In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Summary of the Tafsir of al-Tabari.
Abridged by Dr. Aqeel ibn Salim al-Shammari.
Surah al-Ma'idah.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
◁ And Allah had already taken a covenant from the Children of Israel ▷
“Allah made a covenant of old with the Children of Israel and We raised among them twelve chieftains, and Allah said: Lo! I am with you. If ye establish worship and pay the poor-due, and believe in My messengers and support them, and lend unto Allah a kindly loan, surely I shall remit your sins, and surely I shall bring you into Gardens underneath which rivers flow. Whoso among you disbelieveth after this will go astray from a plain road.” (5:12)
“Allah made a covenant of old with the Children of Israel and We raised among them twelve chieftains, and Allah said: Lo! I am with you. If ye establish worship and pay the poor-due, and believe in My messengers and support them, and lend unto Allah a kindly loan, surely I shall remit your sins, and surely I shall bring you into Gardens underneath which rivers flow. Whoso among you disbelieveth after this will go astray from a plain road.” (5:12)
◁ "If you establish prayer and give zakat ▷
◁ and believe in My messengers ▷
◁ and support them ▷
◁ and loan Allah a goodly loan, ▷
◁ I will surely remove from you your misdeeds ▷
◁ I will surely remove from you your misdeeds ▷
◁ and admit you to gardens ▷
◁ and admit you to gardens ▷
◁ beneath which rivers flow. ▷
“Allah made a covenant of old with the Children of Israel and We raised among them twelve chieftains, and Allah said: Lo! I am with you. If ye establish worship and pay the poor-due, and believe in My messengers and support them, and lend unto Allah a kindly loan, surely I shall remit your sins, and surely I shall bring you into Gardens underneath which rivers flow. Whoso among you disbelieveth after this will go astray from a plain road.” (5:12)
◁ has indeed strayed from the soundness of the way." ▷
"I am indeed your helper against your enemy and My enemy;
if you establish prayer, pay zakat,
believe in what My messengers bring you regarding My religion's laws,
support them with your hands and tongues,
and spend in the cause of Allah in striving against His enemy and your enemy,
then you will have attained the truth through what you spend in doing so,
without transgressing the limits set by Allah
or abandoning what He urged and exhorted you toward in favor of anything else;
I will surely cover over, by My forgiveness, your past sins,
and I will surely admit you, by My grace, into gardens beneath which rivers flow.
But whoever among you disbelieves, O community of the Children of Israel,
regarding anything I have commanded him, abandoning it,
or commits what I have forbidden him,
has strayed from the right intent of the clear path."
“And because of their breaking their covenant, We have cursed them and made hard their hearts. They change words from their context and forget a part of that whereof they were admonished. Thou wilt not cease to discover treachery from all save a few of them. But bear with them and pardon them. Lo! Allah loveth the kindly.” (5:13)
◁ and made their hearts hard. ▷
◁ They distort words from their [proper] usages ▷
◁ and have forgotten a portion of that of which they were reminded. ▷
“And because of their breaking their covenant, We have cursed them and made hard their hearts. They change words from their context and forget a part of that whereof they were admonished. Thou wilt not cease to discover treachery from all save a few of them. But bear with them and pardon them. Lo! Allah loveth the kindly.” (5:13)
◁ except a few of them. ▷
◁ So pardon them and overlook. ▷
◁ Indeed, Allah loves the doers of good. ▷
They broke My covenant,
so I cursed them for breaking their covenant.
And We made the hearts of those who broke Our covenant among the Children of Israel
thick and hardened against faith.
They alter the words of their Lord—the Torah—
substituting and changing them,
and they abandoned a portion of that whereof they were reminded.
You will constantly, O Muhammad, discover from the Jews
instances of such treachery and deceit,
except for a small number among them.
So pardon, O Muhammad, these Jews
and overlook their offense,
for I love those who excel in pardoning and forgiving those who mistreat them.
