سورة آل عمران

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): "Ask, O Christian ..."! He said: "Now tell me, what your Prophet has said about the Messiah (peace be upon him) — that he is a creation of Allah — by what evidence does it prove that Isa (peace be upon him) is a created being, and negates divinity from him, and attributes deficiency to him? You know that a group in the world hold this belief." Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) replied: "It proves that he is created because Isa (peace be upon him) is limited, and his existence is encompassed by length, breadth, weight and measure, and he has a shape, and changes from one state to another, and is subject to increase and decrease. But I do not deny his station of prophethood, nor do I take from him the station of infallibility. He possessed perfection and the support of the Lord, and it has been conveyed to us from Allah that [Isa (peace be upon him) with Allah] is like Adam, whom He created from dust, then said to him: 'Be!'" — and without delay he came into being.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When the Christians of Najran came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) ... they said to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): "To what do you call?" He said: "To bearing witness that there is no god but the One Allah, and that I am the Messenger of Allah, and that Isa (peace be upon him) is a servant and a created being who eats, drinks and answers the call of nature." They said: "Then who is his father?" Revelation then came down upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and he said: "Tell them: what do they say about Adam (peace be upon him)? Was he a servant and a created being who ate, drank, spoke and married?" The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) asked them these questions; they said: "Yes." He said: "Then who is his father?" They remained silent, and Allah sent down: إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِیسی عِنْدَ اللهَ کَمَثَلِ آدَمَ [Surely the likeness of Isa with Allah is as the likeness of Adam].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): The delegation of Najran were forty men, and among them were al-Sayyid, al-Aqib, Qays, al-Harith and Abd al-Masih ibn Yunan, the bishop of Najran. The bishop said: "O Abu al-Qasim (peace be upon him and his family)! Who is the father of Musa (peace be upon him)?" He said: "Imran (peace be upon him)." He said: "Who is the father of Yusuf (peace be upon him)?" He said: "Yaqub (peace be upon him)." He said: "Who is your father?" He said: "My father is Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib (may Allah have mercy on him)." He said: "Who is the father of Isa (peace be upon him)?" The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) turned away from them, and this verse was revealed: إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِیسی عِنْدَ الله [Surely the likeness of Isa with Allah].

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Al-Sha'bi said: Al-Aqib and al-Sayyid, from the people of Najran, came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) called them to Islam. They said: "We are Muslims." He said: "Three things prevent you from Islam: eating the flesh of swine, hanging up the cross, and what you say concerning Isa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him)." They said: "Where then is Isa (peace be upon him) from?" The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) fell silent, and the Qur'an was revealed: إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِیسی عِنْدَ الله کَمَثَلِ آدَمَ خَلَقَهُ مِنْ تُرابٍ [Surely the likeness of Isa with Allah is as the likeness of Adam; He created him from dust] ...

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) — Ahmad ibn Ja'far, with the chain, narrates from Imam Ali (peace be upon him): The bishop said to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): 'O Abu al-Qasim (peace be upon him and his family)! Who is the father of Musa (peace be upon him)?' He said: 'Imran (peace be upon him).' The bishop said: 'Who is the father of Yusuf (peace be upon him)?' He said: 'Ya'qub (peace be upon him).' He said: 'May my father and mother be your ransom, who is your father?' He said: 'Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib.' He said: 'Then who is the father of Isa (peace be upon him)?' The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) fell silent. Whenever the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) needed anything of speech or argument, Jibra'il (peace be upon him) would descend upon him from the seventh heaven, and his reply would reach him faster than the blink of an eye — and this is the very saying of Allah the Exalted: 'And Our command is but a single word, like the twinkling of an eye.' (Qamar/50). The Imam (peace be upon him) said: 'Jibra'il (peace be upon him) came and said: Isa (peace be upon him) is the spirit of Allah and His word.' The bishop said to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): 'Can a spirit exist without a body?' The Imam (peace be upon him) said: 'The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) fell silent, until it was revealed to him: إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِیسی عِنْدَ اللهِ کَمَثَلِ آدَمَ خَلَقَهُ مِنْ تُرابٍ ثُمَّ قالَ لَهُ کُنْ فَیَکُونُ [Surely the likeness of Isa is with Allah as the likeness of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him, Be, and he was].'

