Surah 5. Al-Ma'idah

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Verses [Section]: 1-5[1], 6-11 [2], 12-19 [3], 20-26 [4], 27-34 [5], 35-43 [6], 44-50 [7], 51-56 [8], 57-66 [9], 67-77 [10], 78-86 [11], 87-98 [12], 99-100 [13], 101-108 [14], 109-115 [15], 116-120 [16]

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Quran Text of Verse 57-66یٰۤاَیُّهَاO youالَّذِیْنَwhoاٰمَنُوْاbelieveلَا(Do) notتَتَّخِذُواtakeالَّذِیْنَthose whoاتَّخَذُوْاtakeدِیْنَكُمْyour religionهُزُوًا(in) ridiculeوَّ لَعِبًاand funمِّنَfromالَّذِیْنَthose whoاُوْتُواare givenالْكِتٰبَthe Bookمِنْfromقَبْلِكُمْbefore youوَ الْكُفَّارَand the disbelieversاَوْلِیَآءَ ۚ(as) alliesوَ اتَّقُواAnd fearاللّٰهَAllahاِنْifكُنْتُمْyou areمُّؤْمِنِیْنَ believers 5. Al-Ma'idah Page 118وَ اِذَاAnd whenنَادَیْتُمْyou make a callاِلَیforالصَّلٰوةِthe prayerاتَّخَذُوْهَاthey take itهُزُوًا(in) ridiculeوَّ لَعِبًا ؕand funذٰلِكَThatبِاَنَّهُمْ(is) because theyقَوْمٌ(are) a peopleلَّا(who do) notیَعْقِلُوْنَ understand قُلْSayیٰۤاَهْلَO Peopleالْكِتٰبِ(of) the BookهَلْDoتَنْقِمُوْنَyou resentمِنَّاۤ[of] usاِلَّاۤexceptاَنْthatاٰمَنَّاwe believeبِاللّٰهِin Allahوَ مَاۤand whatاُنْزِلَhas been revealedاِلَیْنَاto usوَ مَاۤand whatاُنْزِلَwas revealedمِنْfromقَبْلُ ۙbeforeوَ اَنَّand thatاَكْثَرَكُمْmost of youفٰسِقُوْنَ (are) defiantly disobedient قُلْSayهَلْShallاُنَبِّئُكُمْI inform youبِشَرٍّ(of) worseمِّنْthanذٰلِكَthatمَثُوْبَةً(as) recompenseعِنْدَfromاللّٰهِ ؕAllahمَنْWhomلَّعَنَهُhas (been) cursedاللّٰهُ(by) Allahوَ غَضِبَand He became angryعَلَیْهِwith himوَ جَعَلَand madeمِنْهُمُof themالْقِرَدَةَ[the] apesوَ الْخَنَازِیْرَand [the] swinesوَ عَبَدَand (who) worshippedالطَّاغُوْتَ ؕthe false deitiesاُولٰٓىِٕكَThoseشَرٌّ(are) worseمَّكَانًا(in) positionوَّ اَضَلُّand farthest astrayعَنْfromسَوَآءِ(the) evenالسَّبِیْلِ way وَ اِذَاAnd whenجَآءُوْكُمْthey come to youقَالُوْۤاthey sayاٰمَنَّاWe believeوَ قَدْBut certainlyدَّخَلُوْاthey enteredبِالْكُفْرِwith disbeliefوَ هُمْand theyقَدْcertainlyخَرَجُوْاwent outبِهٖ ؕwith itوَ اللّٰهُAnd Allahاَعْلَمُknows bestبِمَا[of] whatكَانُوْاthey wereیَكْتُمُوْنَ hiding وَ تَرٰیAnd you seeكَثِیْرًاmanyمِّنْهُمْof