Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD

Quranic Verses on Salvation and Classical Sunni Tafsīr

The Qur’an contains verses that appear both inclusive and exclusive regarding salvation. Two oft-cited inclusive verses are:

• Qur’an 2:62: “Indeed, those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians – whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and works righteousness – shall have their reward with their Lord, and no fear shall be upon them, nor shall they grieve.” A similar verse is repeated in 5:69.
• Qur’an 3:85: “Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers.” Verses like 3:19, 4:48, and 9:113 are also exclusivist, warning that God accepts only Islam, does not forgive shirk (polytheism), and forbids praying for forgiveness of those who died as polytheists.

Sunni exegetes reconciled these seemingly divergent verses through context and abrogation (naskh). Al-Ṭabarī (d. 923) and others explain that 2:62/5:69 promise salvation to Jews, Christians, and others only if they adhered to true monotheistic faith prior to the Prophet Muḥammad. Al-Ṭabarī writes that in the past “whoever adhered to the Gospel and the teachings of Jesus was considered a believer and accepted, until the arrival of Muḥammad… Therefore, those among them who do not follow Muḥammad…will be doomed”reddit.com. In other words, after the Prophet’s mission, acceptance of Islam became the criterion for salvation. Al-Qurṭubī (d. 1273) records a report from the Companion Ibn ʿAbbās that 2:62 “is abrogated by the verse: ‘And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him’” (Q.3:85)reddit.com. Classical commentators like Ibn Kathīr (d. 1373) concur. Ibn Kathīr notes that Ibn ʿAbbās viewed 3:85 as cancelling the prior concession, indicating that after Allah sent Muḥammad, no deed or faith will be accepted unless it conforms to the law of Muḥammadsurahquran.com. Before Islam’s advent, however, “every person who followed the guidance of his own Prophet was on the correct path… and was saved”surahquran.com.

Thus, Sunni exegesis maintains that Q.2:62 and 5:69 did not grant open-ended salvation to Jews or Christians after the Prophet’s era, but rather affirmed that past communities who truly believed in God and the Last Day (and, by implication, would accept God’s next messenger) need not fear. Those verses were addressed in context to the People of the Book as a call to embrace Islam, assuring them that faith in the one God and righteous deeds are ultimately what matter – provided they do not reject the final Prophet. In contrast, Q.3:85 and related verses insist that after the truth of Islam is made clear, embracing it is necessary for salvationabdurrahman.orgabdurrahman.org. Major Sunni commentators like al-Rāzī (d. 1209) and al-Qurṭubī emphasize God’s final message as the decisive criterion: once the Prophet’s message has reached a people, persisting in a previous religion is seen as rejecting God’s planreddit.com. Qurṭubī bluntly states, “whoever dies on a religion other than Islam will be among the losers”, interpreting 3:85 in line with the consensus viewreddit.com.

Other verses underline the exclusivist stance. Q.4:48 declares God will not forgive shirk (idolatry/associating partners with Him) – a teaching understood to mean that dying as a polytheist precludes salvation. Classical commentators (e.g. al-Qurṭubī) hold that while any sin is subject to God’s mercy, idolaters who knowingly rejected tawḥīd (monotheism) have no promise of forgiveness in the Hereaftermohamedghilan.wordpress.com. Likewise, Q.9:113 forbids the Prophet and believers from praying for the salvation of deceased polytheists, “after it has become clear that they are inhabitants of Hell.” According to tafsīr works, this verse was revealed about Prophet Muḥammad’s own uncle (Abū Ṭālib) or others who died rejecting Islam; it reinforced the principle that one who dies in disbelief cannot be saved by the prayers of the living. Classical Sunni exegesis uses such verses to underscore that knowingly rejecting the Prophet Muḥammad is a damning choice: neither lineage nor personal virtue can save someone who spurns the fundamental message of Islam (though of course God alone will judge each case justly).

In summary, the dominant classical Sunni view is religious exclusivism qualified by chronology and knowledge. Righteous followers of previous prophets before Muḥammad are included in God’s promise of rewardabdurrahman.org, but after the Prophet’s advent, only those on the path of Islam (submission to Allah as taught by Muḥammad) are assured Paradisereddit.com. Verses like 2:62 were interpreted in a restricted sense or even considered abrogated by later revelationsreddit.com. This interpretation is reflected by Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 1328), who wrote that Qur’an 2:62 “tells about the followers of these four unaltered milal (faiths) before abrogation by the advent of Prophet Muḥammad’s message”abdurrahman.org – implying that after Muḥammad, those communities were obligated to convert. Classical authorities unanimously cite Q.3:85 as reaffirming that Islam is the only accepted religion henceforthreddit.com.

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