Tafheem ul Quran
Surah 2 Al-Baqarah, Ayat 85-85
ثُمَّ اَنۡـتُمۡ هٰٓؤُلَاۤءِ تَقۡتُلُوۡنَ اَنۡفُسَكُمۡ وَتُخۡرِجُوۡنَ فَرِيۡقًا مِّنۡكُمۡ مِّنۡ دِيَارِهِمۡ تَظٰهَرُوۡنَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ بِالۡاِثۡمِ وَالۡعُدۡوَانِؕ وَاِنۡ يَّاۡتُوۡكُمۡ اُسٰرٰى تُفٰدُوۡهُمۡ وَهُوَ مُحَرَّمٌ عَلَيۡڪُمۡ اِخۡرَاجُهُمۡؕ اَفَتُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ بِبَعۡضِ الۡكِتٰبِ وَتَكۡفُرُوۡنَ بِبَعۡضٍۚ فَمَا جَزَآءُ مَنۡ يَّفۡعَلُ ذٰلِكَ مِنۡکُمۡ اِلَّا خِزۡىٌ فِى الۡحَيٰوةِ الدُّنۡيَا ۚ وَيَوۡمَ الۡقِيٰمَةِ يُرَدُّوۡنَ اِلٰٓى اَشَدِّ الۡعَذَابِؕ وَمَا اللّٰهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ
﴿2:85﴾
(2:85) And here you are, killing one another, turning out a party of your
own from their homelands, aiding one another against them in sin and enmity,
and if they come to you as captives you ransom them although the very act of
expelling them was unlawful to you. Do you believe in a part of the Scripture
and reject the rest?92 What else, then, could be the retribution
of those among you who do this than that they should live in degradation in
the present life, and that on the Day of Resurrection they should be sent to
the severest chastisement? Allah is not heedless of what you do.
Notes
92. Before the advent of the Prophet (peace be on him) the Jewish tribes
who lived on the outskirts of Madina had concluded an alliance with the Arab
tribes of Aws and Khazraj. When the Arab tribes fought against one another each
Jewish tribe fought on the side of its allies, which led to fratricide and so
to a flagrant violation of the Book of God. Moreover, when the war ended the
captives were ransomed. This ransom was justified on the basis of scriptural
arguments; they extolled the Word of God when it permitted the ransom of prisoners
of war, but attached no significance at all to the same Word of God when it
prohibited mutual feuding.