English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 5: Al-Maidah — Food (Revealed at Madinah: 16 sections, 120 verses)
Section 9 (Verses 5:57–5:66): Those who Mock
Translation:
یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الَّذِیۡنَ اتَّخَذُوۡا دِیۡنَکُمۡ ہُزُوًا وَّ لَعِبًا مِّنَ الَّذِیۡنَ اُوۡتُوا الۡکِتٰبَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِکُمۡ وَ الۡکُفَّارَ اَوۡلِیَآءَ ۚ وَ اتَّقُوا اللّٰہَ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ مُّؤۡمِنِیۡنَ ﴿۵۷﴾
5:57 O you who believe, do not take for friends those who take your religion as a mockery and a sport, from among those who were given the Book before you and the disbelievers; and keep your duty to Allah if you are believers.1
وَ اِذَا نَادَیۡتُمۡ اِلَی الصَّلٰوۃِ اتَّخَذُوۡہَا ہُزُوًا وَّ لَعِبًا ؕ ذٰلِکَ بِاَنَّہُمۡ قَوۡمٌ لَّا یَعۡقِلُوۡنَ ﴿۵۸﴾
5:58 And when you call to prayer they take it as a mockery and a sport. That is because they are a people who do not understand.
قُلۡ یٰۤاَہۡلَ الۡکِتٰبِ ہَلۡ تَنۡقِمُوۡنَ مِنَّاۤ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ اٰمَنَّا بِاللّٰہِ وَ مَاۤ اُنۡزِلَ اِلَیۡنَا وَ مَاۤ اُنۡزِلَ مِنۡ قَبۡلُ ۙ وَ اَنَّ اَکۡثَرَکُمۡ فٰسِقُوۡنَ ﴿۵۹﴾
5:59 Say: O People of the Book, do you find fault with us for only that we believe in Allah and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed before, while most of you are transgressors?
قُلۡ ہَلۡ اُنَبِّئُکُمۡ بِشَرٍّ مِّنۡ ذٰلِکَ مَثُوۡبَۃً عِنۡدَ اللّٰہِ ؕ مَنۡ لَّعَنَہُ اللّٰہُ وَ غَضِبَ عَلَیۡہِ وَ جَعَلَ مِنۡہُمُ الۡقِرَدَۃَ وَ الۡخَنَازِیۡرَ وَ عَبَدَ الطَّاغُوۡتَ ؕ اُولٰٓئِکَ شَرٌّ مَّکَانًا وَّ اَضَلُّ عَنۡ سَوَآءِ السَّبِیۡلِ ﴿۶۰﴾
5:60 Say: Shall I inform you of those worse than this in retribution from Allah? They are those whom Allah has cursed and upon whom He brought His wrath and of whom He made apes and swine, and who serve the devil. These are in a worse plight and further astray from the straight path.
وَ اِذَا جَآءُوۡکُمۡ قَالُوۡۤا اٰمَنَّا وَ قَدۡ دَّخَلُوۡا بِالۡکُفۡرِ وَ ہُمۡ قَدۡ خَرَجُوۡا بِہٖ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ اَعۡلَمُ بِمَا کَانُوۡا یَکۡتُمُوۡنَ ﴿۶۱﴾
5:61 And when they come to you, they say, We believe, and surely they come in unbelief and they go forth in it. And Allah knows best what they conceal.
وَ تَرٰی کَثِیۡرًا مِّنۡہُمۡ یُسَارِعُوۡنَ فِی الۡاِثۡمِ وَ الۡعُدۡوَانِ وَ اَکۡلِہِمُ السُّحۡتَ ؕ لَبِئۡسَ مَا کَانُوۡا یَعۡمَلُوۡنَ ﴿۶۲﴾
5:62 And you see many of them hastening to (commit) sin and transgression, and their devouring unlawful gain. Certainly evil is what they do.
لَوۡ لَا یَنۡہٰہُمُ الرَّبّٰنِیُّوۡنَ وَ الۡاَحۡبَارُ عَنۡ قَوۡلِہِمُ الۡاِثۡمَ وَ اَکۡلِہِمُ السُّحۡتَ ؕ لَبِئۡسَ مَا کَانُوۡا یَصۡنَعُوۡنَ ﴿۶۳﴾
5:63 Why do not the rabbis and the doctors of law prohibit them from their sinful utterances and their devouring unlawful gain? Certainly evil are the works they do.2
وَ قَالَتِ الۡیَہُوۡدُ یَدُ اللّٰہِ مَغۡلُوۡلَۃٌ ؕ غُلَّتۡ اَیۡدِیۡہِمۡ وَ لُعِنُوۡا بِمَا قَالُوۡا ۘ بَلۡ یَدٰہُ مَبۡسُوۡطَتٰنِ ۙ یُنۡفِقُ کَیۡفَ یَشَآءُ ؕ وَ لَیَزِیۡدَنَّ کَثِیۡرًا مِّنۡہُمۡ مَّاۤ اُنۡزِلَ اِلَیۡکَ مِنۡ رَّبِّکَ طُغۡیَانًا وَّ کُفۡرًا ؕ وَ اَلۡقَیۡنَا بَیۡنَہُمُ الۡعَدَاوَۃَ وَ الۡبَغۡضَآءَ اِلٰی یَوۡمِ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ ؕ کُلَّمَاۤ اَوۡقَدُوۡا نَارًا لِّلۡحَرۡبِ اَطۡفَاَہَا اللّٰہُ ۙ وَ یَسۡعَوۡنَ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ فَسَادًا ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ لَا یُحِبُّ الۡمُفۡسِدِیۡنَ ﴿۶۴﴾
5:64 And the Jews say: The hand of Allah is tied up. Their own hands are fettered and they are cursed for what they say. No, both His hands are spread out.3 He disburses as He pleases. And what has been revealed to you from your Lord will certainly make many of them increase in inordinacy and disbelief. And We have cast among them enmity and hatred till the day of Resurrection.4 Whenever they kindle a fire for war Allah puts it out, and they strive to make mischief in the land. And Allah does not love the mischief-makers.
وَ لَوۡ اَنَّ اَہۡلَ الۡکِتٰبِ اٰمَنُوۡا وَ اتَّقَوۡا لَکَفَّرۡنَا عَنۡہُمۡ سَیِّاٰتِہِمۡ وَ لَاَدۡخَلۡنٰہُمۡ جَنّٰتِ النَّعِیۡمِ ﴿۶۵﴾
5:65 And if the People of the Book had believed and kept their duty We would certainly have removed from them their evils, and made them enter gardens of bliss.
وَ لَوۡ اَنَّہُمۡ اَقَامُوا التَّوۡرٰىۃَ وَ الۡاِنۡجِیۡلَ وَ مَاۤ اُنۡزِلَ اِلَیۡہِمۡ مِّنۡ رَّبِّہِمۡ لَاَکَلُوۡا مِنۡ فَوۡقِہِمۡ وَ مِنۡ تَحۡتِ اَرۡجُلِہِمۡ ؕ مِنۡہُمۡ اُمَّۃٌ مُّقۡتَصِدَۃٌ ؕ وَ کَثِیۡرٌ مِّنۡہُمۡ سَآءَ مَا یَعۡمَلُوۡنَ ﴿٪۶۶﴾
5:66 And if they had observed the Torah and the Gospel and what is revealed to them from their Lord, they would certainly have eaten from above them and from beneath their feet. Some of them keep to the moderate course; but most of them — evil is what they do.5
Commentary:
- Muslims were prohibited from having friendly relations with those who mocked their religion and their Prophet. Friendship with such people would indeed have led to a similar bent of mind. (Editor’s Note: This again makes clear that friendship is only disallowed with disbelievers when they behave in a hostile way towards Islam. Muslims are nowhere required to attack physically or punish those who mock their religion, but only withdraw friendship temporarily.) ↩︎
- Editor’s Note: It is for their committing of evil deeds, the sins prohibited in their own scriptures, that the Jews are here condemned. Verses 65 and 66 make it clear that Jews and Christians should not have violated the good teachings of their own scriptures and that there were some of them who did not. ↩︎
- Muslims as a community were mostly poor people who accepted the truth. Jews on the other hand carried on business and were rich, hence they taunted Muslims, saying that Allah’s hand was fettered. See also 3:181. The words “both His hands are spread out” indicate that God will enrich Muslims materially as well as spiritually. ↩︎
- The casting of enmity among them may relate to the enmity between the Jews and the Christians, because both are again and again referred to in this chapter. (Editor’s Note: That enmity has existed throughout their history, culminating in the atrocities against the Jews in Europe in the 20th century.) ↩︎
- If they had observed the Torah and the Gospel which contained clear prophecies of the Prophet’s advent, they would have believed in the revelation of the Quran as well. The eating from above is in reference to spiritual blessings and eating from beneath their feet signifies the earthly provisions; i.e., they would have had abundance of both. The attitude of liberality adopted by Islam towards even its most implacable foes is remarkable. Despite their strong enmity to Islam, some Jews and Christians are described as keeping to the moderate course. (Editor’s Note: It may also be meant that if Jews and Christians had acted on the moral teachings of their respective scriptures they would at least have not opposed the Prophet Muhammad, still less tried to destroy Islam.) ↩︎