Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, says:

"And indeed, among the People of the Book are those who believe in Allah and what has been revealed to you and what has been revealed to them, humbling themselves before Allah. They do not exchange the verses of Allah for a small price. Those are the ones who will have their reward with their Lord. Indeed, Allah is swift in account." "O you who have believed, persevere and endure and remain stationed and fear Allah that you may be successful."

The interpreters have differed regarding whom this verse refers to. Jabir ibn Abdullah, Ibn Jurayj, Qatadah, and others said: "It was revealed because of Ashamah the Negus, the king of Abyssinia, because he was a believer in Allah and in Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him. When he died, the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, knew of that on that day. The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said to his companions: 'Go out and pray for your brother.' So the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, prayed for him with the people, and he said takbir four times. In some narrations, it is said that the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, was shown his bier at the time when he was close to being buried, and he could see it from his place in Medina. When the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, prayed for him, the hypocrites said: 'Look at this, he is praying for a Christian who he has never seen.' Then this verse was revealed." Ashamah the Negus was a Christian, and Ashamah in Arabic means 'gift,' as said by Sufyan ibn Uyaynah and others. It has been narrated that the hypocrites said afterwards: 'He did not pray towards the qiblah,' so the verse was revealed: "And to Allah belongs the east and the west. So wherever you turn, there is the face of Allah." [Al-Baqarah: 115]. Some said it was revealed concerning Abdullah ibn Salam, and Ibn Zayd and Mujahid said it was revealed concerning all who believed among the People of the Book.

"Humble themselves" is a state of the pronoun in "believe," and "humble themselves" refers to the meaning in "who" because it is plural, not to the wording of "who" because it is singular.

And His saying, "They do not exchange the verses of Allah for a small price" is praise for them and blame for the other disbelievers among the People of the Book for their altering and preferring the gains of this world, which is a small price, over their Hereafter and over the verses of Allah, the Exalted.

And His saying, "Indeed, Allah is swift in account" has been said to mean: swift in bringing the Day of Resurrection, which is the Day of Account. Thus, the account is swift, as everything that is coming is near. Some said: swift in account means the enumeration of the deeds of the servants and their rewards and their sins, as all of that is in His work and does not require counting, deliberation, or examination, as humans require.

Then Allah, the Exalted, concluded the surah with this exhortation which gathered the appearances in this world against the enemies and the success in the blessings of the Hereafter. He urged patience in obedience and against desires, and commanded perseverance. It has been said: its meaning is perseverance against the enemies, as said by Zayd ibn Aslam. It has also been said: its meaning is perseverance in the promise of Allah for victory, as said by Muhammad ibn Kab al-Qurazi, meaning: do not become weary and await relief. The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "Waiting for relief with patience is an act of worship."

And likewise, the interpreters have differed in the meaning of His saying "And be steadfast"; the majority of the ummah said: Its meaning is: Be steadfast against your enemies with horses, that is: tie them as your enemies tie them, and from it is His saying, exalted is He: "And from the tying of horses" [Al-Anfal: 60]... the verse.

And Umar ibn al-Khattab wrote to Abu Ubaidah, and he had written to him mentioning the gatherings of the Romans. Umar wrote to him: As for what follows, if a hardship befalls a believing servant, Allah will make after it relief, and no hardship will overcome two eases. And indeed, Allah, the Exalted, says in His Book, "O you who have believed, be patient and endure and remain stationed"... the verse.

And Abu Salamah ibn Abd al-Rahman said: This verse is about waiting for prayer after prayer, and there was no battle during the time of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, in which to be steadfast. He supported this with the hadith of Ali ibn Abi Talib, Jabir ibn Abd Allah, and Abu Hurairah, that the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "Shall I not guide you to what Allah removes sins by and raises degrees by? Perfecting ablution in times of difficulty, and taking many steps to the mosques, and waiting for prayer after prayer, that is the steadfastness, that is the steadfastness, that is the steadfastness."

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The correct saying is that steadfastness is remaining in the way of Allah. Its origin is from tying horses, and then every person who remains at a gap from the gaps of Islam is called a muharib, whether he is a horseman or a foot soldier. The term is taken from tying, and the saying of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him: "That is the steadfastness" is merely a comparison to the steadfastness in the way of Allah, as waiting for prayer is indeed a means of salvation. The linguistic steadfastness is the first, and this is like his saying: "The strong is not the one who overcomes others" and like his saying: "The poor is not this beggar" and other similar examples.

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The muharib in the way of Allah according to the jurists is the one who goes to a gap from the gaps to remain steadfast in it for a period of time, as said by Ibn al-Mawaz and narrated. As for the inhabitants of the gaps who are always with their families, who reside and earn there, they are, even if they are protectors, not considered steadfast.

And His saying: "Perhaps you will succeed" is a hope regarding humanity.

The interpretation of Surah Al-Imran is complete, and all praise is due to Allah for that greatly.