Indexed OCR Text

225
Surah Al-Ma'idah : 5 : 70 - 71
يَّقْتُلُونَ ﴿ ٧﴾ وَحَسِبُوا الَّ تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ فَعَهْرًا وَصَقُّوْا ثُمَ
تَابَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ ثُمَّ عَكُوا وَصَمُوْا كَثِيْرٌ مِّنْهُمُ ، وَاللَّهُ بَصِيْرٌ،
بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿٧١)
Certainly We took a pledge from the Bani Isra'il and
sent Messengers to them. Whenever a Messenger came
to them with what did not meet their desires, they fal-
sified some and started killing others. [70] And they
thought that no harm would follow. Therefore, they
turned blind and deaf. Then, Allah accepted their re-
pentance, but again they turned blind and deaf, many
of them. And Allah is watchful of what they do. [71]
Commentary
This is an account of how the Bani Isra'il kept breaking the pledge
taken from them. As said in verse 70, whenever their Messenger
brought a command which did not suit their fancy, they would break
their pledge and go about betraying Allah to the limit that they would
falsify His Messengers, even kill some of them. They were command-
ed 'to believe in Allah and act righteously.' But, this was what they
did in response. As for the other part of the command - 'Belief in the
Last Day' - their behaviour was equally reckless. After having com-
mitted acts so oppressive, they became totally carefree as if they would
not have to pay for what they had done and as if the consequences of
their injustice and rebellion will never come out in the open. Under
this false impression, they became totally blind and deaf to Divine
signs and words. They went on doing what should have not been done.
So much so that they killed some prophets and put some others be-
hind bars. Finally, Almighty Allah imposed on them the mastery of
Nebuchadnezzar (King of Babylonia, 605-562 B.C., who took them as
slaves to Babylon - Old Testament, book of Daniel). When, after a long time,
they were sent back to Jerusalem from Babylon through help from
some Persian kings who secured their release from disgrace under
Nebuchadnezzar, they repented and turned to making amends. Allah
relented and accepted their repentance. But, with the passage of some
time, they went back to their old practices which made them so blind
and deaf once again that they dared killing Sayyidna Zakariyah

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Surah Al-Ma'idah : 5 : 72 - 76
(Zechariah) and Sayyidna Yahya (John) and were all set to kill Sayyid-
na 'Īsa (Jesus ). (Tafsir Usmani - Notes)
Verses 72 - 76
لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِيْنَ قَالُؤْآَ إِنَّ اللهَ هُوَ الْمُسِبْحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ ﴿ وَقَالَ
الْمُسِبْحُ لِبَنِّ إِسْرَآءِيْلَ الْبُدُوا اللَّهَ رَبِّئْ وَرَّكُمْءٍ إِنَّهْ مَنْ
◌ُشِّرِكُ بِاللّهِ فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَنَّةَ وَ مَأْوَسهُ النَّارُهُ وَمَا
لِلْظُّلِمِيْنَ مِنْ أَنْصَارٍ ﴿٧٢» لَقَدُ كَفَرَ الَّذِيْنَّ قَالُواْ إِنَّ اللّهَ
ثَالِثُ ثَلَثَةٍ ، وَمَا مِنُ إِلٍ إِلَّ إِلَهُ وَاحِدٌ* وَإِنُ لَّمْ يَنْتَهُوْا عَمَّا
يَقُولُونَ لَيَمَسَنَّ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا مِنْهُمُ عَذَابٌ أَلِيُمَّ ﴿٧٣﴾ أَفَلَ
يَتُوُيُونَ إِلَى اللّهِ وَ يَسْتَغْفِرُوْنَهُ وَاللّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٧٤) مَا
الْمُسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ إِلَّ رَسُوْلٌ قَدْخَلَتُ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ الرّسُلُ، وَأُمّةً
صِدِّيِّقَةٌ كَانَا يَأْكُلُنِ الطَّعَامَ، أَنْظُرِ كَيَّفَ نُبَيِّنُ لَهُمُ الْأَيْتِ ثُمَّ
انْظُرْ أَنْى ◌ُّفَكُونَ ﴿٧٥) قُلُ آَتَعْبُدُوْنَ مِنُ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَالَا
يَمْلِكُ لَكُمُ ضَرَّا وَلَا نَفْعَاء وَاللَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيْعُ الْعَلِيُمُ ﴿٧٦﴾
Surely, they became disbelievers who said, "Allah is ex-
actly the Masih son of Maryam (Jesus son of Mary)"
while the Masih had said, "O children of Isra'il, worship
Allah, my Lord and your Lord." The fact is, whoever
ascribes any partner to Allah, to him Allah has prohib-
ited the Jannah (the Paradise) and their shelter is the
Fire. And for the unjust there are no supporters. [72]
Surely, they became disbelievers who said, "Allah is the
third of the three" while there is no god but One God.
And if they do not desist from what they say, a painful
punishment shall certainly befall the disbelievers
among them. [73] Why then do they not turn to Allah in
repentance and seek His forgiveness when Allah is
most forgiving, very merciful? [74]
The Masih, son of Maryam, is no more than a Messen-
ger. There have been messengers before him. And his

