Ma kana libasharin an yutiyahu Allahu alkitaba waalhukma waalnnubuwwata thumma yaqoola lilnnasi koonoo AAibadan lee min dooni Allahi walakin koonoo rabbaniyyeena bima kuntum tuAAallimoona alkitaba wabima kuntum tadrusoona
English
Ahmed Ali
It is not for a mortal to whom God reveals the Book and the judgement and the prophethood to say to the people: "Be my votaries instead of God's," but (to say): "Become learned in divine law, by virtue of teaching and studying the Book."
79
Tafseer
'Abdullāh Ibn 'Abbās / Muḥammad al-Fīrūzabādī
تفسير : then allah said as regards their claim that they follow the religion of abraham and that abraham commanded them to follow this religion: (it is not (possible) for any human being) among the prophets (unto whom allah had given the scripture and wisdom) understanding (and the prophethood that he should afterwards have said unto mankind: be slaves of me instead of allah; but (what he said was): be you faithful servants of the lord) men of knowledge, people of understanding as well as people who put what they learn into practice (by virtue of your constant teaching of the scripture) from the scripture; it is also said that this means: by virtue of your knowledge of the scripture (and of your constant study thereof) of your reading from the scripture.
Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī
تفسير : when the christians of najrān claimed that jesus had commanded them to take him as a divinity, and some muslims asked that they should be permitted to prostrate themselves before him, the prophet (s), the following was revealed: it belongs not to any mortal that god should give him the book, the judgement, the understanding of the divine law, prophethood, then that he should say to men, ‘be servants to me instead of god.’ rather, he should say, ‘be masters, scholars, labouring (rabbāniyyūn, ‘those of the lord’, is derived from rabb, ‘lord’, with the extra alif and nūn, as a superlative [of rabbiyyūn]), by virtue of what you know (ta‘lamūn, also read as tu‘allimūn, ‘you teach’) of the book and in what you study’, that is, on account of the fact that you used to do this, for its benefit is that you engage in action.
Ali ibn Ahmad al-Wahidi
تفسير : (it is not (possible) for any human being unto whom allah had given the scripture…) [3:79].
al-dahhak and muqatil said: “this was revealed about the christians of najran due to their worship of jesus. his saying (…for any human being…) refers to jesus and (…had given the scripture…) refers to the gospel”.
and according to the narration of al-kalbi and ‘ata’, ibn ‘abbas said: “abu rafi‘ the jew and the head of the christians of najran said: ‘o muhammad! do you want us to worship you and take you as our lord?’ the messenger of allah, allah bless him and give him peace, said: ‘allah forbid that other than allah himself be worshipped or that we be commanded to worship other than allah. this is not what allah has sent me for nor did he command me with this’. and so allah, exalted is he, revealed this verse”.
said al-hasan: “i heard that a man said: ‘o messenger of allah! [is it enough that] we greet you as we greet each other? should we not prostrate to you?’ he said: ‘one ought not to prostrate to anyone besides allah. rather, do honour your prophet, and give people their due’. allah, exalted is he, then revealed this verse”.
Sahl al-Tustari
تفسير : …rather [he should say], ‘be masters (rabbāniyyūn) by virtue of what you know of the book and in what you study, he related:muḥammad b. sawwār said, ‘the person [whose knowledge derives from the] divine lordliness (rabbānī) is the one who does not choose anyone over his lord, and it [the name] is derived from the word rubūbiyya’. sahl continued:people whose knowledge derives from the divine lordliness (rabbāniyūn) are those who are elevated in the degree of [their] knowledge by virtue of [that] knowledge, just as muḥammad b. Ḥanafiyya said on the death of ʿabd allāh ibn ʿabbās y, ‘indeed, today one whose knowledge derived from the divine lordliness (rabbānī) in this community (umma) has died. furthermore, he [the rabbānī] is associated with the lord (rabb) because he is knowledgeable through his knowledge, just as he said, she asked, ‘who told you this?’ he said, ‘i was told by the all-knowing, the aware’ [66:3]. he [the prophet] related it to prophethood (nubuwwa), because of that which god had taught him, mighty and majestic is he. thus, anyone who informs you of something which conforms to the book and the sunna, is ‘an informant’ (munbiʾ). those possessed of knowledge are of three kinds: there is the one whose knowledge derives from the divine lordliness (rabbānī), the one whose knowledge derives from the divine light (nūrānī), and the one whose knowledge derives from the divine essence (dhātī), [who has] no intermediary between him and god most high; within him is a ‘subsisting’ (baqiyya) of god, mighty and majestic is he. [on the other hand], ʿumar b. wāṣil said: those whose knowledge derives from the divine lordliness (rabbāniyyūn) are the collectivity of scholars. this resembles a saying of ʿalī <img border="0" src="images/radeyallahanhom.jpg" width="24" height="22">, ‘people are of three kinds: the knower whose knowledge derives from the divine lordliness (ʿālim rabbānī), the person acquiring knowledge (mutaʿallim) on the path to salvation, and the commoners and riff-raff, who follow every charlatan. his words:
