Tafheem ul Quran
Surah 5 Al-Ma'idah, Ayat 109-115
يَوۡمَ يَجۡمَعُ اللّٰهُ الرُّسُلَ فَيَقُوۡلُ مَاذَاۤ اُجِبۡتُمۡ ؕ قَالُوۡا لَا عِلۡمَ لَـنَا ؕ اِنَّكَ اَنۡتَ عَلَّامُ الۡغُيُوۡبِ
﴿5:109﴾
اِذۡ قَالَ اللّٰهُ يٰعِيۡسَى ابۡنَ مَرۡيَمَ اذۡكُرۡ نِعۡمَتِىۡ عَلَيۡكَ وَعَلٰى وَالِدَتِكَ ۘ اِذۡ اَيَّدتُّكَ بِرُوۡحِ الۡقُدُسِ تُكَلِّمُ النَّاسَ فِىۡ الۡمَهۡدِ وَكَهۡلًا ۚوَاِذۡ عَلَّمۡتُكَ الۡـكِتٰبَ وَالۡحِكۡمَةَ وَالتَّوۡرٰٮةَ وَالۡاِنۡجِيۡلَ ۚ وَاِذۡ تَخۡلُقُ مِنَ الطِّيۡنِ كَهَيۡـئَـةِ الطَّيۡرِ بِاِذۡنِىۡ فَتَـنۡفُخُ فِيۡهَا فَتَكُوۡنُ طَيۡرًۢا بِاِذۡنِىۡ وَ تُبۡرِئُ الۡاَكۡمَهَ وَالۡاَبۡرَصَ بِاِذۡنِىۡ ۚ وَاِذۡ تُخۡرِجُ الۡمَوۡتٰى بِاِذۡنِىۡ ۚ وَاِذۡ كَفَفۡتُ بَنِىۡۤ اِسۡرَآءِيۡلَ عَنۡكَ اِذۡ جِئۡتَهُمۡ بِالۡبَيِّنٰتِ فَقَالَ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا مِنۡهُمۡ اِنۡ هٰذَاۤ اِلَّا سِحۡرٌ مُّبِيۡنٌ
﴿5:110﴾
وَ اِذۡ اَوۡحَيۡتُ اِلَى الۡحَـوَارِيّٖنَ اَنۡ اٰمِنُوۡا بِىۡ وَبِرَسُوۡلِىۡۚ قَالُوۡۤا اٰمَنَّا وَاشۡهَدۡ بِاَنَّـنَا مُسۡلِمُوۡنَ
﴿5:111﴾
اِذۡ قَالَ الۡحَـوَارِيُّوۡنَ يٰعِيۡسَى ابۡنَ مَرۡيَمَ هَلۡ يَسۡتَطِيۡعُ رَبُّكَ اَنۡ يُّنَزِّلَ عَلَيۡنَا مَآئِدَةً مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ ؕ قَالَ اتَّقُوا اللّٰهَ اِنۡ كُنۡتُمۡ مُّؤۡمِنِيۡنَ
﴿5:112﴾
قَالُوۡا نُرِيۡدُ اَنۡ نَّاۡكُلَ مِنۡهَا وَتَطۡمَـئِنَّ قُلُوۡبُنَا وَنَـعۡلَمَ اَنۡ قَدۡ صَدَقۡتَـنَا وَنَكُوۡنَ عَلَيۡهَا مِنَ الشّٰهِدِيۡنَ
﴿5:113﴾
قَالَ عِيۡسَى ابۡنُ مَرۡيَمَ اللّٰهُمَّ رَبَّنَاۤ اَنۡزِلۡ عَلَيۡنَا مَآئِدَةً مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ تَكُوۡنُ لَـنَا عِيۡدًا لِّاَوَّلِنَا وَاٰخِرِنَا وَاٰيَةً مِّنۡكَۚ وَارۡزُقۡنَا وَاَنۡتَ خَيۡرُ الرّٰزِقِيۡنَ
﴿5:114﴾
قَالَ اللّٰهُ اِنِّىۡ مُنَزِّلُهَا عَلَيۡكُمۡۚ فَمَنۡ يَّكۡفُرۡ بَعۡدُ مِنۡكُمۡ فَاِنِّىۡۤ اُعَذِّبُهٗ عَذَابًا لَّاۤ اُعَذِّبُهٗۤ اَحَدًا مِّنَ الۡعٰلَمِيۡنَ
﴿5:115﴾
(5:109) The Day122 when Allah will gather together the Messengers123
and say: 'What answer were you given?' They will reply: 'We have no real knowledge
of it.124 You alone fully know all that lies beyond the reach of
human perception. (5:110) Imagine, then, when Allah will say:125 'Jesus, son of
Mary, recall My favour upon you and your mother, and when I strengthened you
with the spirit of holiness so that you talked to men in the cradle and also
when you became of age; and when I taught you the Book and Wisdom, and the Torah
and the Gospel; and when, by My leave, you fashioned from clay the likeness
of a bird and you breathed into it, and by My leave it became a bird; you healed,
by My leave, the blind from birth and the leprous; and when, by My leave, you
caused the dead to come to life.126 And recall when I restrained
the Israelites from you when you came to them with clear proofs whereupon those
of them who disbelieved said: "This is nothing but clear magic." (5:111) And recall when I revealed to the disciples to believe in Me and
in My Mes-senger, they said: "We do believe, and we bear witness that we indeed
are the ones who submit to Allah"127 (5:112) Also recall when the disciples asked Jesus,128 son of
Mary: 'Jesus, son of Mary, has your Lord the power to send down to us a repast
from the heaven?' There- upon Jesus said: 'Fear Allah if you do indeed have
faith.' (5:113) They said: 'We desire to partake of it that our hearts be satisfied