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Surah Al-Ma'idah : 5 : 72 - 76
mother is very truthful. Look how We explain signs to
them, then see how far they are turned away. [75]
Say, "Do you worship, besides Allah, what has no pow-
er to do you harm or bring you benefit?" And Allah is
the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. [76]
Commentary
1. The words : @ delfig) in verse 72, translated here literally as
'Allah is the third of the three,' refers to Sayyidna Masih (Jesus
Christ), Ruhul-Quds (The Holy Spirit) and Allah, or to Masih, Maryam
(Mary) and Allah - with all three taken as God (Refuge with Allah).
Thus, Allah becomes a one-third partner with them, then all three of
them become one, and that one is three. This unity in trinity, with
three persons in one godhead, is the common belief of Christians. They
explain this belief which is supported by neither reason nor revelation
with a language that is kept circuitous and ambiguous. When not un-
derstood, they declare it to be reality beyond comprehension. (Shabbir
Ahmad Usmani - Notes)
2. In verse 75, by saying: ◌ْقَدْخَلَتْ مِنُ قَبْلِهِ الرَّسُل (There have been messen-
gers before him), the assigning of godhood to Sayyidna Masih >JI de
has been refuted. Prophets came to this world. They completed their
mission. Then, they were gone. They were not eternal which is the
mark of godhood. Similarly, Sayyidna Masih, may peace be upon him
(being human like them) was not eternal. So, he cannot be what God
is.
A little reflection will show that everyone who needs to eat and
drink almost depends on everything in the world. We cannot say that
the earth, the air, the water, the sun and the animals are what we do
not need. Look into your own self. There is that grain of food outside
you, then begins its journey from the entry into the stomach to the
next destination of its digestion. Think of all those factors involved
and things required directly and indirectly in this complex procedure.
Then, there will be a chain of effects generated through eating and no
one can tell precisely how far will they go. So, by pointing out that
Sayyidna Masih and his pious mother used to eat, the Holy Qur'an has
referred to the endless chain of needs it entails. The argument, thus
runs that Masih and Maryam, may peace be upon them both, were not

228
Surah Al-Ma'idah : 5 : 77 - 81
free of the need for eating and drinking which is proved by observation
and authentic narrations (not denied by even Christians). And anyone
who is not free from the need of eating and drinking cannot be free
from anything in this world. How then, a human person, who like all
human beings is not free of the need to depend on the chain of causa-
tion for survival, could become God? This is a strong and clear proof
which can be understood by the educated and the uneducated alike -
that is, eating and drinking is contrary to godhood. Though, not eat-
ing too is not a proof in favour of godhood, otherwise all angels would
become gods! (Refuge with Allah) (Tafsir Usmani)
3. Was Sayyidah Maryam a prophet or saint? This is a debated is-
sue. In the present verse (75), the complimentary use of the word
"Șiddiqah" (truthful) obviously seems to indicate that she was a godly
person, not a Nabiyy ( prophet) - because on a complimentary occasion,
what is mentioned is the higher rank. If she had the station of pro-
phethood, the word used for her at this place would have been
"Nabiyyah"- but, the word used here is "Siddiqah" which is the station
of sainthood or godliness (abridged from Ruh al-Ma'ani).
According to the majority of Muslim scholars, the station of Nu-
buwwah (prophethood) has never appeared among women. This mis-
sion has been particular with men:
وَمَّا أَرْسَلُنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ إِلَّ رِجَالًا تُوْحِقٌ إِلَيْهِمْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرُى
And We have not sent any (one) before you but men to whom
We revealed from among the peoples of the towns - Surah Yu-
suf, 12 : 109. (Tafsir Usmani)
Verses 77 - 81
قُلُ يَاهُلَ الْكِتْبِ لاَتَغُلُوا فِيْ دِيْنِكُمْ غَيْرَالْحَقِّ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُؤْآَ
اَهُوَآءَ قَوْمٍ قَدْ ضَلَّوْا مِنْ قَبْلُ وَأَضَلَّوْا كَثِيْرًا وَضَلُّوْا عَنٌ
سَوَاءِ السَّبِيْلِ ﴿٧٧﴾ لُعِنَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ بَنِىٌ إِسْرَاْ ءِيْلَ
عَلى لِسَانِ داؤدَ وَ عِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ ◌ُ ذَلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوْا وَكَانُوا
يَعْتَدُوْنَ ﴿٧٨) كَانُوا لَا يَتَنَاهَوُنَ عَنُ تُّنْكَرٍ فَعَلُّؤُهُ لَبِئُسَ مَا

229
Surah Al-Ma'idah : 5 : 77 - 81
كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ ﴿٧٩) تَزِى كَثِيْرًا ◌ِنْهُمْ يَتَوَلَّوُنَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُالـ
لَبِئْسَ مَا قَدَّمَتُ لَهُمْ أَنْفُسُهُمْ آَنُّ سَخِطَ اللَّهُ عَلَيُهِمْ وَفِى
الْعَذَابِ هُمْ خُلِدُونَ ﴿ ٨﴾ وَلَوْ كَانُؤًا مُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللّهِ وَالتَّيِّ
وَمَآ أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مَا اتَّخَذُوُهُمْ أَوْلِيَا، وَلكِنَّ كَثِيْرًا مِّنُهُمُ
فُسِقُونَ﴿١٨١
Say, "O people of the Book, be not excessive in your
faith unjustly, and do not follow the desires of a people
who already went astray, misled many and lost the
right path. [77]
On those who disbelieve from among the children of
Isra'il was a curse pronounced by Dawud and 'Isa son of
Maryam. All this because they disobeyed and used to
cross the limits. [78] They did not forbid each other
from an evil they committed. Indeed, evil is what they
have been doing. [79]
You see many of them take the disbelievers as friends.
Indeed, evil is what their own selves have sent ahead
for themselves as Allah is angry with them, and they
are to remain under punishment for ever. [80]
And if they have been believing in Allah, in the prophet
and in what had been sent down to him, they would
have not taken them as friends, but many of them are
sinners. [81]
Commentary
The Crookedness of Bani Isra'il : Yet Another Aspect
It will be recalled that, in previous verses, mentioned there was
the contumacy of Bani Isra'il along with their tyranny and injustice
with reference to what they did to their benefactors, the prophets sent
by Allah who had come to show them the way to succeed in this life
and in the life to come. But, they mistreated them, by falsifying some
(72) فَرْبِّقًا كَذَّبُوا وَفَرِيقًا يَقْتُلُونَ : and killing others
The present verses expose another aspect of the crooked ways of
Bani Isra'il. So astray were they that they, not content with one ex-
treme mentioned above, reached for another when they committed ex-

