Surah 2:135

"They say, ‘Be Jews or Christians, (and then) you will be (rightly) guided.’ Say: ‘No! The creed of Abraham the Ḥanīf. He was not one of the idolaters.’"

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Tafsir Ibn Kathir Verses 2:135

Show Full Scripture Context (2:135) — 1 Verse

Verse 135

وَقَالُواْ كُونُواْ هُودًا أَوۡ نَصَٰرَىٰ تَهۡتَدُواْۗ قُلۡ بَلۡ مِلَّةَ إِبۡرَٰهِـۧمَ حَنِيفٗاۖ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُشۡرِكِينَ

They say, ‘Be Jews or Christians, (and then) you will be (rightly) guided.’ Say: ‘No! The creed of Abraham the Ḥanīf. He was not one of the idolaters.’

Quoted Scripture

"135. And they say, "Be Jews or Christians, then you will be guided." Say (to them O Muhammad), "Nay, (we follow) only the religion of Ibrahim, Hanif (Islamic Monotheism), and he was not of Al-Mushrikin (those who worshipped others along with Allah."

Muhammad bin Ishaq reported that Ibn 'Abbas said that 'Abdullah bin Suriya Al-A'war said to the Messenger of Allah, "The guidance is only what we (Jews) follow. Therefore, follow us, O Muhammad, and you will be rightly guided." Also, the Christians said similarly, so Allah revealed,
{And they say, "Be Jews or Christians, then you will be guided."}

Allah's statement,
{Say (to them O Muhammad), "Nay, (we follow) only the religion of Ibrahim, Hanif} means, "We do not need the Judaism or Christianity that you call us to, rather,
{(we follow) only the religion of Ibrahim, Hanif} meaning, on the straight path, as Muhammad bin Ka'b Al-Qurazi and 'Isa bin Jariyah stated. Also, Abu Qilabah said, "The Hanif is what the Messengers, from beginning to end, believed in."

— from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Vol. 1, Page 410-411)

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.

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