وَقَالُوا۟ كُونُوا۟ هُودًا أَوْ نَصَـٰرَىٰ تَهْتَدُوا۟ ۗ قُلْ
بَلْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمَ حَنِيفًا ۖ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ
And they say, “Be Jews or Christians,
then you will be guided.”
Say (to them O Muhammad ),
“Nay, (we follow) only the religion of Ibrahim,
Hanif (Islamic Monotheism), and he was not
of Al-Mushrikin (those who worshipped
others along with Allah).
Muhammad bin Ishaq reported that Ibn `Abbas said that `Abdullah bin Suriya Al-A`war said to the Messenger of Allah, “The guidance is only what we (Jews) follow. Therefore, follow us, O Muhammad, and you will be rightly guided.” Also, the Christians said similarly, so Allah revealed,
وَقَالُواْ كُونُواْ هُودًا أَوْ نَصَـرَى تَهْتَدُواْ
And they say, “Be Jews or Christians, then you will be guided.”
Allah’s statement,
قُلْ بَلْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَهِيمَ حَنِيفًا
Say (to them O Muhammad ), “Nay, (we follow) only the religion of Ibrahim, Hanif
means, “We do not need the Judaism or Christianity that you call us to, rather,
مِلَّةَ إِبْرَهِيمَ حَنِيفاً
(we follow) only the religion of Ibrahim, Hanif
meaning, on the straight path, as Muhammad bin Ka`b Al-Qurazi and `Isa bin Jariyah stated. Also, Abu Qilabah said, “The Hanif is what the Messengers, from beginning to end, believed in.”