And the Jews and Christians said: “We are the sons of Allah and His beloved people.”[1] ˹Dear Beloved Prophet,˺ say: “So why does He punish you for your sins?[2] Rather, you are ˹normal˺ humans from His creation. He forgives whomsoever He wills, and He punishes whomsoever He wills. And to Allah belongs the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and all that lies between them, and to Him is the return.”
Commentary
[1]
Here, “sons” does not mean children, rather it is an expression by which
they meant that they are beloved to Allah the way a son is beloved to his
father, because regardless of how bad a son is, he is still dear to his father.
[2]
To consider oneself free from the need to do righteous deeds (due to
supposed privilege) is the belief of the Jews and Christians. Nowadays, some
ignorant sycophants or people with influence have this belief too (of not
needing to perform good deeds and fulfil obligations). This is blasphemous
because the Quran mentions performing righteous deeds with faith on numerous
occasions.