themیُسَارِعُوْنَhasteningفِیintoالْاِثْمِ[the] sinوَ الْعُدْوَانِand [the] transgressionوَ اَكْلِهِمُand eatingالسُّحْتَ ؕthe forbiddenلَبِئْسَSurely evilمَا(is) whatكَانُوْاthey wereیَعْمَلُوْنَ doing لَوْ لَاWhy (do) notیَنْهٰىهُمُforbid themالرَّبّٰنِیُّوْنَthe Rabbisوَ الْاَحْبَارُand the religious scholarsعَنْfromقَوْلِهِمُtheir sayingالْاِثْمَthe sinfulوَ اَكْلِهِمُand their eatingالسُّحْتَ ؕ(of) the forbiddenلَبِئْسَSurely evilمَا(is) whatكَانُوْاthey used toیَصْنَعُوْنَ do وَ قَالَتِAnd saidالْیَهُوْدُthe JewsیَدُThe Handاللّٰهِ(of) Allahمَغْلُوْلَةٌ ؕ(is) chainedغُلَّتْAre chainedاَیْدِیْهِمْtheir handsوَ لُعِنُوْاand they have been cursedبِمَاfor whatقَالُوْا ۘthey saidبَلْNayیَدٰهُHis Handsمَبْسُوْطَتٰنِ ۙ(are) stretched outیُنْفِقُHe spendsكَیْفَhowیَشَآءُ ؕHe willsوَ لَیَزِیْدَنَّAnd surely increaseكَثِیْرًاmanyمِّنْهُمْof themمَّاۤwhatاُنْزِلَhas been revealedاِلَیْكَto youمِنْfromرَّبِّكَyour Lordطُغْیَانًا(in) rebellionوَّ كُفْرًا ؕand disbeliefوَ اَلْقَیْنَاAnd We have castبَیْنَهُمُamong themالْعَدَاوَةَ[the] enmityوَ الْبَغْضَآءَand [the] hatredاِلٰیtillیَوْمِ(the) Dayالْقِیٰمَةِ ؕ(of) the ResurrectionكُلَّمَاۤEvery timeاَوْقَدُوْاthey kindledنَارًا(the) fireلِّلْحَرْبِof [the] warاَطْفَاَهَاit (was) extinguishedاللّٰهُ ۙ(by) Allahوَ یَسْعَوْنَAnd they striveفِیinالْاَرْضِthe earthفَسَادًا ؕspreading corruptionوَ اللّٰهُAnd Allahلَا(does) notیُحِبُّloveالْمُفْسِدِیْنَ the corrupters 5. Al-Ma'idah Page 119وَ لَوْAnd ifاَنَّthatاَهْلَ(the) Peopleالْكِتٰبِ(of) the Bookاٰمَنُوْا(had) believedوَ اتَّقَوْاand feared (Allah)لَكَفَّرْنَاsurely We (would have) removedعَنْهُمْfrom themسَیِّاٰتِهِمْtheir evil (deeds)وَ لَاَدْخَلْنٰهُمْand surely We (would have) admitted themجَنّٰتِ[to] Gardensالنَّعِیْمِ (of) Bliss وَ لَوْAnd ifاَنَّهُمْthat theyاَقَامُواhad stood fastالتَّوْرٰىةَ(by) the Tauratوَ الْاِنْجِیْلَand the Injeelوَ مَاۤand whatاُنْزِلَwas revealedاِلَیْهِمْto themمِّنْfromرَّبِّهِمْtheir Lordلَاَكَلُوْاsurely they (would have) eatenمِنْfromفَوْقِهِمْabove themوَ مِنْand fromتَحْتِbeneathاَرْجُلِهِمْ ؕtheir feetمِنْهُمْAmong themاُمَّةٌ(is) a communityمُّقْتَصِدَةٌ ؕmoderateوَ كَثِیْرٌbut manyمِّنْهُمْof themسَآءَevilمَا(is) whatیَعْمَلُوْنَ۠they do

