• The Mockers And Their Fault-Finding

• Hypocrisy And The Mischief Of The Jews

• The Jews And The Christians Enjoined To Act Up To Their Own Holy Scriptures

Al-Ma’idah Verses 57 – 66

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا دِينَكُمْ هُزُوًا وَلَعِبًا مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ وَالْكُفَّارَ أَوْلِيَاءَ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ

“O’ ye who believe! take not those who hold your religion in mockery and fun, from among those who have been given the Book before you and the infidels, as guardians1; Fear God, if ye be believers.” (5:57)

وَإِذَا نَادَيْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ اتَّخَذُوهَا هُزُوًا وَلَعِبًا ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ

“And when ye call to prayer, they make it a mockery and a sport; this because they are a people who understand not.” (5:58)

قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ هَلْ تَنْقِمُونَ مِنَّا إِلَّا أَنْ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنْزِلَ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَأَنَّ أَكْثَرَكُمْ فَاسِقُونَ

“Say (O’ Our Apostle Muhammad!) O’ People of the Book! Do ye find fault2with us (for aught) except that we believe in God and in what hath been sent down unto us and what had been sent down before, and that most of you are transgressors?” (5:59)

قُلْ هَلْ أُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِشَرٍّ مِنْ ذَٰلِكَ مَثُوبَةً عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مَنْ لَعَنَهُ اللَّهُ وَغَضِبَ عَلَيْهِ وَجَعَلَ مِنْهُمُ الْقِرَدَةَ وَالْخَنَازِيرَ وَعَبَدَ الطَّاغُوتَ أُولَٰئِكَ شَرٌّ مَكَانًا وَأَضَلُّ عَنْ سَوَاءِ السَّبِيلِ

“Say (O’ Our Apostle Muhammad!) shall I inform you of worse than this3in retribution, with God? (Worse is he) whom God hath cursed and brought (His) wrath upon (Him) and of whom (some) he trans-formed (into) apes and swine4, and he who worshipped Taghut (devil); They are worse in place (rank) and far more astray from the (Right)5path.” (5:60)

وَإِذَا جَاءُوكُمْ قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَقَدْ دَخَلُوا بِالْكُفْرِ وَهُمْ قَدْ خَرَجُوا بِهِ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْتُمُونَ

“And when they come to you, (O’ Muslim!) they say, “We believe” and indeed they come in with infidelity (in their hearts) and indeed they have gone with it; and God knoweth best what they have been concealing (in their hearts)6.” (5:61)

وَتَرَىٰ كَثِيرًا مِنْهُمْ يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ وَأَكْلِهِمُ السُّحْتَ لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ

“Thou dost see many of them vying with sin and exceeding the limits, and their eating what is foul7; certainly evil is what they have been doing.” (5:62)

لَوْلَا يَنْهَاهُمُ الرَّبَّانِيُّونَ وَالْأَحْبَارُ عَنْ قَوْلِهِمُ الْإِثْمَ وَأَكْلِهِمُ السُّحْتَ لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُوا يَصْنَعُونَ

“Why do not the learned men and the doctors of law prohibit8them from uttering what is sinful and their eating of what is forbidden? Evil indeed is what they work.” (5:63)

وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ يَدُ اللَّهِ مَغْلُولَةٌ غُلَّتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَلُعِنُوا بِمَا قَالُوا بَلْ يَدَاهُ مَبْسُوطَتَانِ يُنْفِقُ كَيْفَ يَشَاءُ وَلَيَزِيدَنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنْهُمْ مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبِّكَ طُغْيَانًا وَكُفْرًا وَأَلْقَيْنَا بَيْنَهُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ كُلَّمَا أَوْقَدُوا نَارًا لِلْحَرْبِ أَطْفَأَهَا اللَّهُ وَيَسْعَوْنَ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَسَادًا وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَ

“And the Jews say: The hand of God is tied9up! shackled shall be their hands and be they accursed for what they say, nay both His hands are wide outstretched, He expends as He pleaseth; and what has been sent, down unto thee from thy Lord will certainly increase many of them in transgression and infidelity; and We have put enmity and hatred between them (to last) until the day of resurrection; Every time they kindle a fire for War, God extinguisheth it, and they strive to spread mischief on earth; And God loveth not the mischief makers.” (5:64)

وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَكَفَّرْنَا عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ وَلَأَدْخَلْنَاهُمْ جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ

“And if the people of the Book had believed and guarded (themselves against evil) We would certainly have blotted out their sins from them and We would have certainly admitted them into gardens of bliss.” (5:65)

وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ أَقَامُوا التَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنْجِيلَ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ لَأَكَلُوا مِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ وَمِنْ تَحْتِ أَرْجُلِهِمْ مِنْهُمْ أُمَّةٌ مُقْتَصِدَةٌ وَكَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ سَاءَ مَا يَعْمَلُونَ

“And if they (Jews and Christians’) had kept up the Law (the Torah’) and the Evangel (the Injeel) and that which was sent down unto them from their Lord (the Qur’an) they would certainly have the sustenance (of good things) from above them and beneath their feet; of them are a people who are moderate (acting upright); but most of them! evil is what they do!” (5:66)

Commentary

Verse 57

It is clearly laid down in this Verse that the believers, i.e., the Muslims are commanded to have any friendly relations with those who have no regard for the religion, Islam, or the Holy Prophet. This is nothing but ‘Tabarra’10.

Verse 58

This Verse gives the character, and the conduct of the people mentioned in the preceding Verse.

It means that the Muslims should be watchful of the prayer time and should respectfully respond to the call for prayer.

Verse 59

This Verse discloses that the cause of the enmity of the Jews and the Christians against the Muslim, was no fault on the part of the Muslims, save that the Muslims believed in what was revealed to the Holy Prophet and also in what was revealed before.

Verse 60

Note that - cursing the wicked is a godly act for God Himself curses the wicked. It is reported that some Christians were so metamorphosed and all of them died after the punishment11 (B.H.)

Concerning the worship of Taghoot’, refer to Verses 2:256; 4:51.

Verse 62

‘Saht’ is any income or property earned or owned through forbidden means. It may refer to usury or as the people did, earning by reciting vain stories to the people (B.H.)

Verse 64

Some commentators infer that the reference in this Verse relates to the objection of the Jews to the Muslims raising funds for defence of the believers. They taunted saying that a cause which is divine should not stand in need of funds. Those who say this should know that such a situation is created also to test the spirit of sacrifice on the part of the believers in the Truth.

The Verse refers to the taunt of the Jews to the economical strain on the Muslims which they then suffered and their wealth and the comfort they (the Jews) enjoyed - as hinted in 2:96 - and their theological misrepresentations about God's nature, corrected in 2:255 and 7:54. It may refer to the Jewish philosophy developed on the basis of what is asserted in their scriptures about taking rest after the creation of the heaven and the earth, the relation being the relation of God to His creation, not the relation of the Engineer to his building in its coming to being needs the hand of the Engineer but the continuity of its existence stands on its own. (A.P.)

Verse 65

The reader would know from this Verse, the encouragements with which Islam invites people towards the right path. Here it is promised that discarding falsehood and embracing the truth and righteousness in living, earns the forgiving or the pardon for all the past sins.

Verse 66

‘Aq’amat Taurat wal-lnjil’ keep up with the Torah and the Gospel, i.e., acting up to the holy scriptures faithfully.

‘La-aakulu’ - eat - i.e., They would have been provided with sustenance both from above, i.e., heavens, and also from below, i.e., from the earth. The sustenance-from above may include Divine Guidance.

• 1. Or friend.
• 2. Hate.
• 3. ‘Zalika’ refer to the statement in the preceding Verse, 5:59. Comparing those mentioned in this Verse as worse than those of the previous Verse and the next, Verse 5:61, should be read along with this Verse. Thus, the reference is to the hypocrites.
• 4. The term ‘Apes’ and ‘swine’ might also refer to their characters which will make them appear as such in the life hereafter.
• 5. Levelled – right.
• 6. This refers again to the people of the Book.
• 7. Forbidden.
• 8. ‘Amr bil Maroof’ and the ‘Nahya anil Monkar’.
• 9. Ar. ‘Maghloolatun’ tied - i.e., stingy, poor, helpless. Refer to Verses 3:80 & 47:38.
• 10. See note to Verse 5:51.
• 11. Refer to Verse 2:65.