English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)

by Maulana Muhammad Ali

Quran: Search & listen

Chapter 5: Al-Maidah — Food (Revealed at Madinah: 16 sections, 120 verses)

Section 7 (Verses 5:44–5:50): The Quran and Previous Scriptures

Translation:

اِنَّاۤ اَنۡزَلۡنَا التَّوۡرٰىۃَ فِیۡہَا ہُدًی وَّ نُوۡرٌ ۚ یَحۡکُمُ بِہَا النَّبِیُّوۡنَ الَّذِیۡنَ اَسۡلَمُوۡا لِلَّذِیۡنَ ہَادُوۡا وَ الرَّبّٰنِیُّوۡنَ وَ الۡاَحۡبَارُ بِمَا اسۡتُحۡفِظُوۡا مِنۡ کِتٰبِ اللّٰہِ وَ کَانُوۡا عَلَیۡہِ شُہَدَآءَ ۚ فَلَا تَخۡشَوُا النَّاسَ وَ اخۡشَوۡنِ وَ لَا تَشۡتَرُوۡا بِاٰیٰتِیۡ ثَمَنًا قَلِیۡلًا ؕ وَ مَنۡ لَّمۡ یَحۡکُمۡ بِمَاۤ اَنۡزَلَ اللّٰہُ فَاُولٰٓئِکَ ہُمُ الۡکٰفِرُوۡنَ ﴿۴۴﴾

5:44 Surely We revealed the Torah, having guidance and light.1 By it did the prophets who submitted themselves (to Allah) judge for the Jews, and the rabbis and the doctors of law, because they were required to guard the Book of Allah,2 and they were witnesses of it. So do not fear the people and fear Me, and do not take a small price for My messages. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, those are the disbelievers.3

وَ کَتَبۡنَا عَلَیۡہِمۡ فِیۡہَاۤ اَنَّ النَّفۡسَ بِالنَّفۡسِ ۙ وَ الۡعَیۡنَ بِالۡعَیۡنِ وَ الۡاَنۡفَ بِالۡاَنۡفِ وَ الۡاُذُنَ بِالۡاُذُنِ وَ السِّنَّ بِالسِّنِّ ۙ وَ الۡجُرُوۡحَ قِصَاصٌ ؕ فَمَنۡ تَصَدَّقَ بِہٖ فَہُوَ کَفَّارَۃٌ لَّہٗ ؕ وَ مَنۡ لَّمۡ یَحۡکُمۡ بِمَاۤ اَنۡزَلَ اللّٰہُ فَاُولٰٓئِکَ ہُمُ الظّٰلِمُوۡنَ ﴿۴۵﴾

5:45 And We prescribed to them in it that life is for life, and eye for eye, and nose for nose, and ear for ear, and tooth for tooth, and for wounds retaliation. But whoever forgoes it, it shall be an expiation for him.4 And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, those are the wrongdoers.

وَ قَفَّیۡنَا عَلٰۤی اٰثَارِہِمۡ بِعِیۡسَی ابۡنِ مَرۡیَمَ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَیۡنَ یَدَیۡہِ مِنَ التَّوۡرٰىۃِ ۪ وَ اٰتَیۡنٰہُ الۡاِنۡجِیۡلَ فِیۡہِ ہُدًی وَّ نُوۡرٌ ۙ وَّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَیۡنَ یَدَیۡہِ مِنَ التَّوۡرٰىۃِ وَ ہُدًی وَّ مَوۡعِظَۃً لِّلۡمُتَّقِیۡنَ ﴿ؕ۴۶﴾

5:46 And We sent after them in their footsteps Jesus, son of Mary, verifying what was (already) before him of the Torah; and We gave him the Gospel containing guidance and light, and verifying what was before it of the Torah, and a guidance and an admonition for the dutiful.5

وَ لۡیَحۡکُمۡ اَہۡلُ الۡاِنۡجِیۡلِ بِمَاۤ اَنۡزَلَ اللّٰہُ فِیۡہِ ؕ وَ مَنۡ لَّمۡ یَحۡکُمۡ بِمَاۤ اَنۡزَلَ اللّٰہُ فَاُولٰٓئِکَ ہُمُ الۡفٰسِقُوۡنَ ﴿۴۷﴾

5:47 And let the People of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed in it. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, those are the transgressors.

وَ اَنۡزَلۡنَاۤ اِلَیۡکَ الۡکِتٰبَ بِالۡحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَیۡنَ یَدَیۡہِ مِنَ الۡکِتٰبِ وَ مُہَیۡمِنًا عَلَیۡہِ فَاحۡکُمۡ بَیۡنَہُمۡ بِمَاۤ اَنۡزَلَ اللّٰہُ وَ لَا تَتَّبِعۡ اَہۡوَآءَہُمۡ عَمَّا جَآءَکَ مِنَ الۡحَقِّ ؕ لِکُلٍّ جَعَلۡنَا مِنۡکُمۡ شِرۡعَۃً وَّ مِنۡہَاجًا ؕ وَ لَوۡ شَآءَ اللّٰہُ لَجَعَلَکُمۡ اُمَّۃً وَّاحِدَۃً وَّ لٰکِنۡ لِّیَبۡلُوَکُمۡ فِیۡ مَاۤ اٰتٰىکُمۡ فَاسۡتَبِقُوا الۡخَیۡرٰتِ ؕ اِلَی اللّٰہِ مَرۡجِعُکُمۡ جَمِیۡعًا فَیُنَبِّئُکُمۡ بِمَا کُنۡتُمۡ فِیۡہِ تَخۡتَلِفُوۡنَ ﴿ۙ۴۸﴾