◁ And from those who say, "We are Christians" ▷
◁ We took their covenant; ▷
“And with those who say: "Lo! we are Christians," We made a covenant, but they forgot a part of that whereof they were admonished. Therefor We have stirred up enmity and hatred among them till the Day of Resurrection, when Allah will inform them of their handiwork.” (5:14)
“And with those who say: "Lo! we are Christians," We made a covenant, but they forgot a part of that whereof they were admonished. Therefor We have stirred up enmity and hatred among them till the Day of Resurrection, when Allah will inform them of their handiwork.” (5:14)
◁ until the Day of Resurrection. ▷
“And with those who say: "Lo! we are Christians," We made a covenant, but they forgot a part of that whereof they were admonished. Therefor We have stirred up enmity and hatred among them till the Day of Resurrection, when Allah will inform them of their handiwork.” (5:14)
And We took from the Christians the covenant
promising obedience to Me and fulfillment of My obligations.
But they followed, in breaking the covenant I took from them,
the path of the misguided nation among the Jews;
thus they likewise altered their religion and squandered My command.
So We stirred up and cast among the Christians enmity and hatred,
through the prevailing desires that arose among them, until the Day of Resurrection,
such as their disagreement regarding the Messiah.
Allah will inform them when they return to Him at their appointed time
of what they used to do in the worldly life,
in terms of breaking His covenant and breaching His pledge.
◁ O People of the Scripture, there has come to you Our Messenger ▷
“O People of the Scripture! Now hath Our messenger come unto you, expounding unto you much of that which ye used to hide in the Scripture, and forgiving much. now hath come unto you light from Allah and plain Scripture,” (5:15)
◁ and pardoning much. ▷
“O People of the Scripture! Now hath Our messenger come unto you, expounding unto you much of that which ye used to hide in the Scripture, and forgiving much. now hath come unto you light from Allah and plain Scripture,” (5:15)
O People of the Scripture—among the Jews and the Christians—
Our Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has come to you,
making clear to you much of what you used to conceal from the people
and would not clarify to them from your Scripture,
while overlooking much of what you concealed of your Scripture without calling you to account for it,
so that you no longer act upon it.
There has come to you, O People of the Torah and the Gospel, a light from Allah—
namely Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
through whom Allah illuminated the truth—
and a clear Book has come to you from Allah,
explaining what they differed over regarding the oneness of Allah and His lawful and unlawful matters.
“Whereby Allah guideth him who seeketh His good pleasure unto paths of peace. He bringeth them out of darkness unto light by His decree, and guideth them unto a straight path.” (5:16)
“Whereby Allah guideth him who seeketh His good pleasure unto paths of peace. He bringeth them out of darkness unto light by His decree, and guideth them unto a straight path.” (5:16)
“Whereby Allah guideth him who seeketh His good pleasure unto paths of peace. He bringeth them out of darkness unto light by His decree, and guideth them unto a straight path.” (5:16)
By it Allah guides and directs whoever follows His pleasure to the ways of peace—
and He is Allah, majestic is His remembrance—
bringing whoever follows His pleasure out of the darknesses of disbelief and polytheism
into the light of Islam by Allah's leave.
That is accomplished by making faith beloved to him,
removing the stamp of disbelief and the seal of polytheism from his heart,
and granting him success to perceive the paths of peace.
◁ They have certainly disbelieved who say that Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary. ▷
“They indeed have disbelieved who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. Say: Who then can do aught against Allah, if He had willed to destroy the Messiah son of Mary, and his mother and everyone on earth? Allah's is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them. He createth what He will. And Allah is Able to do all things.” (5:17)
“They indeed have disbelieved who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. Say: Who then can do aught against Allah, if He had willed to destroy the Messiah son of Mary, and his mother and everyone on earth? Allah's is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them. He createth what He will. And Allah is Able to do all things.” (5:17)
◁ And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them. ▷
“They indeed have disbelieved who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. Say: Who then can do aught against Allah, if He had willed to destroy the Messiah son of Mary, and his mother and everyone on earth? Allah's is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them. He createth what He will. And Allah is Able to do all things.” (5:17)
I swear that those who said Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary, have surely disbelieved.
Say, O Muhammad, to the Christians: "Who could prevent anything from Allah's decree
if He willed to destroy the Messiah, son of Mary,
by removing him from the earth, along with his mother Mary,
and by destroying all created beings upon the earth entirely?
