5-116 And when Allah will say: O Jesus, son of Mary, didst thou say to men, Take me and my mother for two gods besides Allah?a He will say: Glory be to Thee! it was not for me to say what I had no right to (say). If I had said it, Thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my mind, and I know not what is in Thy mind. Surely Thou art the great Knower of the unseen.b
وَإِذۡ قَالَ ٱللَّهُ يَـٰعِيسَى ٱبۡنَ مَرۡيَمَ ءَأَنتَ قُلۡتَ لِلنَّاسِ ٱتَّخِذُونِى وَأُمِّىَ إِلَـٰهَيۡنِ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِۖ قَالَ سُبۡحَـٰنَكَ مَا يَكُونُ لِىٓ أَنۡ أَقُولَ مَا لَيۡسَ لِى بِحَقٍّۚ إِن كُنتُ قُلۡتُهُ ۥ فَقَدۡ عَلِمۡتَهُ ۥۚ تَعۡلَمُ مَا فِى نَفۡسِى وَلَآ أَعۡلَمُ مَا فِى نَفۡسِكَۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ عَلَّـٰمُ ٱلۡغُيُوبِ (١١٦)
5-116a: Jesus questioned in Barzakh (purgatory): This conversation is from Barzakh which has occurred before the revelation of the Quran. Accordingly there is a hadith in Sahih Bukhari commenting on this verse which states that on the Day of Judgment the Holy Prophet will see some people from his Ummah going towards hell and the words that follow are: فاقول کما قال العبد الصالح (I will say as a truthful servant of Allah (Jesus) said). Here the Holy Prophet used present tense for Himself put past tense for Jesus which shows clearly that this conversation had already taken place.
Divinity of Mary: The taking of Jesus as God is obvious but in certain denominations of Christianity Mary too has been accorded Divine attributes. Accordingly, Roman Catholics make statues of Mary and worship them. The title given to her is “Holy Mother of God” which shows the status she has been accorded. According to Encyclopedia Britannica in Thrace, Scythia, and Arabia there were certain women who worshipped the virgin as a goddess. Praying to Mary for intercession is permissible. Nowhere does the Quran mentions Mary as one of the triune in Godhood but there is no doubt that if Christianity had suggested the triune to be Father, Mother and Son, it would have been more appropriate than Father, Son and the Holy Ghost.
5-116b: The first reply that Jesus gives is that it was not befitting for him to say what he had no right to say, but before that he says: سُبۡحَـٰنَكَ that is that the Being of Allah, the Most High, is from any defects or shortcomings and attributing a partner, son is to create a defect in his attributes. By مَا فِى نَفۡسِى are meant things that one keeps secret because those things that one keeps in the heart are kept secret and do not become manifest. Similarly, by مَا فِى نَفۡسِكَ means those things that God keeps secret, and man cannot have knowledge of them.
5-117 I said to them naught save as Thou didst command me: Serve Allah, my Lord and your Lord;a and I was a witness of them so long as I was among them, but when Thou didst cause me to die Thou wast the Watcher over them. And Thou art Witness of all things.b
مَا قُلۡتُ لَهُمۡ إِلَّا مَآ أَمَرۡتَنِى بِهِۦۤ أَنِ ٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ رَبِّى وَرَبَّكُمۡۚ وَكُنتُ عَلَيۡہِمۡ شَہِيدً۬ا مَّا دُمۡتُ فِيہِمۡۖ فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيۡتَنِى كُنتَ أَنتَ ٱلرَّقِيبَ عَلَيۡہِمۡۚ وَأَنتَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىۡءٍ۬ شَہِيدٌ (١١٧)
5-117a: This is the second answer in which Jesus says what he said was what God had commanded: Serve Allah, my Lord and your Lord. The Gospel states the same: Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve (Mathew 4:10).
5-117b: Jesus’ admission of Unity and his preaching: This is the third answer in which Jesus says that not only did he preach monotheism but as long as he was with them, he was also a witness, that is he watched over his flock to make sure that they worshipped God and not him. Thus, Jesus contradicts the assertion in three ways. First, that it is not befitting for a prophet to preach what he has no right to preach. Second, contrary to this, he had preached the worship of One God. Third, that during his lifetime, his followers had abided by his teachings. He then adds that what happened to them after he died is something that God only knows. The conclusion is obvious that the wrong teachings spread among them after his death, but as long as he was with them, they followed the correct teachings.