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Surah Al-Ma'idah : 5 : 77 - 81
cess in showing reverence for messengers of Allah by making them
nothing short of God:َلَقَدُ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَم .It means that the
section of people from the Bani Isra'il who said that Allah is exactly Je-
sus the son of Mary had become disbelievers. Mentioned this far is the
saying of the Christians only. Elsewhere, the Jews too have been cen-
وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُوُدُ عُزَيْرٌ إِنُ اللَّهِ وَقَالَتِ النَّصرَى :sured for the same kind of excess and error
br& il (And the Jews said, "Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allah" and the
Christians said, "Masih (the Christ) is the son of Allah."
The word "Ghuluww" used at the begining of verse 77: jej
Ki zi BiaY (Say, "O people of the Book, be not excessive in your faith")
means to cross limits. "Ghuluww" or excess in religion refers to the
crossing of limits drawn by religion in matters of belief and deed. For
example, there is a limit to paying homage to prophets. The farthest
one can go is to take them as the best among God's creation. That is
the limit. Going over and beyond this limit, calling those very proph-
ets God or son of God is excess in matters of belief.
Bani Isra'il : Their Cycle of Excess and Deficiency
The behaviour of the people of the Bani Isra'il towards prophets
and messengers of Allah had been a mixture of opposites. They could
become as neglectful and irreverent as to falsify or even kill them
while it would be they themselves who would stretch the limits of their
exaggerated reverence for them by calling them God or son of God.
This syndrome of excess and deficiency in group behaviour is a sign of
ingrained brutality. There is a well-known saying among Arabs: Er Gi
Luigi which means that an ignorant person never stays on modera-
tion. He would either go for 'Ifrat' (excess) or for 'Tafrit' (deficiency).
Ifrat means to cross the limit while Tafrit means to fall short in doing
one's duty. These actions on two extremes may have come from two
different groups of the Bani Isra'il, or it is also possible that one single
group acted in two different ways with different prophets whereby
some were subjected to their falsification, even killing, while some oth-
ers were equated with God.
Addressing the people of the Book in this verse, the guidance given
to them and their generations to come right through the Last Day, has
the status of a basic principle to be kept in sight while following a re-
ligion for the slightest deviation from it makes one be lost for ever.

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Surah Al-Ma'idah : 5 : 77 - 81
Therefore, let us first explain a few basic things about it.
The Method of Knowing and Reaching Allah
The most significant truth of our life is that Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu
is the Creator and Master of all universes of existence and whatever
they contain. He is One. To Him belongs all there is and for Him is to
command. It is He alone man must obey. But man, the lump of clay
come alive, is still wrapped up in layers and layers of materialism:
How can he reach out to the One so pure and pristine? Or, how could
he get an access to sources of His will and guidance? For this, Allah
Jalla Sha'nuhu has, in His grace, appointed two sources of knowledge
through which man can get to know what is liked and disliked by Al-
lah Almighty and what it is that man must do and what is it that man
must avoid. The first source is that of the Books of Allah which have
the status of Law and Guidance for all human beings. Then, as the
second source, there are those special and welcome servants of Allah
whom Allah Almighty has chosen from among human beings, and He
has sent them to people as the practical models of His likes and dis-
likes and the practical keys to His Books. In religious terminology,
they are called "Rasul" (messenger) or 'Nabiy' (prophet).
This is because a book, no matter how exhaustive, can never be
sufficient for the complete grooming of man. The fact is that it takes a
man to be the natural groomer and nurturer of another man. There-
fore, it has been the practice of Allah that He has allowed two orders
to flourish in the mission of reforming and training men in the art of
living. These are: (a) The Book of Allah, and (b) The Men of Allah - in-
cluded wherein are the blessed prophets, then their deputies, the
'Ulama and the Mashaikh. About this order of 'Rijalul-lah' (men of Al-
lah), people have been victims of excess and deficiency since ancient
times. Particularly, the different sects that mushroomed in religions
were all products of this error of approach through which somewhere
they were inflated beyond the required limit hitting the outer frontiers
of the worship of such men. At other places, they were totally ignored
and bypassed by saying: 'For us, the Book of Allah is enough' (ges, us
II), apparently a true declaration, but by misinterpreting it to negate
the importance of prophets they made it as their motto. At one ex-
treme a Messenger of Allah, a Rasul - even Pirs and Faqirs - were taken