5:48 And We have revealed to you the Book with the truth, verifying what is (already) before it of the Book and a guardian over it,6 so judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and do not follow their low desires, (turning away) from the truth that has come to you. For everyone of you We appointed a law and a way.7 And if Allah had pleased He would have made you a single people, but that He might try you in what He gave you.8 So vie with one another in good works. To Allah you will all return, so He will inform you of that in which you differed;

وَ اَنِ احۡکُمۡ بَیۡنَہُمۡ بِمَاۤ اَنۡزَلَ اللّٰہُ وَ لَا تَتَّبِعۡ اَہۡوَآءَہُمۡ وَ احۡذَرۡہُمۡ اَنۡ یَّفۡتِنُوۡکَ عَنۡۢ بَعۡضِ مَاۤ اَنۡزَلَ اللّٰہُ اِلَیۡکَ ؕ فَاِنۡ تَوَلَّوۡا فَاعۡلَمۡ اَنَّمَا یُرِیۡدُ اللّٰہُ اَنۡ یُّصِیۡبَہُمۡ بِبَعۡضِ ذُنُوۡبِہِمۡ ؕ وَ اِنَّ کَثِیۡرًا مِّنَ النَّاسِ لَفٰسِقُوۡنَ ﴿۴۹﴾

5:49 and that you should judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and do not follow their low desires, and be cautious of them that they do not seduce you from part of what Allah has revealed to you. Then if they turn away, know that Allah desires to afflict them for some of their sins. And surely many of the people are transgressors.

اَفَحُکۡمَ الۡجَاہِلِیَّۃِ یَبۡغُوۡنَ ؕ وَ مَنۡ اَحۡسَنُ مِنَ اللّٰہِ حُکۡمًا لِّقَوۡمٍ یُّوۡقِنُوۡنَ ﴿٪۵۰﴾

5:50 Is it then the judgment of ignorance that they desire? And who is better than Allah to judge for a people who are sure?

Commentary:

  1. Verses 44–47 do not provide evidence of the purity of the text of the Bible as we have it. That the Torah was a Divine revelation containing light and guidance has never been denied. What is denied is that that light and guidance were kept intact throughout the ages. It is further denied that these two books were meant for the whole world and for all ages. ↩︎
  2. They were required to guard the Book of God but nonetheless alterations were made in it as stated in 2:75 and 2:79. ↩︎
  3. By judging is not meant only the judging of civil or criminal cases, but judging in all matters of religion, so that those who did not judge the revela­tion of the Holy Prophet by what was revealed in the Torah were disbelievers. The adoption of the words what Allah has revealed instead of the Torah is signifi­cant. It shows that the whole of the Torah as existing then was not looked upon by the Quran as being the Divine revelation. ↩︎
  4. If a man forgoes his right to an act of reprisal against his brother, this shall be an expiation for any wrong he may have done. ↩︎
  5. The description of the Gospel as containing light and guidance conveys the same significance as the similar statement regarding the Torah in v. 44. In addition it is stated that the Gospel verified the Torah despite the fact that it introduces many new doctrines in place of those given in the Mosaic law. This clearly shows that by verification is meant only corrobo­ration of the general prin­ciples and broad doctrines of the faith, such as the unity of God and equitable dealing with people, or the declaration by one prophet of the truth of a previous prophet, as the declaration of the truth of Moses by Jesus and of both by the Holy Prophet. It is in this sense that the Quran is spoken of as verifying the Torah and the Gospel. ↩︎
  6. Being a guardian over all previous revelation shows that whatever was of permanent value in the previous scriptures has been preserved in the Quran. The previous books contained a light and guidance for the people for whom they were meant, and they were commanded to judge by those books, but the Quran is now the Book which judges all truth, wherever it may have been. ↩︎
  7. The appointment of a law and a way for everyone refers to the giving of different laws to different nations in accordance with their requirements before the revelation of the Quran, which fulfilled the requirements of all nations and all ages. Thus the Quran here recognizes the principle to which it refers fre­quently, that prophets were raised among every people, for which see particularly 10:47, 13:7 and 35:24. ↩︎
  8. One significance is that man is placed above the whole of creation in that he has been granted discretionary powers. Hence, people follow different ways, adopting different sects. If man had not been granted these powers, all humans would have been a single people, but then man’s better qualities would not have been manifested. The words may, however, also mean “if Allah pleases He will make you a single people”, referring to the ultimate destiny of the human race. In fact all people are now growing to the consciousness that they are all but one nation. (Editor’s Note: These words, along with what follows in this verse, also indicate that all religions, though they are different, set before their adherents the same goal of doing good works, and therefore the follow­ers of each religion should try to excel followers of other religions, or vie with them, in the doing of good works. That is how God tries adherents of every religion in this life.) ↩︎

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