This verse conclusively proves the death of Jesus because it gives the period in which the distortion of the Christian doctrine took place as being after the death of Jesus, and because this distortion had occurred by the time of the revelation of the Quran, hence Jesus had died before the revelation of the Quran. As far as the meaning of توفیٰ is concerned, this has previously been discussed for which see 3-55a. In addition, the explanation of this verse by the Holy Prophet himself also provides an absolute conclusion. A hadith in Bukhari states that on the Day of Judgment when some people from the Ummah of the Holy Prophet will be caught and taken towards hell, God will say: You do not know what they did after you. So the Holy Prophet says that he will say: فاقول کما قال العبد الصالح وَكُنتُ عَلَيۡہِمۡ شَہِيدً۬ا مَّا دُمۡتُ فِيہِمۡۖ فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيۡتَنِى كُنتَ أَنتَ ٱلرَّقِيبَ عَلَيۡہِمۡ (I will say as a truthful servant of Allah (Jesus) said: and I was a witness of them so long as I was among them, but when Thou didst cause me to die Thou wast the Watcher over them). The use of these words show clearly that the Holy Prophet believed that the followers of Jesus erred after his death and similarly the Ummah of the Holy Prophet will err after his death. In the presence of the definite and conclusive evidence of this verse and the presence of the clearly evident hadith, denial of the death of Jesus is to disregard a definitive verse of the Holy Quran. Taking the meaning of توفیتنی to be any other than death is against the lexicon. Further Bukhari discusses a tradition narrated by Ibn Abbas here that states that the meaning of متوفیك is ممیتك and shows that the meaning of توفیتنی can only mean death and nothing else.
5-118 If Thou chastise them, surely they are Thy servants; and if Thou protect them, surely Thou art the Mighty, the Wise.a
إِن تُعَذِّبۡہُمۡ فَإِنَّہُمۡ عِبَادُكَۖ وَإِن تَغۡفِرۡ لَهُمۡ فَإِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ (١١٨)
5-118a: Jesus is not requesting forgiveness for polytheism here. Because the conversation is taking place in Barzakh prior to the revelation of the Quran, hence the meaning of تَغۡفِرۡ لَهُمۡ is to protect them and this protection is through sending a Messenger who will carry the right message to them and warn them. For this reason, the closing statement of this verse is not انت الغَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ (Thou art Forgiving the Merciful) which would have been the case if the request was for forgiveness but instead the words are أَنتَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ (Thou art the Mighty, the Wise). This ending statement is the same as in the prayer of Abrahm when he supplicates for sending a Messenger: أَنتَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ ……… رَبَّنَا وَٱبۡعَثۡ فِيهِمۡ رَسُولاً۬ مِّنۡہُمۡ (Our Lord, and raise up in them a Messenger … Thou art the Mighty, the Wise) (2:129). Mentioning Allah’s attributes of Honorable, Mighty, and Wise are appropriate for situations where the people are reformed. Sadi comes to the same conclusion: إِن تَغۡفِرۡ لَهُمۡ فتخرجہم من النصرانیة و تھدیھم الی الاسلام (By تَغۡفِرۡ لَهُمۡ is meant that they will be taken out of Christianity and guided to Islam) (IJ)
5-119 Allah will say: This is a day when their truth will profit the truthful ones. For them are Gardens wherein flow rivers abiding therein forever. Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Allah. That is the mighty achievement.a
قَالَ ٱللَّهُ هَـٰذَا يَوۡمُ يَنفَعُ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ صِدۡقُهُمۡۚ لَهُمۡ جَنَّـٰتٌ۬ تَجۡرِى مِن تَحۡتِهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيہَآ أَبَدً۬اۚ رَّضِىَ ٱللَّهُ عَنۡہُمۡ وَرَضُواْ عَنۡهُۚ ذَٲلِكَ ٱلۡفَوۡزُ ٱلۡعَظِيمُ (١١٩)
5-119a: By this day is meant the day that starts after life in this world, and the meaning of يَنفَعُ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ صِدۡقُهُمۡ are in the same manner as: لِّيَسۡـَٔلَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ عَن صِدۡقِهِمۡۚ (That He may question the truthful of their truth) (33:8) that is to question the truthfulness of the actions of the one who verbally claims to be truthful. Just admitting the truth is not enough unless there is a stamp of truthful actions to back the claim (R). The meaning of صدق (truth) includes both speaking the truth and to show the truth with actions. What is imparted here is that in the next life after this life there are two things that will benefit a person, namely, to accept the truth and to act on it. Those people who do not accept the truth will be unable to benefit.
5-120 Allah’s is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatever is in them; and He is Possessor of power over all things.a
لِلَّهِ مُلۡكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا فِيہِنَّۚ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىۡءٍ۬ قَدِيرُۢ (١٢٠)
5-120a: In the last words of this chapter, the nation that is very proud of its expansive empire is told that the kingdom of heaven and earth belongs to Allah. The control of man is temporary, and the real Master is the One Who will Abide forever. It is stated in Ibn Jarir that the people addressed here are the Christians.
Bayan-ul-Quran 