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Surah Al-Ma'idah : 5 : 77 - 81
to be the knowers of the unknown and seers of the unseen, as if they
were (God forbid) the very possessors of God's own attributes. People
started with worshipping live Pirs and landed into the worship of their
graves as well. Then, there was that other extreme when even a Rasul
of Allah was given the status of what would be a mere courier or post-
man. Thus, the essential message of the verses under reference is that
the offenders against the honour of prophets are no less in their disbe-
lief than are those who raise them far above the limits set for honour-
ing them and go about saying that they were equal to Allah. Verse 77
which says, "do not be excessive in your faith," is a preface to this very
subject. It makes it very clear that Din is, in reality, the name of a few
limits and restrictions. The way it is a crime to remain deficient or
negligent within those limits, so it is a crime to cross and exceed them.
The way it is a grave sin to reject and insult the messengers of Allah
and their deputies, in the same way, it is a much graver sin to take
them to be the owners of Allah's own attributes or their equal sharers
with Him.
Justified Intellectual Research is no Excess
In verse 77, the word: 3 2% (unjustly) appears alongwith the state-
ment: sesei lle's (Do not be excessive in your faith). According to in-
vestigative scholars of Tafsir, this word has been used here for empha-
sis because an excess in religion is always unjust. The probability of
its being just does not simply exist. 'Allamah al-Zamakhshari and oth-
ers have identified two kinds of Ghuluww or excess at this particular
place: (1) The unjust and false which has been prohibited here; (2) The
just and permissible, as an example of which, he has named deep in-
tellectual research - or as it has been the way of the scholastic theolo-
gians (Mutakallimin) of Islam in matters relating to articles of faith, or
that of Muslim jurists in matters relating to juristic rulings. Accord-
ing to him, even this is, though, Ghuluww (excess) but, an excess
which is just and permissible - while, the considered position of the
majority of scholars is that it simply does not fall within the definition
of Ghuluww (excess). Finally, we can say that deep insight and de-
tailed investigation in questions relating to the Qur'an and Sunnah
should remain within the limits as proved from the Holy Prophet
and from the Şahabah and Tabi'in - if so, that is not Ghuluww (excess).
And what reaches the limits of Ghuluww is blameworthy here too.

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Surah Al-Ma'idah : 5 : 82 - 86
Bani Isra'il Asked to Follow the Path of Moderation
Addressing the Bani Isra'il at the end of the verse (77), it was said:
-that is, they should not follow the de وَلاَ تَتَّبِعُوا أَهُوَا، قَومٍ قَدُ ضَلَّوْا مِنْ قَبْلُ وَأَضَلَّوْا كَثِيْرًا
sires and whims of a people who had themselves gone astray before
them, and had made others go astray as well. The reason why they
fell into that error was given immediately after by saying: s& pief
JeEs that is, these people, by moving away from the right path, had
lost it. This straight path was the path of moderation between the two
extremes of excess and deficiency. Thus, two things have been accom-
plished in this verse: It points out to the fatal error made by crossing
over the norm, or lagging far behind it, and stresses upon the need to
stay firm on the straight path, the ideal path of moderation.
The Sad End of Bani Isra'il
Mentioned in the second verse (78) is the sad end of those from the
Bani Isra'il who were involved in this error of excess and deficiency.
On them fell the curse of Allah Almighty. Firstly, it came through the
tongue of Sayyidna Dawud JI ul as a result of which they were trans-
formed into swines. Then, this curse fell upon them through the
tongue of Sayyidna 'Isa WJILL the temporal effect of which was that
they were transformed into monkeys. Some commentators have point-
ed out that the reference to the curse mentioned here as coming
through only two prophets is because the context so requires. But, the
fact is that the casting of curse on them began with Sayyidna Musa de
Thus, the . صلى الله عليه وسلم and ended at the Last among Prophets السلام
curse which overtook those, who were hostile to prophets or were
guilty of acting excessively by making prophets sharers in Divine at-
tributes, was wished verbally by four prophets one after the other.
In the last two verses (80,81), the cultivation of deep friendship with
disbelievers has been prohibited as its outcome is disasterous. It may
also be indicative of the possibility that the deviation of Bani Isra'il
was a result of their close friendly collaboration with disbelievers
which may have affected their ways adversely and finally became the
cause of their fall into the abyss.
Verses 82 - 86
لَتَجِدَنَّ أَشَدَّ النَّاسِ عَدَاوَةً لِلَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا الْبَهُودَ وَالَّذِيُنَّ

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Surah Al-Ma'idah : 5 : 82 - 86
أَشْرَكُوْاٌ وَلَتَجِدَنَّ أَقْرَبَهُمْ قَوَّدَّةً لِّلَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا الَّذِيْنَ قَالُاَ إِنَّا
نَصُرِىءُ ذُلِكَ بِأَنَّ مِنْهُمْ قِيْسِيْنَ وَرُهُبَانًا وَأَنَّهُمْ لَ
يَسْتَكُرُونَ ﴿٨٢﴾ وَإِذَا سَمِعُوْا مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَى الَّسُلِ تَّى
أَعْيُنَهُمْ تَفِيْضُ مِنَ الدَّمُعِ بِمَا عَرَفُوا مِنَ الْحَقِّ، يَقُوْلُونَ رَّنَاً
امَنَّا فَاكْتُبْنَا مَعَ الشَّهِدِيْنَ ﴿٨٣﴾ وَمَا لَنَا لَا تُؤُمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَمَا
بِجَاءُ نَامِنَ الْحَقِّ وَنَطْمَعُ أَنْ تُدْخِلَنَا رَبُّنَا مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الصُّلِحِيْنَ
﴿٨٤﴾ فَثَابَهُمُ اللهُ بِمَا قَالُوا بِجَتٍْ تَجْرِئٌ مِنْ تَحْنِهَا الْأَنْهُ
خُلِدِيْنَ فِيْهَاء وَذْلِكَ جَزَاءُ الْحْسِنِيْنَ ﴿٨٥﴾ وَالَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا
وَكَذَّبُوْا بِايُتِنَا أُولَئِكَ أَصُحُبُ الْجَحِيْمِ ﴿٨٦﴾
You will certainly find that the most hostile people
against the believers are the Jews and the ones who as-
cribe partners to Allah. And you will certainly find
that the closest of them in friendship with the believers
are those who say, "We are Christians." That is be-
cause among them there are priests and monks and be-
cause they are not arrogant. [82] And when they hear
what has been sent down to the Messenger, you will see
their eyes overflowing with tears on what they have
recognized from the truth. They say, "Our Lord, we
have come to believe. So, write us down alongwith
those who bear witness. [83] And what excuse do we
have if we do not believe in Allah and in what has come
to us from the truth, while we hope that our Lord will
admit us in the company of the righteous people?" [84]
So, Allah has awarded them, because of what they said,
gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they shall
live for ever. And that is the reward of the good in
deeds. [85]
And those who disbelieved and denied Our signs, they
are the people of the Fire. [86]
Sequence of Verses
Mentioned earlier was the friendliness of Jews with disbelievers.

