Surah Baqarah ayat 135 Tafsir Quran 2:135

﴿وَقَالُوا كُونُوا هُودًا أَوْ نَصَارَىٰ تَهْتَدُوا ۗ قُلْ بَلْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا ۖ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ﴾
[ البقرة: 135]

2:135 They say, "Be Jews or Christians [so] you will be guided." Say, "Rather, [we follow] the religion of Abraham, inclining toward truth, and he was not of the polytheists."

And they say ‘Be Jews or Christians the particle aw is for detail; the first of these is the saying of the Medinan Jews while the second is that of the Christians of Najrān and you shall be guided’. Say to them ‘Nay we follow rather the creed of Abraham a hanīf hanīfan is a circumstantial qualifier referring to Ibrāhīma that is to say one that inclines away from all other religions to the upright religion; and he was not of the idolaters’.

Yet once more Ahl Al-Kitab explicitly say: Be Jews or Christians, and thus be guided into all truth. Say to them, O Muhammad: But rather the religion of Ibrahim as the true and straightforward, and his system of faith and worship; never did he incorporate with Allah other deities

Muhammad bin Ishaq reported that Ibn `Abbas said that `Abdullah bin Suriya Al-A`war said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, "The guidance is only what we ( Jews ) follow.
Therefore, follow us, O Muhammad, and you will be rightly guided." Also, the Christians said similarly, so Allah revealed, وَقَالُواْ كُونُواْ هُودًا أَوْ نَصَـرَى تَهْتَدُواْ ( And they say, "Be Jews or Christians, then you will be guided." ) Allah's statement, قُلْ بَلْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَهِيمَ حَنِيفًا ( Say (to them O Muhammad ), "Nay, ( we follow ) only the religion of Ibrahim, Hanif) means, "We do not need the Judaism or Christianity that you call us to, rather, مِلَّةَ إِبْرَهِيمَ حَنِيفاً ( (we follow ) only the religion of Ibrahim, Hanif) meaning, on the straight path, as Muhammad bin Ka`b Al-Qurazi and `Isa bin Jariyah stated.
Also, Abu Qilabah said, "The Hanif is what the Messengers, from beginning to end, believed in.")

(2:135) The Jews say, "Become Jews and you will be rightly guided" ;the Christians say, "Become Christians and you will have the true guidance." Say to them, "Nay, we turn away from every other way and accept the way of Abraham, and Abraham did not associate other gods with Allah." *135

They say, "Be Jews or Christians [so] meaning

*135).
In order to grasp the subtlety, of this remark two things should be borne in mind.
First, that in comparison to Islam, the primordial religion, both Judaism and Christianity are later products.
The name Judaism, as well as the characteristic features and elaborate body of laws and regulations associated with it.
emerged during the third or fourth century, B.C.
As for Christianity.
in the sense of the body of dogmas and theological doctrines which characterize it, it came into existence long after Jesus ( peace be on llim ).
The question that naturally arises is that, if man's guidance depends on following Judaism or Christianity, how can Abraham and other Prophets and righteous people who are accepted as having been rightly-guided even by the Jews and Christians be considered so when they were born several centuries before the birth of Judaism and Chrstianity? If they were rightly-guided from whom did they receive their guidance? Obviously their source of guidance and inspiration was neither Judaism nor Christianitv since, in their times, these did not exist.
So man's rectitude does not depend on those characteristics which led to the rise of Jewish and Christian particularisms; it rather depends on adopting that universal way to Truth which has guided and inspired men throughout the ages.

Second.
the Scriptures of the Jews and Christians attest that Abraham believed that worship, adoration, service and obedience were due to God alone, and that it was his mission to have none associated with God in His attributes and rights.
Since polytheistic elements had made inroads into Judaism and Christianity it was obvious that both had strayed from the way of Abraham.

 

Muhammad bin Ishaq reported that Ibn `Abbas said that `Abdullah bin Suriya Al-A`war said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, "The guidance is only what we ( Jews ) follow.
Therefore, follow us, O Muhammad, and you will be rightly guided." Also, the Christians said similarly, so Allah revealed, وَقَالُواْ كُونُواْ هُودًا أَوْ نَصَـرَى تَهْتَدُواْ ( And they say, "Be Jews or Christians, then you will be guided." ) Allah's statement, قُلْ بَلْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَهِيمَ حَنِيفًا ( Say (to them O Muhammad ), "Nay, ( we follow ) only the religion of Ibrahim, Hanif) means, "We do not need the Judaism or Christianity that you call us to, rather, مِلَّةَ إِبْرَهِيمَ حَنِيفاً ( (we follow ) only the religion of Ibrahim, Hanif) meaning, on the straight path, as Muhammad bin Ka`b Al-Qurazi and `Isa bin Jariyah stated.
Also, Abu Qilabah said, "The Hanif is what the Messengers, from beginning to end, believed in.")

Allah mentioned after this the dispute of the Jews and Christians with the believers, saying: ( And they say ) i.e. the Jews: ( Be Jews ) you shall be guided from error ( or Christians ) and the Christians also say the same, ( then ye will be rightly guided. Say ) to them, O Muhammad: it is not as you claim: ( Nay, but the religion of Abraham, the upright ) the Muslim; rather follow the religion of Abraham, the upright, the Muslim, the sincere-only then you will be guided, ( and he was not of the idolaters ) i.e. he did not follow the religion of the Jews or Christians.

And they say, "Be Jews or Christians, then you will be guided." Say (to them, O Muhammad Peace be upon him), "Nay, (We follow) only the religion of Ibrahim (Abraham), Hanifa [Islamic Monotheism, i.e. to worship none but Allah (Alone)], and he was not of Al-Mushrikun (those who worshipped others along with Allah - see V. 2:105)."

Page 21 English transliteration