Transliteration:( Allaahu laaa ilaaha illaa Huwal Haiyul Qaiyoom )
"Allah – there is no God except Him. He is the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all [2]."
This verse was revealed in response to a delegation of Christians (Nasara) from Najran who visited the Holy Prophet ﷺ.
When he invited them to accept Islam, they refused, stating:
“We cannot accept a religion that considers Jesus (Hazrat Isa عليه السلام) to be a servant of Allah, and not the son of God. If he isn’t the son of God, then who is his father?”
In response, the Prophet ﷺ explained:
A father and son must be of the same species
Allah is:
Ever-Living (Al-Hayy)
Self-Subsisting (Al-Qayyum)
Eternal and Everlasting
Self-Existent
Knower of all that is hidden and open
Hazrat Isa (AS), being human, does not possess these Divine attributes — hence, he cannot be the son of God or divine himself.
Upon hearing this powerful explanation, the delegation remained silent, and this verse was revealed as a confirmation of what the Prophet ﷺ had said.
📝 Note:
This same Christian delegation performed their prayers inside Masjid Nabawi during Asr Salaah time.
After the Muslims finished their prayers, they did not stop the Christians.
However, this should not be interpreted as a general allowance for polytheists to pray in mosques.
Just as the Bedouin who urinated in Masjid Nabawi was not stopped — due to the Prophet’s ﷺ wisdom and strategy, not because it was permissible — likewise, this situation was a specific, exceptional case.
Therefore, neither act becomes a precedent for permissibility in Islamic law.
The tafsir of Surah Imran verse 2 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Imran ayat 1 which provides the complete commentary from verse 1 through 4.
(3:2) Allah, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting, Who sustains the entire order of the universe – there is no God but He.[1]
1. For explanation see (Surah Al-Baqarah, ayat 255) note 278 above.
[114]- See footnotes to 2:255.
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