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Mentioned now is their hostility towards Muslims in tandem with the
disbelievers - which was the real cause of that friendship (the enemy of
my enemy is my friend!). And since the Qur'an upholds justice univer-
sally, it has not counted everyone even among Jews and Christians as
being in the same lot. Whoever among them had some good quality,
that was acknowledged openly - for example, the presence of a particu-
lar group among the Christians which did not have the kind of preju-
dice the Jews were known for, and the statement about the Christians
who had responded heartily to the call of truth and for which they
were considered worthy of the best of praise and reward. This particu-
lar group was that of the Christians of Ethiopea who did nothing
which could cause problems for Muslims who had migrated to Ethio-
pea from their home in Makkah, before the Hijrah to Madinah. Any
Christian, other than them, who is like them, shall also be legally
counted as one of them. As for those who had accepted the truth, they
are the King of Ethiopea, Najashi (Negus) and his courtiers who wept
on hearing the Qur'an in their own country and embraced Islam. After
that, a deputation of thirty men from there came to the Holy Prophet
who recited the Qur'an to them which they heard in tears صلى الله عليه وسلم
and took their Shahadah as Muslims. This is the Cause or Back-
ground of the revelation of this verse.
Commentary
Some Votaries of the Truth among the People of the Book
Mentioned in these verses are those among the people of the Book
who, had no feelings of malice or enmity for Muslims because of their
godliness and tilt towards truth. But, people of such quality - like
Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn Salam - were very rare, rather almost non-
existant among the Jews. Speaking comparatively, there were more
such people among the Christians. Specially so, during the blessed pe-
riod of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, there was a large number of
such people in Ethiopea which included King Najashi and his civil ser-
vants. For this reason, when the Muslims of Makkah al-Mukarramah
were fed up with being continually oppressed by the Quraysh, the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم advised them to migrate to Ethiopea saying
that he had heard that the King of Ethiopea himself was no oppressor
of people, nor did he allow anyone to oppress others, therefore, Mus-
lims should go there for some time.

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Following this advice, the first group of eleven persons started
their journey towards Ethiopea. Included in the group were Sayyidna
'Uthman ibn 'Affan and Sayyidah Ruqaiyyah, his respected wife and
the daughter of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. After that, a large car-
avan of Muslims comprising of eighty two men in addition to women,
led by Sayyidna Jafar ibn Abi Talib وصلى الله عليه وسلم reached Ethiopea.
Received there nicely and gently by the King and his people, they
started living there in peace.
But, the wrath of the Quraysh of Makkah knew no bounds. They
could not bear by the idea that Muslims persecuted by them could live
in peace in some other country. This they did not wish to allow. They
sent a deputation of their men, with gifts as customary, to the King of
Ethiopea with the request that he should expel Muslims from his coun-
try. But, the King of Ethiopea decided to first investigate into the mat-
ter. He talked to Sayyidna Ja'far ibn Abi Talib and his companions
about Islam and its Prophet. When he heard about the life of the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the teachings of Islam, he found these true to
the prophecy of Sayyidna 'Isa >JILL and Injil which contained the
glad tidings of the coming of the Last of the Prophets, Sayyidna Mu-
hammad al-Mustafa صلى الله عليه وسلم, a brief outline of his teachings, and
his physical features as well as those of his Companions (for ready
identification). Impressed with and convinced by what he found out,
he returned the gifts brought by the Quraysh deputation telling them
plainly that he could never order such people to leave his country.
The Effect of Sayyidna Ja'far's Presentation on Najashi
Sayyidna Ja'far had succeeded in presenting a brief but very com-
prehensive portrayal of Islam and its teachings in the court of Najashi,
the King of Ethiopea. Then, there was their very stay (as Muslim role
models) in Ethiopea which had generated not only in his heart but in
the hearts of his officials and common people genuine feelings for Is-
lam and its Prophet. Consequently, when the Holy Prophet y migrat-
ed to Madinah al-Tayyibah and the news that they were comfortable
and at peace there reached Ethiopea, the immigrating guests of the
country decided to go to Madinah. Then, Najashi, the King of Ethiopea
sent with them a deputation of leading scholars and missionaries
from among his co-religionists to present his compliments before the

