مَا قُلْتُ لَهُمْ إِلَّا مَآ أَمَرْتَنِى بِهِۦٓ أَنِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ رَبِّى وَرَبَّكُمْ ۚ وَكُنتُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا مَّا دُمْتُ فِيهِمْ ۖ فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِى كُنتَ أَنتَ ٱلرَّقِيبَ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ وَأَنتَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ شَهِيدٌ 117
Translations
I said not to them except what You commanded me - to worship Allāh, my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them as long as I was among them; but when You took me up, You were the Observer over them, and You are, over all things, Witness.
Transliteration
Maa qultu lahum illaa maa amartanee bih, an iAAbudoo Allaha rabbee wa rabbakum, wa kuntu AAalayhim shaheedan maa dumtu feehim, falammaa tawaffaytanee kunta anta alrraqeeba AAalayhim, wa anta AAalaa kulli shay-in shaheed
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah presents Jesus ('Isa) on the Day of Judgment defending himself against the charge that he commanded people to worship him and his mother as gods alongside Allah. Jesus clarifies that he only conveyed Allah's command to worship Him alone as the one true Lord of all. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this statement emphasizes Jesus's role as a faithful messenger who neither claimed divinity nor permitted his followers to associate partners with Allah. The ayah highlights that Jesus witnessed over his people during his lifetime, but after his death, only Allah remained as the ultimate observer and guardian over them.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within the climactic scene of Surah Al-Ma'idah (5:116-118) depicting the Day of Judgment, where Allah questions Jesus about whether he commanded people to take him and his mother as gods. The Medinan context reflects the Quranic refutation of Christian theological claims about Jesus's divinity, addressing misconceptions that had developed in Christian communities. This passage serves as a definitive correction to false doctrines that had attributed partners to Allah.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'The most grievous sin to Allah is that a slave calls another slave as 'lord' (Sunan An-Nasa'i). Additionally, in Sahih Bukhari, the Prophet emphasized: 'Whoever dies while calling upon another with Allah [as a partner], he will meet Allah angry with him.' These hadiths reinforce the central message of Tawhid (monotheism) that Jesus himself upheld.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that true faith requires unwavering commitment to the worship of Allah alone, rejecting all forms of idolatry and polytheism, regardless of status or popularity. For believers today, it serves as a reminder that we are accountable to Allah for what we believe and propagate, and that sincere adherence to monotheism is the foundation of all righteous action.
Related Ayahs
إِذْ قَالَ ٱلْحَوَارِيُّونَ يَـٰعِيسَى ٱبْنَ مَرْيَمَ هَلْ يَسْتَطِيعُ رَبُّكَ أَن يُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنَا مَآئِدَةً مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ ۖ قَالَ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ
[And remember] when the disciples said, "O Jesus, Son of Mary, can your Lord send down to us a table [spread with food] from the heaven?" [Jesus] said, "Fear Allāh, if you should be believers."
سَمَّـٰعُونَ لِلْكَذِبِ أَكَّـٰلُونَ لِلسُّحْتِ ۚ فَإِن جَآءُوكَ فَٱحْكُم بَيْنَهُمْ أَوْ أَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ ۖ وَإِن تُعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ فَلَن يَضُرُّوكَ شَيْـًٔا ۖ وَإِنْ حَكَمْتَ فَٱحْكُم بَيْنَهُم بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُقْسِطِينَ
[They are] avid listeners to falsehood, devourers of [what is] unlawful. So if they come to you, [O Muḥammad], judge between them or turn away from them. And if you turn away from them - never will they harm you at all. And if you judge, judge between them with justice. Indeed, Allāh loves those who act justly.
فَطَوَّعَتْ لَهُۥ نَفْسُهُۥ قَتْلَ أَخِيهِ فَقَتَلَهُۥ فَأَصْبَحَ مِنَ ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ
And his soul permitted to him the murder of his brother, so he killed him and became among the losers.
قَالُوا۟ يَـٰمُوسَىٰٓ إِنَّا لَن نَّدْخُلَهَآ أَبَدًا مَّا دَامُوا۟ فِيهَا ۖ فَٱذْهَبْ أَنتَ وَرَبُّكَ فَقَـٰتِلَآ إِنَّا هَـٰهُنَا قَـٰعِدُونَ
They said, "O Moses, indeed we will not enter it, ever, as long as they are within it; so go, you and your Lord, and fight. Indeed, we are remaining right here."