3:83

أَفَغَيۡرَ دِينِ ٱللَّهِ يَبۡغُونَ وَلَهُۥٓ أَسۡلَمَ مَن فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ طَوۡعٗا وَكَرۡهٗا وَإِلَيۡهِ يُرۡجَعُونَ

Afaghayra deeni Allahi yabghoona walahu aslama man fee alssamawati waalardi tawAAan wakarhan wailayhi yurjaAAoona

So is it other than the religion of Allah they desire, while to Him have submitted [all] those within the heavens and earth, willingly or by compulsion, and to Him they will be returned?

Word by word
  1. أَفَغَيۡرَSo is (it) other than
  2. دِينِ(the) religion
  3. ٱللَّهِ(of) Allah
  4. يَبۡغُونَthey seek
  5. وَلَهُۥٓWhile to Him
  6. أَسۡلَمَ(have) submitted
  7. مَنwhatever
  8. فِي(is) in
  9. ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِthe heavens
  10. وَٱلۡأَرۡضِand the earth
  11. طَوۡعٗاwillingly
  12. وَكَرۡهٗاor unwillingly
  13. وَإِلَيۡهِand towards Him
  14. يُرۡجَعُونَthey will be returned
Ali 'Imran · 3:83Madinah

Everything already submits. Will you choose to?

Willing or unwilling, all returns to Him


Who submits
heavens and earthangels, shadows, creatures
submit to
Allahwillingly or unwillingly
and
return to Himevery one of them
Two ways to submit
body onlyunder His power, unwilling
heart and bodythe believer's way

The verse asks those who wanted another way: is it other than Allah's religion you want? Ibn Kathir explains that the believer submits in heart and body, while the one who refuses submits in body only, because no one escapes His control.

Your heart beats without asking you. You fall asleep whether you planned to or not. Gravity holds your coffee cup in place. You already live inside His order. The only choice left is whether your heart joins in.

Submitting to Allah means giving up my freedom.

I am already held by His order. Choosing to submit is joining willingly what I cannot escape.

Try this

Notice three things in your body today that happen without your permission. Thank Allah for each.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Do they seek other than the religion of Allah, while to Him submitted all creatures in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly. And to Him shall they all be returned (83)Say: "We believe in Allah and in what has been sent down to us, and what was sent down to Ibrahim, Isma'il, Ishaq, Ya'qub and Al-Asbat, and what was given to Musa, 'Isa and the Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between one another among them and to Him (Allah) we have submitted. (84)And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers (85)

The Only Valid Religion To Allah is Islam

Allah rebukes those who prefer a religion other than the religion that He sent His Books and Messengers with, which is the worship of Allah Alone without partners, to Whom,

وَلَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ 

(submitted all creatures in the heavens and the earth,) Willingly, or not. Allah said in other Ayat,

وَلِلَّهِ يَسْجُدُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا 

(And unto Allah (Alone) falls in prostration whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly.)[13:15], and,

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا إِلَىٰ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ مِن شَيْءٍ يَتَفَيَّأُ ظِلَالُهُ عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَالشَّمَائِلِ سُجَّدًا لِّلَّهِ وَهُمْ دَاخِرُونَ - وَلِلَّهِ يَسْجُدُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ مِن دَابَّةٍ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ وَهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ - يَخَافُونَ رَبَّهُم مِّن فَوْقِهِمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ

(Have they not observed things that Allah has created: (how) their shadows incline to the right and to the left, making prostration unto Allah, and they are lowly? And to Allah prostrate all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, of the moving creatures and the angels, and they are not proud. They fear their Lord above them, and they do what they are commanded)[16:48-50].

Therefore, the faithful believer submits to Allah in heart and body, while the disbeliever unwillingly submits to Him in body only, since he is under Allah's power, irresistible control and mighty kingship that cannot be repelled or resisted. Waki' reported that Mujahid said that the Ayah,

وَلَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا

(While to Him submitted all creatures in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly), is similar to the Ayah,

وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُم مَّنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّهُ

(And verily, if you ask them: "Who created the heavens and the earth?" Surely, they will say: "Allah")[39:38].

He also reported that Ibn 'Abbas said about,

وَلَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا

(while to Him submitted all creatures in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly.)

"When He took the covenant from them."

وَإِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُونَ

(And to Him shall they all be returned) on the Day of Return, when He will reward or punish each person according to his or her deeds.

Allah then said,

قُلْ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا

(Say: "We believe in Allah and in what has been sent down to us) the Qur'an,

 وَمَا أُنزِلَ عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ

(and what was sent down to Ibrahim, Ismai'0l, Ishaq, Ya'qub) the scriptures and revelation,

وَالْأَسْبَاطِ 

(and the Asbat,) the Asbat are the twelve tribes who originated from the twelve children of Israel (Ya'qub).

وَمَا أُوتِيَ مُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰ

(and what was given to Musa, 'Isa) the Tawrah and the Injil,

وَالنَّبِيُّونَ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ

(and the Prophets from their Lord.) and this encompasses all of Allah's Prophets.

لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّنْهُمْ

(We make no distinction between one another among them) we believe in all of them,

وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ

(And to Him (Allah) we have submitted (in Islam))

Therefore, faithful Muslims believe in every Prophet whom Allah has sent and in every Book He revealed, and never disbelieve in any of them. Rather, they believe in what was revealed by Allah, and in every Prophet sent by Allah. Allah said next,

وَمَن يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا فَلَن يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ

(And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him,) whoever seeks other than what Allah has legislated, it will not be accepted from him,

وَهُوَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ

(and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.)

As the Prophet ﷺ said in an authentic Hadith,

مَنْ عَمِلَ عَمَلًا لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرُنَا، فَهُوَ رَدٌّ

(Whoever commits an action that does not conform to our matter (religion) then it is rejected).