The Call in Al Imran and the People of the Book

Occasion: A transcription of a lecture delivered after the Isha prayer at AIA on June 9, 2026, as part of the series "Calls to Faith in the Qur’an" (15)Source: A transcription of a video lecture by Dr. Ahmed Abouseif — Watch the original video on YouTube

Editor's note: The transcript of this lecture is badly garbled, and only the verses and phrases given below could be established from it; no explanation that did not appear has been added.

The session opens with a supplication: «اللهم سلِّم لنا قلوبنا وعقولنا، واحفظ علينا عافيتنا وأمننا في أنفسنا وأهلينا وأموالنا وأولادنا، اللهم آمين يا رب العالمين» ("O Allah, keep our hearts and minds sound for us, and preserve for us our well-being and our security in ourselves, our families, our wealth and our children. O Allah, amen, Lord of the worlds.").

The Call

The subject of this episode is the call in Sūrat Āl ʿImrān: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِن تُطِيعُوا فَرِيقًا مِّنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ يَرُدُّوكُم بَعْدَ إِيمَانِكُم كَافِرِينَ﴾ [Āl ʿImrān: 100] (O you who believe, if you obey a party of those who were given the Book, they will turn you back, after your belief, into disbelievers). The lecturer pauses at the word "obedience," and then says in another place: "They will turn you back into disbelievers, and we seek refuge in Allah."

The Condition of the People of the Book Before the Call

Then he returns to verses that precede it in the surah: ﴿أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا نَصِيبًا مِّنَ الْكِتَابِ يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَىٰ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ يَتَوَلَّىٰ فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُمْ وَهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ * ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا لَن تَمَسَّنَا النَّارُ إِلَّا أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَاتٍ ۖ وَغَرَّهُمْ فِي دِينِهِم مَّا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ﴾ [Āl ʿImrān: 23-24] (Have you not seen those who were given a portion of the Book? They are invited to the Book of Allah so that it may judge between them, then a party of them turns away, averse. That is because they said, "The Fire will not touch us except for a limited number of days," and what they used to invent has deceived them in their religion).

Then: ﴿يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لِمَ تُحَاجُّونَ فِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمَا أُنزِلَتِ التَّوْرَاةُ وَالْإِنجِيلُ إِلَّا مِن بَعْدِهِ﴾ [Āl ʿImrān: 65] (O People of the Book, why do you argue about Abraham, when the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed until after him?), and he mentions Abraham, Moses and Jesus, peace be upon them, and the Torah, the Gospel and the Noble Qur’an. Then: ﴿يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لِمَ تَلْبِسُونَ الْحَقَّ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتَكْتُمُونَ الْحَقَّ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ﴾ [Āl ʿImrān: 71] (O People of the Book, why do you clothe the truth with falsehood and conceal the truth while you know?).

Then: ﴿وَقَالَت طَّائِفَةٌ مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ آمِنُوا بِالَّذِي أُنزِلَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَجْهَ النَّهَارِ وَاكْفُرُوا آخِرَهُ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ﴾ [Āl ʿImrān: 72] (A group of the People of the Book said, "Believe in what was sent down to those who believe at the beginning of the day, and disbelieve at its end, perhaps they will return"). Then: ﴿وَمِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ مَنْ إِن تَأْمَنْهُ بِقِنطَارٍ يُؤَدِّهِ إِلَيْكَ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ إِن تَأْمَنْهُ بِدِينَارٍ لَّا يُؤَدِّهِ إِلَيْكَ إِلَّا مَا دُمْتَ عَلَيْهِ قَائِمًا ۗ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا لَيْسَ عَلَيْنَا فِي الْأُمِّيِّينَ سَبِيلٌ وَيَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ﴾ [Āl ʿImrān: 75] (Among the People of the Book is one who, if you entrust him with a hoard of wealth, will return it to you; and among them is one who, if you entrust him with a single dinar, will not return it to you unless you keep standing over him. That is because they said, "We have no obligation toward the unlettered," and they speak a lie about Allah while they know).