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Holy Prophet . This group was comprised of seventy persons, out of
which, there were sixty from Ethiopea itself, and eight from Syria.
The Visit of Ethiopean Delegation
Attired in the coarse robes of monks, this deputation presented it-
self before the Holy Prophet . He recited Surah Ya Sin before them.
As they heard it, tears kept flowing from their eyes. They all said how
similar that was to what was revealed to Sayyidna 'Isa >JI Je. All of
them embraced Islam.
After their return to Ethiopea, King Najashi also embraced Islam.
He sent his son as the leader of another deputation to the Holy Proph-
et صلى الله عليه وسلم with a letter from him. Unfortunately, the boat carry-
ing them was drowned in the sea. In short, the King of Ethiopea, its
officials and citizens did not only treat Islam and Muslims gently, fair-
ly and justly, but they themselves embraced Islam finally.
According to the majority of commentators, the verses cited above
were revealed about these blessed souls:
وَلَتَجِدَنَّ أَقُرَبَهُمْ مَوَدَّةً لِلَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا الَّذِيْنَ قَالُؤَّا إِنَّا نَصْرِى
And you will certainly find that the closest of them in friend-
ship with the believers are those who say, "We are Chris-
tians."
And about the verses which follow, and in which their weeping in
fear of Allah and their acceptance of the truth has been described, the
majority of commentators also agree that - though these verses have
been revealed about Najashi and the deputation sent by him - yet, its
words are general. Therefore, its legal force covers and includes all
such Christians who are devoted to truth and justice similar to the
people of Ethiopea. That is, they were followers of the Injil before Is-
lam, and after the coming of Islam, they became followers of Islam.
Though, there were some people of this class even among Jews who
adhered to the Torah since the period of Sayyidna Musa, but when
came Islam, they entered the fold of Islam. However, the number of
such people was so small that it cannot be considered significant in the
context of communities and nations. As for the rest of the Jews, they
were the foremost in their hostility towards Muslims. Therefore, their
attitude was identified at the very beginning of the verse by saying:

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لَتَجِدَنَّ أَشَدَّ النَّاسِ عَدَاوَةً لِلَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا الْيَهُوْنَ
You will certainly find that the most hostile people against
the believers are the Jews ...
Limits of Interpretation
To recapitulate, it can be said that a particular group of the Chris-
tians has been praised in this verse, a group which was God-fearing
and upright in matters of truth. It includes King Najashi, his officials
and citizens - as well as other Christians who had these qualities, or
would have in times to come. But, it does not mean - neither based on
what the text says, nor could it possibly be - that the Christians have
to be taken as friends of Muslims, no matter how astray they go and
how aggressive in their anti-Islam hostility they become, and yet Mus-
lims will have to extend their hand of friendship towards them. This
interpretation, as obvious, is false and is absolutely against facts.
Therefore, Imam Abu Bakr Al-Jaşşaş has said in his Ahkam al-Qur'an:
that the thinking of some people who take the praise of Christians in
this verse in an absolute sense and consider them better than the
Jews, again in an absolute sense, is open ignorance - because a com-
parison of the religious beliefs of the two groups will show that the
Christians are more pronounced in being Mushriks (as ascribers of
partners in the divinity of Allah); and as for their dealings with Mus-
lims are concerned, common modern-day Christians have not been any
less than Jews in their anti-Islam activities. However, it is correct
that there have been a good many God-fearing and truth-loving people
among them. That is why they had the Taufiq to accept Islam and be-
come Muslims. It must be kept in mind that these verses were re-
vealed to show this particular difference between the two groups. The
Qur'an has itself pointed out to this fact at the end of this very verse
(82) in the following words : ◌َذُلِكَ بِأَنَّ مِنْهُمُ قِسِيُسِيْنَ وَرُهْبَانًا وَأَنَّهُمْ لاَ يَسْتَكُبُون :"That is be-
cause among them there are priests and monks and because they are
not arrogant (which could make them unwilling to listen and think)."
Comparison makes it clear that this was not the condition of Jews.
They were not God-fearing and truth-loving. Their scholars and rab-
bis were far removed from renouncing the material pleasures of mortal
life for the sake of knowledge and religion, instead of which, they had
harnessed their knowledge and learning as a source of accumulating

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material benefits. This lust for the mundane had gripped them to the
extent that they did not care to make a distinction between the true
and the false or the lawful and the unlawful.
Those who side with Truth are the moving
spirit of a community
The statement given in the verse also tells us something crucial
about the life of a community or nation (of true believers) - that its
'Ulama' and Mashaikh are its real movers and makers, the very spirit
of the system. Until such time that there are present in the society
(genuine) 'Ulama' and Mashaikh, who would not follow their worldly
desires (in matters of Din and public good of Believers) motivated by
nothing but the fear of Allah and answerability before Him, then, the
community or nation in which they are shall never be deprived of real
good and real blessing.
Verses 87 - 88
◌ََّيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا لَا تُحِّمُوْا طَيِّبْتٍ مَا أَحَلَّ اللّهُ لَكُمْ وَلَا
تَعْتَدُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِيْنَ ﴿٨٧﴾ وَكُلُوْا ◌َِّا رَزَقَكُمُ
اللَّهُ حَلْلاً طَيِّبًا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِىَّ أَنْهُمُ بِهْ مُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿٨٨﴾
O those who believe, do not make unlawful good things
that Allah has made lawful for you, and do not trans-
gress. Verily, Allah does not like the transgressors. [39]
And eat any lawful, good thing from what Allah has
provided for you, and fear Allah whose believers you
are. [88]
Sequence of Verses
Upto this point, the subject revolved around the people of the Book.
Onwards, there is a return to subsidiary injunctions some of which
were taken up early in the Surah, and some others also in between.
Also reported is a particular link as relevant to the occasion - that
monasticism has been mentioned in a complimentary sense a little
earlier (82), though it is there in terms of a particular feature in it,
which is the abandonment of worldly desires. But, since there was a
probability that someone may take the whole concept of monasticism
as praiseworthy, it was considered appropriate at this point that the

