A Quranic Verse on 'X'.. Pezeshkian's Message to the People of the Book

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian posted, via his official account on "X", on Saturday evening, "verse 64" of Surah "Al-Imran".

The noble Quranic verse states: "Say, 'O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you - that we will not worship except Allah and not associate anything with Him and not take one another as lords instead of Allah.' But if they turn away, then say, 'Bear witness that we are Muslims [submitting to Him].'" The Iranian news agency "IRNA" commented, saying: "The President of the Republic, Masoud Pezeshkian, has adorned his official account on the X platform with the light of the sixty-fourth verse (64) of the blessed Surah Al-Imran."

According to the intermediate interpretation of the Holy Quran, authored by the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, this verse means "Say to the People of the Scripture, from the Jews and Christians, {Come to a word that is equitable between us and you}, i.e., come let us agree upon it, and it is the word upon which the prophets and messengers agreed, and only the obstinate and misguided oppose it. It is not specific to any one of us without the other, but rather shared between us and you. This is fairness in speech and impartiality in debate."

Pezeshkian reveals secrets of his meeting with the "absent" Mojtaba Khamenei. This comes amid escalating tensions between Iran on one side and the United States and Israel on the other. A number of mediators are seeking to reach an agreement between Iran and America that would end the war and lift the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.