Ali 'Imran · Madani · ayah 50 of 200

Ali 'Imran 3:50

وَمُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَىَّ مِنَ ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةِ وَلِأُحِلَّ لَكُم بَعْضَ ٱلَّذِى حُرِّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ ۚ وَجِئْتُكُم بِـَٔايَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ

“And [I have come] confirming what was before me of the Torah and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. And I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, so fear Allāh and obey me.”

Saheeh International

Essence

ʿĪsā came confirming the Torah, easing some of what had been forbidden, and calling his people to be mindful of Allah.

A reflection

A shield that lets you swim

A girl of six is terrified of the deep end. Her father puts armbands on her. Within ten minutes she has stopped clinging to the side and is kicking across the pool, laughing. The armbands did not make her afraid of the water. They set her free in it.

ʿĪsā's call to his people ends with two commands. 'So be mindful of Allah, and obey me.' The first is ittaqū llāh. It is often translated 'fear Allah', and the fear is part of it. But the lexicons give the root a clearer picture. Wiqāya is whatever you place between yourself and harm: a shield raised between you and the blow. One lexicon explains ittaqi Allāh as 'put something between you and Him like a shield'. The picture is care, not panic.

The second command is 'obey me'. A concise commentary explains: obey me in what I command you of Allah's oneness and obedience to Him. A modern commentary adds: in what I convey to you from Allah. ʿĪsā asks to be obeyed as a messenger, never as a god.

Allah needs none of this. He is free of all need (35:15), and whoever strives does so for himself (29:6). Taqwa is for us. Many people today live with a low, constant anxiety, braced against everything at once. Taqwa is not more of that. It is a single, steady shield held up in one direction, which frees you to move through the rest of life without panic.

'Truly, in the remembrance of Allah hearts find rest' (13:28).

The girl at the pool still respects the deep end. She has simply stopped being ruled by it.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.