مَّا ٱلْمَسِيحُ ٱبْنُ مَرْيَمَ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ ٱلرُّسُلُ وَأُمُّهُۥ صِدِّيقَةٌ ۖ كَانَا يَأْكُلَانِ ٱلطَّعَامَ ۗ ٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ نُبَيِّنُ لَهُمُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ ثُمَّ ٱنظُرْ أَنَّىٰ يُؤْفَكُونَ 75
Translations
The Messiah, son of Mary, was not but a messenger; [other] messengers have passed on before him. And his mother was a supporter of truth. They both used to eat food. Look how We make clear to them the signs; then look how they are deluded.
Transliteration
Maa al-Maseehu ibnu Maryama illa Rasoolun qad khalat min qablihi ar-Rusul wa ummuh Siddiqah. Kanaa ya'kulaani at-ta'am. Anzur kayfa nubayyinu lahum al-ayat. Thumma anzur anna yu'fakun.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah explicitly refutes Christian claims of Jesus's divinity by establishing him as a messenger (rasul) in the lineage of previous prophets, with no supernatural characteristics that would distinguish him from ordinary humans. Both Jesus and his mother Mary are presented as people who consumed food—a fundamental attribute of created beings—emphasizing their humanity and dependency on sustenance as proof against deification. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that despite the clarity of this evidence, people turn away from the truth, which is why Allah calls attention to how evident these signs are and how perplexing human rejection remains.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in Medina during the period when the Prophet Muhammad encountered delegations of Christians, particularly from Najran, who claimed Jesus was the Son of God or divine. The surah addresses various theological disputes, and this ayah directly confronts the Christian doctrine of the Trinity and Jesus's divinity with rational and scriptural arguments.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari 3445: The Prophet Muhammad said, 'The closest of the people to me in kinship and the best of them in character will be those who will come after me, and then those who will come after them.' This reinforces the concept of Jesus as a prophet in succession with others. Also, the hadith about the delegation of Najran Christians in Sunan Abu Dawud relates contextually to the circumstances of this revelation.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us to recognize that all messengers and their families, regardless of their station, remain human beings subject to natural human needs—a humbling reminder that proximity to God does not elevate one beyond the created order. Furthermore, it challenges us to reflect on why we sometimes resist truth even when it is presented clearly, encouraging sincere introspection about our own cognitive and spiritual biases.
Related Ayahs
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى لَآ أَمْلِكُ إِلَّا نَفْسِى وَأَخِى ۖ فَٱفْرُقْ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْفَـٰسِقِينَ
[Moses] said, "My Lord, indeed I do not possess [i.e., control] except myself and my brother, so part us from the defiantly disobedient people."
قُل لَّا يَسْتَوِى ٱلْخَبِيثُ وَٱلطَّيِّبُ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكَ كَثْرَةُ ٱلْخَبِيثِ ۚ فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ يَـٰٓأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
Say, "Not equal are the evil and the good, although the abundance of evil might impress you." So fear Allāh, O you of understanding, that you may be successful.
لَقَدْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَـٰقَ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ وَأَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَيْهِمْ رُسُلًا ۖ كُلَّمَا جَآءَهُمْ رَسُولٌۢ بِمَا لَا تَهْوَىٰٓ أَنفُسُهُمْ فَرِيقًا كَذَّبُوا۟ وَفَرِيقًا يَقْتُلُونَ
We had already taken the covenant of the Children of Israel and had sent to them messengers. Whenever there came to them a messenger with what their souls did not desire, a party [of messengers] they denied, and another party they killed.
فَإِنْ عُثِرَ عَلَىٰٓ أَنَّهُمَا ٱسْتَحَقَّآ إِثْمًا فَـَٔاخَرَانِ يَقُومَانِ مَقَامَهُمَا مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَحَقَّ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْأَوْلَيَـٰنِ فَيُقْسِمَانِ بِٱللَّهِ لَشَهَـٰدَتُنَآ أَحَقُّ مِن شَهَـٰدَتِهِمَا وَمَا ٱعْتَدَيْنَآ إِنَّآ إِذًا لَّمِنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
But if it is found that those two were guilty of sin [i.e., perjury], let two others stand in their place [who are] foremost [in claim] from those who have a lawful right. And let them swear by Allāh, "Our testimony is truer than their testimony, and we have not transgressed. Indeed, we would then be of the wrongdoers."