The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

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The Quran 2: 136
guided.’ Say [Prophet], ‘No, [ours is] the religion of Abraham, the
upright, who did not worship any god besides God.’ 136 So [you
believers], say, ‘We believe in God and in what was sent down to us
and what was sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the
Tribes, and what was given to Moses, Jesus, and all the prophets by
their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we
devote ourselves to Him.’ 137 So if they believe like you do, they will
be rightly guided. But if they turn their backs, then they will be
entrenched in opposition. God will protect you from them: He is the
All Hearing, the All Knowing. And say [believers], 138 ‘[Our life]
takes its colour from God, and who gives a better colour than God?
It is Him we worship.’
139 Say [Prophet] [to the Jews and Christians], ‘How can you argue
with us about God when He is our Lord and your Lord? Our deeds
belong to us, and yours to you. We devote ourselves entirely to Him.
140 Or are you saying that Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the
Tribes were Jews or Christians?’ [Prophet], ask them, ‘Who knows
better: you or God? Who could be more wicked than those who hide
a testimony [they received] from God? God is not unmindful of
what you do.’ 141 That community passed away: what they earned
belongs to them, and what you earn belongs to you. You will not be
answerable for their deeds.
142 The foolish people will say, ‘What has turned them away from
the prayer direction they used to face?’ a Say, ‘East and West belong
to God. He guides whoever He will to the right way.’ 143 We have
made you [believers] into a just community, b so that you may bear
witness [to the truth] before others and so that the Messenger may
bear witness [to it] before you. We only made the direction the one
you used to face [Prophet] in order to distinguish those who follow
the Messenger from those who turn on their heels: that test was
hard, except for those God has guided. God would never let your
faith go to waste [believers], c for God is most compassionate and
most merciful towards people. 144 Many a time We have seen you
[Prophet] turn your face towards Heaven, so We are turning you
a This refers to the change in the Muslims’ prayer direction from Jerusalem to
Mecca in the second year of the Hijra.
b Literally ‘a middle nation’.
c This reassured those who asked whether the prayers said towards Jerusalem had
been wasted.