Then: ﴿وَإِنَّ مِنْهُمْ لَفَرِيقًا يَلْوُونَ أَلْسِنَتَهُم بِالْكِتَابِ لِتَحْسَبُوهُ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَمَا هُوَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ … وَيَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ﴾ [Āl ʿImrān: 78] (And indeed, among them is a party who twist their tongues with the Book so that you may think it is from the Book, while it is not from the Book … and they speak a lie about Allah while they know). Then: ﴿قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لِمَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ شَهِيدٌ عَلَىٰ مَا تَعْمَلُونَ﴾ [Āl ʿImrān: 98] (Say, "O People of the Book, why do you disbelieve in the signs of Allah, while Allah is witness over what you do?"), then ﴿يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لِمَ تَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ …﴾ ﴿تَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًا وَأَنتُمْ شُهَدَاءُ﴾ ﴿وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ﴾ [Āl ʿImrān: 99] (O People of the Book, why do you bar from the way of Allah … seeking to make it crooked while you are witnesses … and Allah is not unaware of what you do).

The Opening of the Surah

Then he turns to the opening of Sūrat Āl ʿImrān, and mentions the disjointed letters and the oneness of God: ﴿الم * اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ * نَزَّلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَأَنزَلَ التَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنجِيلَ مِن قَبْلُ … الْفُرْقَانَ﴾ [Āl ʿImrān: 1-4]^[2] (Alif, Lām, Mīm. Allah, there is no god but Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Sustaining. He has sent down to you the Book in truth, confirming what was before it, and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel before … the Criterion). Then he mentioned the choosing of Adam, Noah and the family of Abraham: ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَىٰ آدَمَ وَنُوحًا وَآلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ …﴾^[1] (Indeed, Allah chose Adam, Noah and the family of Abraham …).

"And Among You Is His Messenger"

Then he returns to the verse that follows the call: ﴿وَكَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ وَأَنتُمْ تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتُ اللَّهِ وَفِيكُمْ رَسُولُهُ ۗ وَمَن يَعْتَصِم بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ هُدِيَ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ﴾ [Āl ʿImrān: 101] (And how could you disbelieve while the verses of Allah are recited to you and among you is His Messenger? Whoever holds firmly to Allah has been guided to a straight path). Alongside it he brings to mind: ﴿الم * ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ * الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ …﴾^[4] (Alif, Lām, Mīm. That is the Book, there is no doubt in it, a guidance for the God-fearing, who believe in the unseen and establish …), and the verse of Sūrat al-Ḥujurāt, which he recited by addressing those present, "O young people," and asking their help in recalling it: ﴿وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ فِيكُمْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ۚ لَوْ يُطِيعُكُمْ فِي كَثِيرٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْرِ لَعَنِتُّمْ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ حَبَّبَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْإِيمَانَ وَزَيَّنَهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَكَرَّهَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكُفْرَ وَالْفُسُوقَ وَالْعِصْيَانَ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ …﴾ [al-Ḥujurāt: 7]^[3] (And know that among you is the Messenger of Allah. If he were to obey you in much of the matter, you would be in difficulty; but Allah has made belief beloved to you and adorned it in your hearts, and has made disbelief, wrongdoing and disobedience hateful to you. Those are …). Then he mentions the prophets, and recites the call that follows it: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ﴾ [Āl ʿImrān: 102] (O you who believe, fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims). The lecture ends with a supplication for the believers for blessing.

--- ^[1]: Editor's documentation: Āl ʿImrān: 33; from the text of the transcript, only the mention of Adam, Noah and the family of Abraham could be established, so it was limited to that. Most of the verses cited were not named by the lecturer by surah; the attribution is the editor's. ^[2]: Editor's documentation: The full verse: ﴿وَأَنزَلَ التَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنجِيلَ مِن قَبْلُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَأَنزَلَ الْفُرْقَانَ﴾ (and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel before, as guidance for mankind, and He sent down the Criterion); what the lecturer actually uttered in the transcript was: «والإنجيل من قبله الفرقان». ^[3]: Editor's documentation: The full verse: ﴿أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الرَّاشِدُونَ﴾ (those are the rightly guided); only «أولئكم» appeared in the transcript. ^[4]: Editor's documentation: al-Baqarah: 1-3; the lecturer did not mention the name of the surah at this point.