and we know that you did speak the truth to us, and that we are its witnesses.'
(5:114) Jesus, son of Mary, then prayed: 'O Allah, our Lord, send down to
us a repast from the heavens that shall be a festival for the first of us and
for the last of us, and a sign from You. And provide us with sustenance, for
You are the best Provider of sustenance.' (5:115) Allah said: 'I shall indeed send it down to you;129 then,
I shall afflict whoever among you who disbelieves with a chastisement wherewith
I will afflict none in the worlds.'
Notes
122. This refers to the Day of Judgement.
123. The reference here is to the response of the world to the call of the
Prophets.
124. This reply indicates that the Prophets would say that their knowledge
was confined to that limited, outward response which they had encountered during
their lifetimes. The true reaction to their call at various places and in different
forms would only be known completely to God Himself.
125. The initial question would be addressed to all Prophets as such. Then
each of them would be called upon to bear witness separately, as stated in several
places in the Qur'an. In this connection the question that will be addressed
to Jesus is specifically mentioned here.
126. That is, with God's command Jesus brought people to life from the state
of death.
127. Jesus is being told that the faith of the disciples in him was also
the result of God's grace and succour, for he, himself, did not have the power
to produce even one man of faith in that land of disbelief. It is also made
clear that the true religion of the disciples of Jesus was Islam.
128. Since the disciples have been mentioned here, the continuity of the
subject is interrupted momentarily in order to introduce another incident connected
with the disciples. This clearly shows that those who had been directly instructed
by Jesus considered him merely a human being and a slave of God; they had no
conception of their master either being God or a partner of God or the son of
God. Jesus had, rather, presented himself to them as a slave of God with no
claims to divine authority.
One might feel inclined here to raise the question: What is the occasion for
this parenthetical interjection in a conversation that is to take place on the
Day of Judgement? This parenthesis, in my opinion, is not in fact part of such
a conversation, but rather forms part of a discussion in this world regarding
a conversation that will take place on the Day of Judgement. The conversation
that will take place on the Day of Judgement is mentioned here precisely in
order that the Christians may derive a lesson from it and direct themselves
to the right way. Hence, the mention of this incident regarding the disciples
- even though it seems to interrupt the continuity of narration - is in no sense
out of place.That is, are Muslims - Ed.
129. The Qur'an is silent on the question of whether this meal was sent down
in response to this prayer. There is also no other authoritative basis to help
us arrive at a clear conclusion. It is possible that the repast was actually
sent down. It is also possible that the disciples withdrew their prayer after
hearing the stern warning in response to it.