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Translation of Verse 57-66

(5:57) Believers! Do not take for your allies those who make a mockery and sport of your faith, be they those given the Book before you or other unbelievers. Fear Allah if you indeed believe.

(5:58) And when you call for Prayer, they take it for a mockery and sport.⁸⁹ That is because they are a people who do not understand.⁹⁰

(5:59) Say to them: 'People of the Book! Do you hate us for anything else except that we believe in Allah, and in the teaching which has been revealed to us and in the teaching which was revealed before? Indeed most of you are transgressors.'

(5:60) Then say to them: 'Shall I tell you about those whose retribution with Allah is even worse? They are the ones whom Allah has cursed, and who incurred His wrath and some of whom were changed into apes and swine, and who served the false deities. Such have an even worse rank and have strayed farther away from the right path.⁹¹

(5:61) Whenever they come to you they say: 'We believe,' whereas, in fact, they come disbelieving, and go away disbelieving, and Allah knows all that they hide.

(5:62) You will see many of them hastening towards sin and transgression and devouring unlawful earnings. Indeed what they do is evil.

(5:63) Why is it that their scholars and jurists do not forbid them from sinful utterances and devouring unlawful earnings? Indeed they have been contriving evil.

(5:64) The Jews say: 'The Hand of Allah is fettered. ⁹² It is their own hands which are fettered,⁹³ and they stand cursed for the evil they have uttered.⁹⁴ No! His Hands are outspread; He spends as He wills. Surely the message that has been revealed to you from your Lord has increased many of them in their in-surgence and unbelief,⁹⁵ and so We have cast enmity and spite among them until the Day of Resurrection. And as often as they kindle the fire of war, Allah extinguishes it; and they go about trying to spread mischief on earth, whereas Allah does not love those who spread mischief.

(5:65) Had the People of the Book only believed and been God-fearing, We should surely have effaced from them their evil deeds, and caused them to enter Gardens of Bliss.

(5:66) Had the People of the Book observed the Torah and the Gospel, and all that had been revealed to them from their Lord, sustenance would have been showered over them from above and risen from beneath their feet.⁹⁶ Some among them certainly keep to the right path; but many of them do things which are evil.

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Commentary

89. When they hear the call to Prayer the unbelievers make fun of it by mimicry, pervert its words to ridicule it, and utter disparaging and taunting remarks about it.

90. These are merely acts of stupidity on the part of unbelievers. Had they not been ignorant and foolish they would not have stooped to such base tactics, despite their significant differences with the Muslims on religious questions. After all, can any reasonable person be happy to see the people who call to the worship of God be ridiculed and mocked?

91. This alludes to the Jews whose history shows that they were subjected, over and over again, to the wrath and scourge of God. When they desecrated the law of the Sabbath the faces of many of them were distorted, and subsequently their degeneration reached such a low point that they took to worshipping Satan quite openly. The purpose of saying all this is to draw attention to their criminal boldness while they had sunk to the lowest level of evil, transgression and moral decadence, they vigorously opposed all those who, thanks to their faith, lived a truly pious and righteous life.

92. To say that someone's hands are tied, in Arabic usage, is to say that he is niggardly, that something prevents him from being generous and bountiful. Thus the Jewish observation does not mean that God's Hand is literally tied but that He is niggardly and miserly. For centuries the Jews had lived in humiliation and misery. Their past greatness had become legend, seemingly too remote ever to be restored, and so they would blasphemously lament that God had become a miser and that as the door to His treasury was now permanently locked, that He had nothing to offer them except suffering and calamity. This attitude, however, is not confined to the Jews. When confronted with trials and tribulations foolish people of other nations, too, are prone to utter such blasphemies rather than turn to God with humble prayer and supplication.

93. They accused God of the miserliness from which they themselves had suffered and had become notorious for.

94. If they entertained the hope that by such insolent and taunting expressions they might evoke God's munificence, and that His bounties would begin to shower upon them, they were dreaming of the impossible. Indeed, such insolence was bound to have the opposite effect - to alienate them further from God's bounty, to cast them even further from His mercy.

95. Instead of learning any lessons from the Book of God, instead of recognizing their own mistakes and wrongs and then trying to make amends for them, instead of probing their miserable situation and then turning to reform, they reacted by launching a violent campaign of opposition to truth and righteousness. Rather than take to the right way as a result of being reminded of the forgotten lesson of righteousness, they attempted to suppress the voice which sought to remind them and others of such things.

96 In the Old Testament, Leviticus (chapter 26) and Deuteronomy (chapter 28) record a sermon of Moses in which he impresses upon Israel, in great detail, the bounties and blessings of God with which they would be endowed if they obeyed His commandments, and the afflictions, scourges and devastations that would descend upon them if they disobeyed Him and rejected the Book of God. That sermon of Moses is the best explanation of this verse of the Qur'an.