Transliteration:( Mal Maseehub nu Maryama illaa Rasoolun qad khalat min qablihir Rusulu wa ummuhoo siddeeqatun kaanaa yaa kulaanit ta'aam; unzur kaifa nubaiyinu lahumul Aayaati summan zur annaa yu'fakoon )
75. The Messiah, son of Mary, was only a Messenger [222], and many Messengers [223] have passed before him. And his mother was a truthful woman. Both used to eat food. See how We have explained the signs for them clearly. Then see how they turn away.
The phrase "was only a Messenger" is a clear negation meaning that Hazrat Isa (peace be upon him) is neither Allah nor the son of Allah in any literal or divine sense. Rather, he is the servant and Prophet of Allah Almighty.
This does not imply he lacked any special qualities; he is also described as:
The Word of Allah (Kalimatullah)
The Spirit of Allah (Ruhullah)
The Messiah (al-Masih)
The negation emphasizes his humanity and prophethood, paralleling the Quranic statement:
"Say, I am only a man like you..." (Surah Al-Kahf 18:110)
Maryam (Mary) is described as a truthful (siddiqah) woman, meaning she was honest and devoted. The Quran stresses the dignity of both Isa and Maryam, despite the exaggerated claims made by some groups calling them divine.
Mentioning that both used to eat food highlights their human nature — they needed sustenance just like ordinary people. This serves as a sign against deification, showing they were fully human and dependent on Allah for their livelihood, health, and life.
This underscores the point that eating and sustenance are acts that connect humans to Allah in a continuous relationship of dependence, worship, and gratitude.
The tafsir of Surah Maidah verse 75 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Maidah ayat 72 which provides the complete commentary from verse 72 through 75.
(5:75) The Messiah, son of Mary, was no more than a Messenger before whom many Messengers have passed away; and his mother adhered wholly to truthfulness, and they both ate food (as other mortals do). See how We make Our signs clear to them; and see where they are turning away![100]
100. In these few words the Christian doctrine of the divinity of Christ is repudiated. The nature of the Messiah is clear from the indications given here; he was merely a human being. He was one born from the womb of a woman, who had a known genealogy, who possessed a physical body, who was subject to all the limitations of a human being and who had all the attributes characteristic of human beings. He slept, ate, felt the discomfort of heat and cold and was so human that he was even put to the test by Satan. How could any reasonable person believe that such a being was either God or a partner or associate of God in His godhead? But the Christians continue to insist on the divinity of the Messiah, whose life has been portrayed in their own Scriptures as that of a human. The fact of the matter is that they do not believe at all in the historical Messiah. They have woven a Messiah out of their imagination and have deified that imaginary being.
[277]- They were in need of sustenance, proving that they were creations of Allāh, not divine beings.
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