A verse that many people cite incorrectly: (Indeed, those who believed and those who were Jews or Christians or Sabeans…

A verse that many people cite incorrectly:

(Indeed, those who believed and those who were Jews or Christians or Sabeans [who] believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteousness - will have their reward with their Lord, and no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve (62)), to mislead people that the verse applies to people of different religions in our time, Muslims and others.

So we say, dear ones: the verse's context and referring it back to the decisive Quran and scholars' statements show that the verse has one of two meanings:

1. Either it speaks about believers in the prophets in their time who followed them and died in monotheism before Muhammad's (peace be upon him) mission.

The appropriateness of this meaning is that with the frequent mention of the Children of Israel's evils, people might think that Allah condemns them all, and that they were all disbelievers opposing their prophets, so Allah clarified that there were righteous believers among them who followed their prophets and were good successors to them, so these are those who have their reward with their Lord and no fear concerning them nor will they grieve.

2. Or the verse speaks about those who were of different religions in our Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) time and believed in him and entered Islam.

The appropriateness of this second meaning is that the verse before it ended with Allah's saying about the Children of Israel: (And they were covered with humiliation and poverty and returned with anger from Allah. That was because they [repeatedly] disbelieved in the signs of Allah and killed the prophets without right. That was because they disobeyed and were [habitually] transgressing (61)).

So perhaps someone would ask: Does this mean there's no repentance for them with their crimes and sins? So the answer came that if they believe and do righteous deeds, the door of repentance is open to them.

No sane Muslim through the centuries has said that this verse means (it's all the same), and that it's permissible for Jews and Christians to believe in Allah and the Last Day while disbelieving in Muhammad (peace be upon him) and still be among the people of Paradise! Otherwise, why the call to Islam? And why (Say, O mankind, indeed I am the Messenger of Allah to you all)?

And Allah is the One whose help is sought.