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Surah Al-Ma'idah : 5 : 87 - 88
making unlawful of what Allah has made lawful be forbidden. (As
abridged from Bayan al-Qur'an by Maulana Ashraf 'Ali Thanavi)
Commentary
Leaving the worldly pleasures, when permissible
The verses appearing above tell us that the renunciation of worldly
life and the abstinence from appetites and passions is favourable with-
in a certain limit, but any transgression of the Divinely-ordained lim-
its in this matter too shall be blameworthy and Haram (unlawful, for-
bidden). Details are being given below.
How Halal is turned into Haram : The Three Forms
There are three forms in which something made Halal (lawful and
good) by Allah could be declared as Haram (unlawful and evil): (1) BE-
LIEF-WISE, that is, something is taken to be Haram by believing it to
be so. (2) VERBALLY, that is, something is taken to be Haram for
oneself by saying so -- for instance, someone swears that he will not
drink cold water, or would not eat such and such Halal food, or would
not do something which is permissible. (3) PRACTICALLY, that is,
someone who neither believes nor says anything, yet decides in prac-
tice that he or she would abandon something Halal for ever.
1. Under the first situation, if that thing being Halal stands con-
firmed by absolute proofs, then, the person who takes it to be Haram
shall become a disbeliever (kafir) because of that open contravention of
the Divinely-ordained law.
2. And under the second situation, if someone has made something
Haram for oneself by declaring it with words of oath, the oath will be-
come effective. There are many words of oath details of which appear
in Figh books - for example, someone clearly says: ' I swear by Allah, I
will never eat that' or 'by Allah, I will not do that' or one might say, 'I
make taking this or doing that Haram for me.' The rule which governs
such actions is that taking such oaths unnecessarily is a sin. If taken,
one must break the oath and make amends by paying the Kaffarah
(expiation) of that oath, the detail about which will appear later.
3. The third will be a situation in which no Halal has been made
Haram either by belief or word of mouth, but practically what one does
is similar to what is done with something Haram, that is, takes it as

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obligatory to abandon it for ever. The rule in this case is: If one takes
the abandonment of the Halal to be an act of Thaw ab (merit, reward),
then, it is Bid'ah (innovation in established religion) and Rahbaniyah
(monasticism) - which is a grave sin as categorically laid down
(Manşus) in the Qur'an and Sunnah; and acting against it is Wajib
(necessary as an obligation); and adhering to such a restriction is an
act of sin. Of course, if such a restriction is not there with the inten-
tion of Thawab, instead, it is there for some other reason, such as,
some physical or spiritual sickness because of which one abandons
something permanently, then, there will be no sin in doing so. Reports
about some noble Sufis and other pious elders that they had aban-
doned some Halal things are all included under this third kind as they
had found them to be harmful for their desiring self, or were advised
by a pious elder to abstain from it as harmful in their case which they
abandoned as a treatment and remedy. If so, it does not matter.
The Correct Attitude towards Halal Things
, وَلَا تَعْتَدُوًا، إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ المُعْتَدِينَ :At the end of the first verse (87), it was said
that is, "and do not transgress the limits set by Allah because Allah
does not like such transgressors.' Here, transgressing means that one
abandons something Halal, without any valid excuse, as an act of
Thawab. This is something an ignorant person takes to be Taqwa,
fear of Allah, while, in the sight of Allah, that is transgression, which
is impermissible. Therefore, it was said in the next verse (88): 201 1,21;
34, HEJ that is, '(eat from the good and pure sustenance Allah has
blessed you with) and keep fearing Allah whose believers you are.'
Stated clearly in this verse is that leaving off good and pure things
as a source of Thawab (reward) is no Taqwa. Rather, quite contrary to
that, Taqwa lies in using them as the blessings of Allah and showing
one's gratitude for them. However, if something is abandoned as a cu-
rative measure against a physical or spiritual disease, that does not
count here.
Verse 89
لَا يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ اللهُ بِاللَّغْوِ فِىٌّ آَيُمَانِكُمْ وَلكِنْ ◌ُؤَاخِذُكُمْ بِمَا
عَقَّدْتُمُ الْآَيْمَانَ فَكَفَّارَتُةٌ إِطْعَامُ عَشَرَةٍ مَسْكِيْنَ مِنْ أَوْسَطٍ

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Surah Al-Ma'idah : 5: 89
مَا تُطْعِمُوْنَ آَهْلِيُكُمْ أَوْ كِسْوَتُهُمْ آَوْتَحْرِيُ رَقَبَةٍ فَمَنُ لَّمْ يَجِدْ
فَصِيَامُ ثَلْثَةٍ أَيَّامٍ* ذَلِكَ كَفَّارَةُ اَيْمَانِكُمْ إِذَا حَلَفْتُمْ، وَاخْقَظُوْا
اَيْمَانَكُمُ، كَذَلِكَ مُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ أَيْتِمٍ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ﴿١٨٩
Allah does not hold you accountable for what is not
countable from among your oaths, but He does hold
you accountable for the oath you have bound yourself
with. Its expiation is to feed ten poor persons at an av-
erage of what you feed your family with, or to clothe
them, or to free a slave. And whoever finds none shall
fast for three days. That is expiation for your oaths
when you have sworn. And take care of your oaths.
That is how Allah makes His signs clear to you, so that
you may be grateful. [89]
Sequence of Verses
Mentioned earlier was the taking of Halal things as unlawful.
Since statements to this effect are sometimes sworn, therefore, the in-
junction about taking of oaths follows in the present verse.
Commentary
Three Forms of Oaths and their Injunctions
1. Some forms in which oaths are taken have been described in this
verse. Some have appeared in Surah al-Baqarah as well (Ma'ariful-Qur'an,
Volume I, Verse 2:225, pages 562-563). The gist of all these is that false
swearing about a past event knowingly is, in the terminology of Mus-
lim jurists, Yamin Ghamus (disasterous oath) - for instance, if a person
has done something, and he knows that he has done it, and then he
knowingly swears that he has not done it. This is false swearing, a
grave major sin the curse of which falls in the present life and in the
life-to-come. But, there is no Kaffarah (expiation) necessary for it. Tau-
bah (repentance) and Istighfar (seeking forgiveness from Allah) are,
however, necessary. That is the reason why the Muslim jurists call it
the disasterous oath. Gham us literally means that which drowns. This
kind of oath drowns man into sin and its curse, a disaster for one's
present and future life.