“They indeed have disbelieved who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. Say: Who then can do aught against Allah, if He had willed to destroy the Messiah son of Mary, and his mother and everyone on earth? Allah's is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them. He createth what He will. And Allah is Able to do all things.” (5:17)
He destroys whom He wills and spares whom He wills;
He brings into existence whatever He desires and causes to perish whatever He chooses.
Allah alone is the worshiped Lord, Capable of all things,
Sovereign over everything, Whom nothing He desires can render powerless."
◁ But the Jews and the Christians said, "We are the children of Allah and His beloved." ▷
“The Jews and Christians say: We are sons of Allah and His loved ones. Say: Why then doth He chastise you for your sins? Nay, ye are but mortals of His creating. He forgiveth whom He will, and chastiseth whom He will. Allah's is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, and unto Him is the journeying.” (5:18)
◁ Rather, you are human beings from among those He created. ▷
◁ He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. ▷
◁ And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, ▷
◁ and to Him is the [final] destination. ▷
The Jews and the Christians said, "We are the children of Allah and His beloved."
Say, O Muhammad: "Why then does your Lord punish you for your sins,
if the matter were as you claimed?
For a beloved does not punish his beloved,
yet you acknowledge that He punishes you.
The matter is not as you claimed—that you are Allah's children and His beloved;
rather, you are merely human beings created from the children of Adam.
If you do good, you will be rewarded for your good,
and if you do evil, you will be requited for your evil."
He forgives the sins of whom He wills among the people of faith,
and He acts with justice toward whom He wills by punishing him for his sins.
To Allah belongs the governance of whatever is in the heavens, the earth, and between them,
and to Him is the final destination and return of all things.
So beware, O fabricators, of His punishment!
◁ O People of the Scripture, ▷
◁ there has come to you Our Messenger ▷
“O People of the Scripture! Now hath Our messenger come unto you to make things plain unto you after an interval (of cessation) of the messengers, lest ye should say: There came not unto us a messenger of cheer nor any warner. Now hath a messenger of cheer and a warner come unto you. Allah is Able to do all things.” (5:19)
“O People of the Scripture! Now hath Our messenger come unto you to make things plain unto you after an interval (of cessation) of the messengers, lest ye should say: There came not unto us a messenger of cheer nor any warner. Now hath a messenger of cheer and a warner come unto you. Allah is Able to do all things.” (5:19)
◁ nor a warner. ▷
“O People of the Scripture! Now hath Our messenger come unto you to make things plain unto you after an interval (of cessation) of the messengers, lest ye should say: There came not unto us a messenger of cheer nor any warner. Now hath a messenger of cheer and a warner come unto you. Allah is Able to do all things.” (5:19)
◁ And Allah is over all things competent. ▷
O People of the Scripture,
Our Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has come to you,
making the truth known to you
after a cessation of messengers,
“O People of the Scripture! Now hath Our messenger come unto you to make things plain unto you after an interval (of cessation) of the messengers, lest ye should say: There came not unto us a messenger of cheer nor any warner. Now hath a messenger of cheer and a warner come unto you. Allah is Able to do all things.” (5:19)
so that you have no excuse before Us.
A messenger from Me has indeed come to you, bringing glad tidings to whoever believes in Me and warning whoever disobeys Me.
And I am Capable of all things,
able to punish whoever disobeys Me and reward whoever obeys Me.
◁ And [remember] when Moses said to his people, "O my people, ▷
◁ remember the favor of Allah upon you ▷
“And (remember) when Moses said unto his people: O my people! Remember Allah's favour unto you, how He placed among you prophets, and He made you kings, and gave you that (which) He gave not to any (other) of (His) creatures.” (5:20)
◁ and made you kings ▷
◁ and gave you what He had not given anyone among the worlds. ▷
And remember when Moses said to his people:
"Remember Allah's favors upon you and His bounties bestowed before you,
in that He placed prophets among you
who brought you His revelation and informed you of unseen tidings,
a favor He did not grant to anyone else in your time;
He subjected servants from other nations to serve you,
and He gave you what He had not given to anyone else among the people of your era,
by way of Allah's blessings and honor."
