Chapter 2: Surat Al-Baqarah (The Cow), verses 109-112

Translation:

Many of the People of the Book wish, through selfish envy, to lead you back to unbelief, now that you have embraced the Faith and the truth has been made known to them. Forgive them and bear with them until God makes known His will. He has power over all things. Attend to your prayers and pay the poor-due. Whatever good you do shall be rewarded by God. He is watching over all your actions. They declare: ‘None but Jews and Christians shall be admitted to Paradise.’ Such are their wishful fancies. Say: ‘Let us have your proof, if what you say be true.’ Indeed, those that surrender themselves to God and do good works shall be rewarded by their Lord: they shall have nothing to fear or to regret.

Tafsir (Commentary):

Once the Jews had set their minds against the message of Islam as being worthless, they became alarmed by the heartfelt acclaim with which many were receiving it. They considered themselves the only ones qualified to pass decrees on truth and falsehood: how could others be allowed to believe in what they themselves had chosen to disbelieve? The first step that they took was to incite the polytheists to rise up against the Muslims. Secondly, they tried to mislead Muslim converts about their new religion, putting doubts into their minds in the hope that they would revert to the religion of their forefathers. It was only natural that this should provoke the Muslims, but God told them that this was not the time for violent reaction. It would be better to bear with them for a while, until decisive steps could be taken against them. If trust were placed in God alone, He would make this possible. Muslims should always be patient, since patience prevents one from taking negative retaliatory measures in the heat of the moment. They should be steadfast in prayers, for prayer brings one closer to God. They should never fail in the payment of Zakat (the poor-due), for a society in which the rich are willing to share with the poor will be based on compassion; there will be a real sense of togetherness among its members.

The Jews used to tell new Muslim converts that if they had to forsake their ancestral religion, they should become Jews or Christians. Being the descendants of saints and prophets throughout history, they were the ones who would go to heaven. But the Qur’an tells us that one does not deserve to enter heaven only by dint of belonging to a certain community. Everyone will be judged according to his own actions. National status is of no significance in the sight of God. To be sincere in one’s faith is to become so devoted to God that everything else assumes secondary importance. One will then be free of the prejudice, personal ties and material interests that are stumbling blocks on the road to truth; one will be free to respond positively to the call of truth when one hears it.