Faith in One True God is undeniable. No matter how Divine words are twisted by priests, monks and Atheists, the really cannot be changed. Those who truly believe and understand what is written in the Divine Scriptures, after due deliberation and reflection, know for sure the Oneness of God without any pluses and minuses. And it is this unflinching faith in the truth, that many men of the Book(s) know in their hearts the reality of truth about the Creator of the universes. This reality residing in the hearts of many, finally removes the man made barriers and takes on to the ultimate truth.
This reality has been expressed in the 199th verse of Al-i'Imran (The Family of Imran) expressed herein under:
وَإِنَّ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ مَن يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ خَاشِعِينَ لِلَّهِ ۖ لَا يَشْتَرُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا ۗ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ
"And indeed, among the People of the Book are those who believe in Allah and what was revealed to you and what was revealed to them, being humbly submissive to Allah. They do not sell the verses of Allah for a small price. For them is a reward with their Lord. Indeed, Allah is swift in account." — Surah Aal-Imran 3:199
Explanation of the Verse
Just before the sūrah ends, a fresh reference is made in verse 199 to the people of earlier revelations which states that some of them have similar beliefs to those of the Muslims. Although, they have not publicly declared their allegiance to Allah, these are considered to have joined the ranks of the Muslims and adopted their ways. Hence, they also deserve the same reward:
This reference is made in order to bring to a conclusion the long account, given in the sūrah, of the people of earlier revelations. The sūrah has referred to many groups among them and to many of their attitudes. Now that the sūrah is speaking about true faith and how people should accept it, and portraying a scene of supplication to God and His answering of believers’ prayers, it states that some of the people of earlier revelations have also followed the same path to its final end. They have believed in all God’s revelations and have not sought to isolate God’s messengers from Him, nor have they discriminated against any of His messengers. They believe in what was revealed to them in former times, and in what has been revealed to the Muslims. This is the distinctive characteristic of a faith which looks at all believers with loving tenderness and visualizes the whole procession of the faithful as leading directly to God. It looks at the Divine system as a complete whole. The one characteristic of those believers among the people of earlier revelations which is highlighted here is humility before God and the refusal to barter away God’s revelations for a trifling price. They are thus set apart from the ranks of the people of the Scriptures whose main characteristic is one of boastfulness and of being totally unashamed before God. Moreover, they fabricate lies and seek cheap worldly pleasures.
To those believers among the people of earlier revelations God promises the same reward as He gives to Muslim believers. God does not delay the reward of those who deal with Him. Far be it for Him to do so. “Swift is God’s reckoning.”
This verse highlights a positive exception among the People of the Book (Jews and Christians), acknowledging that not all disbelieve or oppose the truth. Some among them:
- Believe in Allah, and
- Believe in what was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, as well as
- What was previously revealed to them (Torah, Gospel),
- Are humble and submissive to Allah (خاشعين لله),
- Do not exploit the religion for worldly gain (i.e., they don't "sell" God's verses for profit).
- These individuals are promised a reward from Allah.
Cross-References in the Qur'an
- Surah Al-Baqarah (2):62
- "Indeed, those who believed and those who were Jews or Christians or Sabeans — those [among them] who believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteousness — will have their reward with their Lord..."
- Similar message: Faith and righteousness, regardless of origin, lead to reward — especially for those who recognized and accepted truth when it came.
- Surah Al-A'raf (7):159
- "And among the people of Moses is a community which guides by truth and by it establishes justice."
- Acknowledgement that even within the followers of previous prophets, there remain upright believers.
- Surah Al-Ma'idah (5):82
- "You will find the nearest of them in affection to the believers those who say, 'We are Christians.' That is because among them are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant."
- This verse emphasizes Christian humility and sincerity — traits leading many to accept Islam when they heard the Qur'an.
- Surah Al-Qasas (28):52–53
- "Those to whom We gave the Scripture before it — they believe in it. And when it is recited to them, they say, 'We believe in it. Indeed, it is the truth from our Lord. Indeed we were, [even] before it, Muslims [submitting to Allah].'"
- This directly supports 3:199 — these are People of the Book who submit to Allah upon recognizing the truth in the Qur’an.
Sunnah References
- Najashi (Negus), the King of Abyssinia
- He was a Christian king who believed in the message of Islam and protected Muslim emigrants.
- The Prophet ﷺ said he was a believer and prayed the Janazah (funeral) prayer for him in absentia.
- "Your brother has died. Pray for him." — [Bukhari]
- He is a living example of 3:199 — a righteous individual from Ahl al-Kitab who accepted the truth.
- Note: Watch a video clip at the end of the post taken from the film The Message about a dialogue between the Muslims and King Negus.
- Waraqah ibn Nawfal
- A Christian monk and cousin of Khadijah (RA), who recognized Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as the final prophet.
- "This is the same angel who came to Musa..." — [Bukhari]
- Though he died early, his recognition of the truth is an example of sincere belief among People of the Book.
Core Message of 3:199
- Islam is universal, and sincere faith, humility, and submission to Allah are what matter — not tribal or religious labels.
- The Qur’an acknowledges truth and goodness in others, including non-Muslims who accept divine truth sincerely.
- Rejecting prejudice: Muslims are taught not to generalize or condemn all from other faiths.
May the truth residing into hearts of many among the Book one day and finally proclaim what their heart says about the ultimate truth of our lives. Ameen
Please visit our reference page: Surah 3. Al-i'Imran (The Family of Imran) for selected verses from Surah Al i'Imran.
You may now like to a video clip mentioned earlier when mentioning Negus, the King of Abyssinia. The background to this clip is the presentation of a contingent of the Muslim migrants to Abyssinia. This was abound the 5th year of Prophethood, facing intense persecution in Makkah a group of early Muslims were instructed by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to emigrate to Abyssinia. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ of the view that Abyssinia was ruled by a just and Christian king (Negus) who would allow them to practice their religion freely. Upon arrival in Abyssinia, the Muslim group was presented in the court of King Negus. An infidel followed them to the court of the king, who had good relation with the court men, to persuade the king to return the "run away" Muslims so that they could be persecuted for breaking away from the traditions and faith of their forefathers. The king when heard the Muslim view point and specially the narration from Qur'an about the birth of Prophet Eesa (Jesus), was convinced that both the Injeel (The Gospel) and Qur'an talk of the same one true God and the miraculous birth of the Prophet Eesa. And thus allowed them to stay in his kingdom and were free to follow Islam:
This verse thus is part of a broader discussion in Surah Al-Imran about relations with other religious communities, particularly the People of the Book. It acknowledges that not all of them are antagonistic toward Islam; some are righteous and recognize the truth of the Quran. It promotes a message of unity among those who sincerely believe in God, regardless of their religious background, while also emphasizing the importance of staying true to divine guidance.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.
For more Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. .
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT / Grok is also taken.
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