His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "Indeed, this is the true narrative, and there is no deity except Allah. And indeed, Allah is the Exalted in Might, the Wise." "So if they turn away, then indeed, Allah is All-Knowing of the corruptors." "Say, O People of the Book, come to a word that is equitable between us and you, that we not worship except Allah and not associate anything with Him, and not take one another as lords besides Allah. But if they turn away, then say, 'Bear witness that we are Muslims.'"

This is news from Allah, the Most High, a definitive statement that separates between the disputants. The reference with "this" is to what has preceded regarding Jesus, peace be upon him, as stated by Ibn Abbas, Ibn Jurayj, Ibn Zayd, and others. And "the narrative" means: the news. You say: he narrated, he narrates a narration, if he followed the matter and informed about it thing by thing. Some people said: it is derived from following the trace. And His saying, "Indeed, it is" can be taken as a separation or it can be taken as a beginning. And "from" in His saying, "from a deity" is an affirmation after the negation, and the speech is complete without it, but it gives the meaning of affirmation. And His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "So indeed, Allah is All-Knowing of the corruptors" is a warning.

And the interpreters have differed; who is meant by His saying, "Say, O People of the Book, come"? Qatadah said: It has been mentioned to us that the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, called the Jews of Medina to the equitable word, and they are the ones who argued about Abraham. This was also said by Al-Rabi and Ibn Jurayj. And Muhammad ibn Ja'far ibn Al-Zubayr said: The verse was revealed regarding the delegation of Najran, and this was said by Al-Suddi. And Ibn Zayd said: When the people of Najran refused what they were called to regarding the mutual cursing, they were called to something easier than that, which is the equitable word.

And what appears to me is that the verse was revealed regarding the delegation of Najran, but the term "People of the Book" encompasses them and others from the Christians and Jews. So the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, called after that the Jews of Medina with the verse, and likewise he wrote with it to Heraclius, the great Roman leader. And likewise, the People of the Book should be called with it until the Day of Resurrection.

And the majority of the people read: "to a word" with a fatha on the kaf and a kasra on the lam. And Abu Al-Sammal narrated: "word" - with a fatha on the kaf and a sukoon on the lam - and it was narrated from him that he read: "word" - with a kasra on the kaf and a sukoon on the lam - and that is by placing the vowel of the lam on the kaf, as they said in "kabad", kibd with a kasra on the kaf and a sukoon on the ba. And the word here refers to the expressions that contain the meanings being called to, which he later explained by saying: "that we not worship..." the verse. And this is as the Arabs call a poem a word. And the majority of the interpreters agree that the word is what was explained later, and Abu Al-Aliyah said: The equitable word is: there is no deity except Allah. And the two statements are in agreement, because everything that was explained applies to the meaning: there is no deity except Allah.

And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "Equal" is a description of the word. Qatadah, Al-Rabi', and others said: Its meaning is: to a word of justice. This is the meaning of equality. In the Mushaf of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: "to a word of justice between us and you," as Qatadah and Al-Rabi' explained. Some of the interpreters said: Its meaning is: to a word of intention. This is close in meaning to the first, and equality, justice, and intention are sources described in all of these interpretations.

What I say about the term "Equal" is that it should be interpreted with a specific interpretation in this context. It is that He called them to meanings in which all people are equal, both small and large. The behavior of those being called was that some of them took others as lords, so they were not equal in condition. Thus, He called them with this verse to what souls are accustomed to, "of truth" in which people do not differ. So, "Equal" - according to this interpretation - is like your saying to another: This is my partner in wealth, equal between me and him. The difference between this interpretation and the interpretation of the term as justice is that if you called a captive with you to either convert or strike his neck, you would have called him to the equality that is justice. And in this regard, the term "Equal" came in His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "So cast to them on equal terms" [Al-Anfal: 58] according to some interpretations. And if you called your captive to believe so that he would be free and share with you in your living, you would have called him to the equality that is the equal condition as I have explained. The term in every interpretation has the meaning of justice, but I have not seen for any predecessor that there is in the term a meaning that aims for equal condition, and this is good in my view, because souls are accustomed to it. And Allah is the one who grants success to the truth by His mercy.

And His saying: "That we do not worship" can be understood as being in a position of lowering, meaning: to not worship, and that is in substitution for "a word." It can also be understood as being in a position of raising, meaning: it is to not worship. What Al-Mahdawi and others mentioned about it being interpreted to other than that, from the possibilities that necessitate raising "we worship" is excessive from them, so I have shortened it. And the taking of some of them as lords over others is on levels, the highest of which is their belief in divinity and their worship of them in that, like 'Uzayr and 'Isa ibn Maryam. And with this, 'Ikrimah explained. The least of that is their obedience to their bishops and leaders in all that they commanded of disbelief and sins, and their adherence to their obedience as a law, and with this, Ibn Jurayj explained. Thus, the verse came calling to abandon all of that, and that the one who obeys should follow what Allah, glorified and exalted is He, said through the tongue of His Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him.

And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "So say, bear witness that we are Muslims" is a command to announce their opposition and to confront them with that, and to bear witness against them in the sense of reproach and threat, meaning: You will see, O you who turn away, what the outcome of your turning away will be.