“The category ‘Those who believe’appears to refer to those persons who had directly accepted Muhammed (PBH) as the messenger of Allah and the Quran as the message of Allah. Yahoodees are the followers of Musa (PBH) named after Yahuda the eldest son of Yaqoob (PBH). Nasara, plural of ‘Nasar’ meaning help’, are the Christians so named because they had helped Isa (PBH). The Sabaeans, according to some authorities were followers of ‘Zuboor’ revealed to Dawood (PBH), while others say that they were followers of Yahya (PBH) but later they drifted away from their original book and became star worshippers and angel worshippers. After mentioning these four communities it is clarified that to whichever community one may belong, if one believes in Allah and in the accountability of belief and deed after death and does good work then his reward is with Allah (SWT). Such a person will neither have any fear nor grief. Fear pertains to future and grief to past. Could there be a better definition of peace: ‘A fearless future and a griefless past.

One interpretation could be that this verse refers to

1. Follows of Muhammed (PBH) and

2. Jews, Christians and Sabarens who had strictly followed their respective messengers sent to them by Allah (SWT), till their book was valid i.e. till the coming of the next messenger of Allah (SWT). The second interpretation could be that the Jews and the Christian used to claim that they were the chosen communities of Allah (SWT) and no one else would enter paradise (Chapter: 2 Verses: 111 and 135, Chapter: 5 Verse 18). Therefore Allah (SWT) clarifies the position and states that you may call yourselves by any name, only those will be rewarded who believe in Him and the life after death and act righteously. Belief in angels, messengers of Allah (SWT) and the Divine books is obvious for one who believes in Allah (SWT) and the accountability in the life after death because this accountability depends on whether or not one has followed the instructions of Allah (SWT) communicated through angels to human messengers in the form of Divine books. This demands the acceptance of Muhammed (PBH) as the last messenger of Allah (SWT) and the Quran as the final Divine book, therefore only those will be successful who accept this fact and act accordingly. A third interpretation could be, that persons who had directly accepted Islam might have had a feeling of superiority over those Jews, Christians & Sabaeans who too had accepted Islam and were thus classed as converts. This wrong feeling of superiority of Muslims by birth over new converts to Islam is prevalent even today. Allah (SWT) therefore classifies that whatever might have been your past, to which ever community you might have belonged to earlier, now that you have accepted Islam under Prophet Muhammed (PBH) only those will be regarded as successful who believe in Allah and the life after death and act righteously i.e. implement the Quran in accordance with the instructions of Prophet Muhammed (PBH). Whatever be the possible interpretation, one thing is quite clear that now, paradise can be achieved only by believing and acting in accordance with the instructions given in the Quran the final Divine book and by Prophet Muhammed (PBH) the last messenger of Allah, because no religion other than Islam will be accepted by Allah (SWT) (Chapter: 3 Verses: 19 and 85). The word ‘Rafa’ means to raise. (Chapter: 2 Verse 127) or suspend overhead (Chapter: 13 Verse 2). For the same event the word ‘Nataqa’ is used elsewhere (Chapter: 7 Verse 171) which means to shake or ‘uproot’ or ‘Pull out’ (Ibn-I-Faras). The mountain was probably raised to convince the Bani Israel that Allah (SWT), Who is All powerful and Who has raised the mountain miraculously, has revealed the Torah to Musa (PBH) so that believing that Torah is His word they should take a pledge to strictly follow it, remembering and taking admonition from all that is written in it. The result of this would be their safety from punishment. But they broke the pledge and if Allah’s Grace and Mercy were not there on them, they would have been losers.”