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): The delegation of the Christians of Najran came before the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and among them were al-Sayyid, al-Aqib and Abu al-Harith — the last being Abd al-Masih ibn Yuman, the bishop of Najran — and they came together with the chiefs of the people of Najran before the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). They said to him: 'Why do you speak of our prophet in this way?' He said: 'Who is your prophet?' They said: 'Isa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him)! And you have supposed that he is the servant of Allah.' He said: 'Yes, he is the servant of Allah.' They said: 'Show us among Allah's creation another servant like him (that is, one born without a father).' The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) fell silent and gave no reply until these verses were revealed to him: إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِیسی عِنْدَ اللهِ کَمَثَلِ آدَمَ خَلَقَهُ مِنْ تُرابٍ ثُمَّ قالَ لَهُ کُنْ فَیَکُونُ [Surely the likeness of Isa is with Allah as the likeness of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him, Be, and he was].

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) — Shahr ibn Hawshab said: Abd al-Masih ibn Abqa came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and with him were al-Aqib and his brother Qays, and with him came Harith ibn Abd al-Masih, who was a youth, and with him were forty hibr (Christian scholars). Abd al-Masih said: 'O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! What do you say about al-Masih (peace be upon him)? By Allah, we reject what you say.' Allah the Exalted revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِیسی عِنْدَ اللهِ کَمَثَلِ آدَمَ خَلَقَهُ مِنْ تُرابٍ ثُمَّ قالَ لَهُ کُنْ فَیَکُونُ [Surely the likeness of Isa is with Allah as the likeness of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him, Be, and he was].

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Salama narrates from his father, and his father from his grandfather, that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) wrote to the people of Najran: "... I call you from the worship of servants to the worship of Allah, and I invite you from the wilaya (guardianship) of servants to the wilaya of Allah. So if you refuse to accept this invitation, you must pay jizya (tax); and if you refuse to pay the jizya, then war is declared upon you. And peace." When the bishop read the letter ... they agreed to send Shurahbil ibn Wadi'a, Abdullah ibn Shurahbil, and Jabbar ibn Fayd to bring back word for them from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family). So the delegation set out until they came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family). The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) questioned them and they questioned him, and the questioning did not turn either side away [from their words and beliefs] until they said to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): "What do you say about Isa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him)?" The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Today I have nothing about him with me; so go, and tomorrow morning I will inform you of what is said to me concerning Isa (peace be upon him)." Then Allah revealed these verses: إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِیسی عِنْدَ الله کَمَثَلِ آدَمَ [Surely the likeness of Isa with Allah is as the likeness of Adam] ... فَنَجْعَلْ لَعْنَتَ الله عَلَی الْکاذِبِینَ [then we shall place the curse of Allah upon the liars].

Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), when the Christians of Najran came to him to debate with him, established proof and argument for them. They said: "O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! What do you say about the Masih (peace be upon him)?" He said: "He is the servant of Allah; he eats and drinks." They said: "Who is his father?" Allah revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): "O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! Ask them about Adam (peace be upon him). Was he anything but a human being created, who ate and drank?" And Allah revealed this verse upon him: إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِیسی عِنْدَ الله کَمَثَلِ آدَمَ خَلَقَهُ مِنْ تُرابٍ ثُمَّ قالَ لَهُ کُنْ فَیَکُونُ [Surely the likeness of Isa with Allah is as the likeness of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him, Be, and he was]. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) asked them about Adam (peace be upon him). They said: "Yes, he was a human being created, who ate and drank." He said: "Tell me, who is his father?" They gave no answer, and the proof and argument became binding upon them, and they did not confess; rather, they kept silent.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said to the Christians of Najran: "... My brother Isa (peace be upon him) was as you said; he would bring the dead back to life and heal the one born blind and those afflicted with leprosy (baras), and he would inform his people of what was in their hearts and of what they stored away in their houses, and all of this was by the permission of Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and he is a servant of Allah, and this is no disgrace for him, nor does he refuse it. His flesh, blood, hair, bones, nerves and nature ate food, and he became thirsty, and his limbs grew tired, while his Lord is the One, the True, whom nothing is like and who has no equal." They said: "Show us someone like him who was born without a man and without a father." He said: "Adam (peace be upon him) is more wondrous than him in creation; he came into the world without a father and without a mother, and in the power of Allah the Mighty and Majestic nothing of creation is easier or harder than another thing for Him. His command is such that whenever He wills a thing, He simply says to it: 'Be!', and it comes into being without delay." And he recited to them [this verse]: إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِیسی عِنْدَ الله کَمَثَلِ آدَمَ خَلَقَهُ مِنْ تُرابٍ ثُمَّ قالَ لَهُ کُنْ فَیَکُونُ [Surely the likeness of Isa with Allah is as the likeness of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him, Be, and he was].

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): They said to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): "Have you seen a child who came into being without a man?" So the verse: إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِیسی عِنْدَ الله [Surely the likeness of Isa with Allah] was revealed, and he recited it to them.