
عَنِ[from]
ٱلْمُنكَرِthe wrong
وَيُسَـٰرِعُونَand they hasten
فِىin
ٱلْخَيْرَٲتِthe good deeds.
وَأُوْلَـٰٓئِكَAnd those
مِنَ(are) from
ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَthe righteous.
﴿١١٤﴾


كُنۡتُمۡ خَيۡرَ اُمَّةٍ اُخۡرِجَتۡ لِلنَّاسِ تَاۡمُرُوۡنَ بِالۡمَعۡرُوۡفِ وَتَنۡهَوۡنَ عَنِ الۡمُنۡكَرِ وَتُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ بِاللّٰهِ​ؕ وَلَوۡ اٰمَنَ اَهۡلُ الۡكِتٰبِ لَڪَانَ خَيۡرًا لَّهُمۡ​ؕ مِنۡهُمُ الۡمُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ وَاَكۡثَرُهُمُ الۡفٰسِقُوۡنَ‏   لَنۡ يَّضُرُّوۡكُمۡ اِلَّاۤ اَذًى​ؕ وَاِنۡ يُّقَاتِلُوۡكُمۡ يُوَلُّوۡكُمُ الۡاَدۡبَارَ ثُمَّ لَا يُنۡصَرُوۡنَ‏  ضُرِبَتۡ عَلَيۡهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ اَيۡنَ مَا ثُقِفُوۡۤا اِلَّا بِحَبۡلٍ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ وَحَبۡلٍ مِّنَ النَّاسِ وَبَآءُوۡ بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ وَضُرِبَتۡ عَلَيۡهِمُ الۡمَسۡكَنَةُ  ؕ ذٰ لِكَ بِاَنَّهُمۡ كَانُوۡا يَكۡفُرُوۡنَ بِاٰيٰتِ اللّٰهِ وَيَقۡتُلُوۡنَ الۡاَنۡۢبِيَآءَ بِغَيۡرِ حَقٍّ​ؕ ذٰ لِكَ بِمَا عَصَوۡا وَّكَانُوۡا يَعۡتَدُوۡنَ‏   لَـيۡسُوۡا سَوَآءً ​ؕ مِنۡ اَهۡلِ الۡكِتٰبِ اُمَّةٌ قَآئِمَةٌ يَّتۡلُوۡنَ اٰيٰتِ اللّٰهِ اٰنَآءَ الَّيۡلِ وَ هُمۡ يَسۡجُدُوۡنَ‏  يُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَالۡيَوۡمِ الۡاٰخِرِ وَ يَاۡمُرُوۡنَ بِالۡمَعۡرُوۡفِ وَيَنۡهَوۡنَ عَنِ الۡمُنۡكَرِ وَيُسَارِعُوۡنَ فِىۡ الۡخَيۡرٰتِ ؕ وَاُولٰٓـئِكَ مِنَ الصّٰلِحِيۡنَ‏ 

Translation
(3:110) You are now the best people brought forth for (the guidance and reform of) mankind.88 You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah. Had the People of the Book89 believed it were better for them. Some of them are believers but most of them are transgressors. (3:111) They will not be able to harm you except for a little hurt, and if they fight against you they will turn their backs (in flight), and then they will not be succoured. (3:112) Wherever they were, they were covered with ignominy, except when they were protected by either a covenant with Allah or a covenant with men.90 They are laden with the burden of Allah's wrath, and humiliation is stuck upon them - and all this because they rejected the signs of Allah and slayed the Prophets without right, and because they disobeyed and transgressed. (3:113) Yet all are not alike: among the People of the Book there are upright people who recite the messages of Allah in the watches of the night and prostrate themselves in worship. (3:114) They believe in Allah and in the Last Day and enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and hasten to excel each other in doing good. These are among the righteous.

Commentary

88. This is the same declaration that was made earlier (see verse 2: 143 above). The Arabian Prophet (peace be on him) and his followers are informed that they are being assigned the guidance and leadership of the world, a position the Israelites had been relieved of because they had shown themselves unsuitable. The Muslims were charged with this responsibility because of their competence. They were the best people in terms of character and morals and had developed in theory and in practice the qualities essential for truly righteous leadership, namely the spirit and practical commitment to promoting good and suppressing evil and the acknowledgement of the One True God as their Lord and Master. In view of the task entrusted to them, they had to become conscious of their responsibilities and avoid the mistakes committed by their predecessors see (( (Surah 1, nn. 123 and 144 above))).

89. 'People of the Book' refers here to the Children of Israel.

90. If the Jews have ever enjoyed any measure of peace and security anywhere in the world they owe it to the goodwill and benevolence of others rather than to their own power and strength. At times Muslim governments granted them refuge while at others non-Muslim powers extended protection. Similarly, if the Jews ever emerged as a power it was due not to their intrinsic strength but to the strength of others.