Tafheem ul Quran
Surah 5 Al-Ma'idah, Ayat 78-86
لُعِنَ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا مِنۡۢ بَنِىۡۤ اِسۡرَآءِيۡلَ عَلٰى لِسَانِ دَاوٗدَ وَعِيۡسَى ابۡنِ مَرۡيَمَ ؕ ذٰ لِكَ بِمَا عَصَوْا وَّكَانُوۡا يَعۡتَدُوۡنَ
﴿5:78﴾
كَانُوۡا لَا يَتَـنَاهَوۡنَ عَنۡ مُّنۡكَرٍ فَعَلُوۡهُ ؕ لَبِئۡسَ مَا كَانُوۡا يَفۡعَلُوۡنَ
﴿5:79﴾
تَرٰى كَثِيۡرًا مِّنۡهُمۡ يَتَوَلَّوۡنَ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡاؕ لَبِئۡسَ مَا قَدَّمَتۡ لَهُمۡ اَنۡفُسُهُمۡ اَنۡ سَخِطَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَفِى الۡعَذَابِ هُمۡ خٰلِدُوۡنَ
﴿5:80﴾
وَلَوۡ كَانُوۡا يُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَالنَّبِىِّ وَمَاۤ اُنۡزِلَ اِلَيۡهِ مَا اتَّخَذُوۡهُمۡ اَوۡلِيَآءَ وَلٰـكِنَّ كَثِيۡرًا مِّنۡهُمۡ فٰسِقُوۡنَ
﴿5:81﴾
لَـتَجِدَنَّ اَشَدَّ النَّاسِ عَدَاوَةً لِّـلَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوا الۡيَهُوۡدَ وَالَّذِيۡنَ اَشۡرَكُوۡا ۚ وَلَـتَجِدَنَّ اَ قۡرَبَهُمۡ مَّوَدَّةً لِّـلَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوا الَّذِيۡنَ قَالُوۡۤا اِنَّا نَصٰرٰى ؕ ذٰ لِكَ بِاَنَّ مِنۡهُمۡ قِسِّيۡسِيۡنَ وَرُهۡبَانًا وَّاَنَّهُمۡ لَا يَسۡتَكۡبِرُوۡنَ
﴿5:82﴾
وَاِذَا سَمِعُوۡا مَاۤ اُنۡزِلَ اِلَى الرَّسُوۡلِ تَرٰٓى اَعۡيُنَهُمۡ تَفِيۡضُ مِنَ الدَّمۡعِ مِمَّا عَرَفُوۡا مِنَ الۡحَـقِّۚ يَقُوۡلُوۡنَ رَبَّنَاۤ اٰمَنَّا فَاكۡتُبۡنَا مَعَ الشّٰهِدِيۡنَ
﴿5:83﴾
وَمَا لَـنَا لَا نُؤۡمِنُ بِاللّٰهِ وَمَا جَآءَنَا مِنَ الۡحَـقِّۙ وَنَطۡمَعُ اَنۡ يُّدۡخِلَـنَا رَبُّنَا مَعَ الۡقَوۡمِ الصّٰلِحِيۡنَ
﴿5:84﴾
فَاَثَابَهُمُ اللّٰهُ بِمَا قَالُوۡا جَنّٰتٍ تَجۡرِىۡ مِنۡ تَحۡتِهَا الۡاَنۡهٰرُ خٰلِدِيۡنَ فِيۡهَا ؕ وَذٰ لِكَ جَزَآءُ الۡمُحۡسِنِيۡنَ
﴿5:85﴾
وَالَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا وَكَذَّبُوۡا بِاٰيٰتِنَاۤ اُولٰٓـئِكَ اَصۡحٰبُ الۡجَحِيۡمِ
﴿5:86﴾
(5:78) Those of the Children of Israel who took to unbelief have been cursed
by the tongue of David and Jesus, son of Mary, for they rebelled and exceeded
the bounds of right. (5:79) They did not forbid each other from committing the abominable deeds
they committed.102 Indeed what they did was evil. (5:80) And now you can see many of them taking the unbelievers (instead of
the believers) for their allies. Indeed they have prepared evil for themselves.
Allah is angry with them, and they shall abide in chastisement. (5:81) For had they truly believed in Allah and the Messenger and what was
sent down to him, they would not have taken unbelievers (instead of believers)
for their allies.103 But many of them have rebelled against Allah
altogether. (5:82) Of all men you will find the Jews and those who associate others with
Allah in His divinity to be the most hostile to those who believe; and you will
surely find that of ail people they who say: 'We are Christians', are closest
to feeling affection for those who believe. This is because there are worshipful
priests and monks among them, and because they are not arrogant. (5:83) And when they hear what has been revealed to the Messenger you see
that their eyes overflow with tears because of the Truth that they recognize
and they say: 'Our Lord! We do believe; write us down, therefore, with those
who bear witness (to the Truth). (5:84) And why should we not believe in Allah and the Truth which has come
down to us when we do fervently desire that our Lord include us among the righteous?'
(5:85) So Allah rewarded them for these words with Gardens beneath which
rivers flow so that they would abide there for ever. Such is the reward of the
people who do good. (5:86) Those who disbelieved and gave the lie to Our signs are rightfully
the inmates of the Blazing Flame.
Notes
102. The corruption of any nation begins with that of a few individuals.
If the collective conscience of that nation is alive, the pressure of public
opinion keeps those persons in check and prevents the nation as a whole from
becoming corrupted. But if instead of censuring such individuals, the nation
leaves them free to behave corruptly, the corruption originally confined to
a few continues to spread till it engulfs the whole nation. It was this which
ultimately caused the degeneration of Israel. (For the curse against Israel
in the words of David and Jesus see Psalms 10, 50 and Matthew 23.)
103. It seems natural that those who believe in God and the Prophets and
the Scriptures, compared with the polytheists, would naturally be more sympathetic
to those who at least share with them belief in God, in prophethood and in .revelation
(whatever their disagreements on other religious issues). It was ironic, therefore,
that the Jews should openly support the polytheists in the struggle between
polytheism and monotheism, and that their sympathies in the conflict between
those who rejected prophethood and those who believed in it should lie expressly
with the former. Despite all this, they brazenly claimed to be true believers
in God, in the Prophets and in the Scriptures.