“O my people! Go into the holy land which Allah hath ordained for you. Turn not in flight, for surely ye turn back as losers:” (5:21)
“O my people! Go into the holy land which Allah hath ordained for you. Turn not in flight, for surely ye turn back as losers:” (5:21)
◁ and so turn back as losers." ▷
Moses said: "Enter the purified, blessed land
which He decreed in the Preserved Tablet as your dwelling place,
and do not turn back on your heels, retreating in apostasy,
lest you turn away ruined and destroyed."
“They said: O Moses! Lo! a giant people (dwell) therein and lo! we go not in till they go forth from thence. When they go forth from thence, then we will enter (not till then).” (5:22)
“They said: O Moses! Lo! a giant people (dwell) therein and lo! we go not in till they go forth from thence. When they go forth from thence, then we will enter (not till then).” (5:22)
“They said: O Moses! Lo! a giant people (dwell) therein and lo! we go not in till they go forth from thence. When they go forth from thence, then we will enter (not till then).” (5:22)
◁ They said, "O Moses, indeed within it ▷
◁ are a people of tyrannical strength, ▷
and we have no power to fight them;
◁ and indeed, we will never enter it until they leave it; ▷
the tyrants who are inside it.
◁ so if they leave it, then we will enter." ▷
“Then out spake two of those who feared (their Lord, men) unto whom Allah had been gracious: Enter in upon them by the gate, for if ye enter by it, lo! ye will be victorious. So put your trust (in Allah) if ye are indeed believers.” (5:23)
◁ "Enter upon them through the gate, ▷
◁ for when you have entered it, you will be victorious." ▷
“Then out spake two of those who feared (their Lord, men) unto whom Allah had been gracious: Enter in upon them by the gate, for if ye enter by it, lo! ye will be victorious. So put your trust (in Allah) if ye are indeed believers.” (5:23)
Two men from among the people of Moses, who were among those who feared Allah,
upon whom Allah had bestowed favor through obedience to Him and to His Prophet Moses (peace be upon him),
and through compliance with his command—
and it is said Allah favored them with godfearing awe—
those two men said:
"Enter upon them, O people, through the gate of their city,
for Allah is with you and He is your helper;
place your trust in Allah, O people,
for He is with you if you obey Him in what He has commanded you regarding striving against your enemy,
if you truly believe your Prophet (peace be upon him)
in what he informed you from your Lord concerning victory over them."
“They said: O Moses! We will never enter (the land) while they are in it. So go thou and thy Lord and fight! We will sit here.” (5:24)
◁ "So go, you and your Lord, and fight; ▷
◁ indeed, we are remaining right here." ▷
They said, "O Moses,
we will never enter their city as long as we live,
so long as those tyrants remain residing in that city.
We will not go with you, O Moses, if you advance toward them to fight them;
rather, we will leave you to go alone with your Lord to fight them together."
“He said: My Lord! I have control of none but myself and my brother, so distinguish between us and the wrong-doing folk.” (5:25)
“He said: My Lord! I have control of none but myself and my brother, so distinguish between us and the wrong-doing folk.” (5:25)
Moses said,
“He said: My Lord! I have control of none but myself and my brother, so distinguish between us and the wrong-doing folk.” (5:25)
"I have no power over anyone to compel him toward what I desire and wish of obedience to You
and adherence to Your commands and prohibitions,
except over myself and my brother;
so judge between us and those who have departed from faith in You
through a decree You render concerning us and them, distancing them from us."
“(Their Lord) said: For this the land will surely be forbidden them for forty years that they will wander in the earth, bewildered. So grieve not over the wrongdoing folk.” (5:26)
◁ wandering blindly through the land. ▷
◁ So do not grieve over the defiantly disobedient people." ▷
Allah forbade the people who disobeyed Him from among the people of Moses
from entering their city for forty years,
wandering therein confused and lost.
"So do not grieve over the defiantly disobedient people."
Their wandering was such that they would set out earnestly to leave every morning,
yet by evening they would find themselves back at the exact place from which they began their journey.
Thus it was forbidden for all of them during those forty years
in which they remained lost and wandering
to enter the Holy Land,
and not a single one of them entered it
until those years expired during which Allah had forbidden them entry.
Then permission was granted to those who remained of them and their offspring to enter it alongside Allah's Prophet Moses
and the two men upon whom Allah had bestowed His favor.
Summary of the Tafsir of al-Tabari.