Overview (Verses 18 - 19)

Wishful Thinking That Comes to Nothing
 
The sūrah then mentions another claim pressed by the Jews and Christians: “Both the Jews and the Christians say: ‘We are God’s children and His loved ones.‘“ (Verse 18) They allege that some sort of parenthood belongs to God. If this fatherhood is not a physical one, then it is spiritual. Whatever it is, it throws an element of doubt on the concept of God’s oneness and detracts from the decisive separation between the position of God and that of His servants. The fact is that this separation is necessary for the clarity of faith and the proper order of human life. It is essential so that all worship is addressed to God by all His creation. They, thus, have a single legislative authority which sets for them their values, standards, laws and systems, with no confusion of authority resulting from a jumble of qualities and positions. It is not merely a question of deviant beliefs, but a question of their consequences that are bound to corrupt life as a whole.
 
As a logical consequence of their claim that they are the children of God and His loved ones, the Jews and Christians claimed that He would not punish them for their sins, and that they would not be in Hell for more than a few days, if at all. This means in plain terms that God’s justice is not administered properly and that He favours a section of His servants by allowing them to spread corruption on earth without punishing them as He punishes others who would do the same. Can we imagine the sort of corrupt life that may result from such a concept?
 
At this point, Islam rejects most decisively such deviant beliefs and their practical consequences which corrupt life. It stresses the fact that God’s justice is absolute: “Say: Why then does He punish you for your sins? You are only human beings of His creation. He forgives whom He will and punishes whom He will.” (Verse 18) Their claims of being God’s children are, thus, stated to be false. They are no more than other human beings. Forgiveness or punishment is determined by the same rule, based on God’s will which has established certain reasons for forgiveness and different ones for punishment. Neither is determined by any special relationship with God.
 
We then have a reiteration of the fact that everything belongs to God and returns to Him: “To God belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, and to Him all shall return.” (Verse 18) It goes without saying that the owner is different from what is owned. Limitless as He is in His glory, His will is absolute and to Him will all return.
 
A renewed address is then made to the people given earlier revelations in order to allow them no excuse whatsoever. They are made to visualise most clearly their eventual destiny: “People of earlier revelations! Now after an interval during which no messengers have appeared, Our Messenger has come to you to make things plain to you, lest you say: ‘No one has come to give us good news or to warn us.’ Now there has come to you a bearer of good news and a warner. God has power over all things.” (Verse 19)
 
With such decisive clarity, all issues are made plain. No longer can the people of earlier revelations claim that the unlettered Messenger has not been sent to them. God tells them: “People of earlier revelations, Our Messenger has come to make things plain to you.“ (Verse 19) No longer can they profess that they have not been warned or given good news for a long period which might have allowed forgetfulness or deviation to creep in. Now someone to warn them and to give them happy news has come to them.
 
They are reminded that nothing can resist God’s power; nothing can defy Him. He can send a Messenger from among the unlettered nation and He can punish the people given revelations earlier for what they may earn: “God has power over all things.” (Verse 19)
 
Thus, this round of confrontation with peoples of earlier revelations comes to an end. It has exposed their deviant beliefs which they introduced in the true faith preached by their messengers. It states most clearly the only faith which God accepts from believers and pronounces as false all their excuses which they reiterate in justification of their negative attitude to the unlettered Prophet, Muĥammad (peace be upon him). It calls on them to follow the Divine guidance on the one hand and weakens the effects of their scheming against the Muslim community on the other. Moreover, the way the Muslim community and all those who seek guidance must follow is clearly marked out.