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Surah Al-Ma'idah : 5 :89
2. The second form is that someone declares on oath that a past
event was true, as based on his knowledge, while it was actually false -
for example, he learnt from someone that a certain person has come
and trusting him, he declared on oath that the person has come, then,
he came to know that this was contrary to what had actually hap-
pened. This is called Yamin Laghw (ineffectual oath), that which is not
counted. Similarly, if a word denoting oath, such as 'by' or 'I swear,'
comes to be said unintentionally, that too is known to be what is
'ineffectual oath.' It brings neither Kaffarah (expiation) nor sin.
3. The third form of oath is that one declares on oath that he
would or would not do something in the future. This is known as al-
Yamin al-Mun'aqidah (Binding oath). The rule which governs it is
that, in the event the oath is broken, Kaffarah (expiation) becomes
necessary - and under some situations, it brings sin as well, while in
some others, it does not.
At this place in the present verse of the Qur'an, 'Laghw'
(ineffectual, not counted) obviously means the oath which brings no
Kaffarah (expiation) - whether a sin, or not; because it has been men-
tioned in contrast with : 3WWWsak (the oaths you have bound yourselves
with). This tells us that the accountability (Mu'akhadhah) mentioned
here is only the accountability in the present world which comes in the
form of Kaffarah (expiation).
لَا يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ اللَّهُ بِاللَّغْوِ فِىَّ أَيْمَانِكُمْ وَلكِنْ يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ : Then, in Surah al-Baqarah, it is said
al Bans & (And Allah does not hold you accountable for what is not
countable from among your oaths, but holds you accountable for what
your hearts have designed - 2:225). Here, 'Laghw' (what is not
countable) means an oath which slips out from one's tongue without
intention or volition, or an oath one takes about something assuming
it to be true while it turns out to be false actually. Then, mentioned in
contrast, is the other oath in which an intentional lie has been told.
This is known as Yamin Ghamus explained earlier. Therefore, as for
Yamin Laghw, it brings no sin, according to this verse - instead, what
brings sin is Yamin Gham us where the lie is intentional. Thus, the sin
mentioned in the verse from Surah al-Baqarah refers to the sin one
shall incur in the Hereafter for disobeying the Divine injunction. And
in the present verse of Surah al-Ma'idah, the injunction concerns the

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Surah Al-Ma'idah : 5:89
present life of the world, where Kaffarah (expiation) is required. The
outcome is that Allah does not hold you accountable for what is not
countable in your oaths, that is, does not make it obligatory for you to
make amends for them by paying Kaffarah (expiation). Instead,
Kaffarah is made necessary against the particular oath which has been
accomplished about doing or not doing something in the future - and
then, it has been broken. After that, the details of how Kaffarah has to
فَكَفَّارَتُهَ إِطْعَامُ عَشَرَةٍ مَسْكِيْنَ مِنْ أَوْسَطِ :be given is described in the following words
Three options have been given here .(89) مَا تُطُعِمُونَ أَهْلِيْكُمْ أَوْكِسُوَتُهُمْ آَوْ تَحُرِيْرُ رَقَبَةٍ
which one may choose at one's discretion: (a) feed ten poor persons two
average meals, or (b) clothe ten poor persons (sufficient to give them
proper cover, such as, a garment for the lower body and another for
the upper), or (c) free a slave (if in possession).
Said immediately after is :ٍفَمَنْ لَّمُ يَجِدُ قَصِيَامُ ثَلْئَةٍ أَيَّام (And whoever finds
none shall fast for three days). It means if some breaker of such an
oath does not have the ability to bear the cost of this financial expia-
tion (Kaffarah), that is, one who does not have the means to feed ten
poor persons, or clothe them, or free a slave, then, his or her Kaffarah
is to fast for three days. In some narrations, for the fasts mentioned at
this place in the text, the command is said to be that of 'three consecu-
tive days.' Therefore, according to Imam Abu Hanifah and some other
Imams, it is necessary that the three fasts against the Kaffarah
(expiation) of Oath should be consecutive.
In this verse, the first word used in connection with the Kaffarah of
Oath is: "It'am" which, according to Arabic usage, could either mean
'feed' or 'give food' to someone. Therefore, as determined by the Fuqa-
ha' (Muslim Jurists), may the mercy of Allah be upon them, the sense
of the verse is that the person giving Kaffarah can choose either of the
two options. He can invite ten poor persons and feed them; or, he can
give the food in their possession (literally in milkiyat or ownership).
But, in the first situation, it is necessary that he should feed ten poor
persons two meals of the day to their fill and satisfaction from the av-
erage food he usually eats with his family at home. And in the second
situation, he should give to each of the ten poor persons at the rate of
one Fitrah per person, that is, 1 3/4 kilograms of wheat, or its cost in
cash. He can go by any one of the three he likes. But, fasting can be