Translation of the meanings Ayah 31 Surah At-Tawbah - English Translation - Dr. Waleed Bleyhesh Omary - The Noble Qur'an Encyclopedia

Ayah: 31

ٱتَّخَذُوٓاْ أَحۡبَارَهُمۡ وَرُهۡبَٰنَهُمۡ أَرۡبَابٗا مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلۡمَسِيحَ ٱبۡنَ مَرۡيَمَ وَمَآ أُمِرُوٓاْ إِلَّا لِيَعۡبُدُوٓاْ إِلَٰهٗا وَٰحِدٗاۖ لَّآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَۚ سُبۡحَٰنَهُۥ عَمَّا يُشۡرِكُونَ

(31) They took their rabbis and their monks as Lords^[2074] besides Allah – as well as the Messiah, son of Maryam – while they were not commanded except to worship One God^[2075]; there is no god but Him—exalted be He over what they Associate ˹with Him˺.

[2074] ʿAdiyy Ibn Ḥātim al-Ṭā’iyy (رضي الله عنه), who was Christian before embracing Islam, narrated that he came to the Messenger (ﷺ) while he was reciting the aya: “They took their rabbis and their monks as Lords besides Allah – and Messiah, son of Maryam – while they were not bade except to worship Allah, the One; there is no god but Him—exalted be He over what they Associate”. Then he said to the Messenger: “We do not worship them!” He replied: “Do they not deem unlawful what Allah allowed and you follow them making it unlawful, and declare lawful what Allah forbade and you follow them making it lawful?” ʿAdiyy said: “Indeed!” then he (ﷺ) said: “That is their worship!” (al-Tirmidhī: 3095; also Matthew 15: 1-9, Isaiah 29:13, Jeremiah 8: 8).
[2075] “Those who were given the Book did not become divided until after the clear proof had come to them. *They were not bade but to worship Allah, devoting religion entirely to Him, rightly-oriented, and keep up the Prayer, give out the prescribed alms—that is the upright religion” (98: 4-5).