Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 5 Al-Ma'idah, Ayat 51-56

يٰۤـاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الۡيَهُوۡدَ وَالنَّصٰرٰۤى اَوۡلِيَآءَ ​ۘ بَعۡضُهُمۡ اَوۡلِيَآءُ بَعۡضٍ​ؕ وَمَنۡ يَّتَوَلَّهُمۡ مِّنۡكُمۡ فَاِنَّهٗ مِنۡهُمۡ​ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يَهۡدِى الۡقَوۡمَ الظّٰلِمِيۡنَ‏ ﴿5:51﴾ فَتَـرَى الَّذِيۡنَ فِىۡ قُلُوۡبِهِمۡ مَّرَضٌ يُّسَارِعُوۡنَ فِيۡهِمۡ يَقُوۡلُوۡنَ نَخۡشٰٓى اَنۡ تُصِيۡبَـنَا دَآئِرَةٌ​ ؕ فَعَسَى اللّٰهُ اَنۡ يَّاۡتِىَ بِالۡفَتۡحِ اَوۡ اَمۡرٍ مِّنۡ عِنۡدِهٖ فَيُصۡبِحُوۡا عَلٰى مَاۤ اَسَرُّوۡا فِىۡۤ اَنۡفُسِهِمۡ نٰدِمِيۡنَ ؕ‏ ﴿5:52﴾ وَيَقُوۡلُ الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡۤا اَهٰٓؤُلَاۤءِ الَّذِيۡنَ اَقۡسَمُوۡا بِاللّٰهِ جَهۡدَ اَيۡمَانِهِمۡ​ۙ اِنَّهُمۡ لَمَعَكُمۡ​ ؕ حَبِطَتۡ اَعۡمَالُهُمۡ فَاَصۡبَحُوۡا خٰسِرِيۡنَ‏ ﴿5:53﴾ يٰۤـاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا مَنۡ يَّرۡتَدَّ مِنۡكُمۡ عَنۡ دِيۡـنِهٖ فَسَوۡفَ يَاۡتِى اللّٰهُ بِقَوۡمٍ يُّحِبُّهُمۡ وَيُحِبُّوۡنَهٗۤ ۙ اَذِلَّةٍ عَلَى الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ اَعِزَّةٍ عَلَى الۡكٰفِرِيۡنَ يُجَاهِدُوۡنَ فِىۡ سَبِيۡلِ اللّٰهِ وَلَا يَخَافُوۡنَ لَوۡمَةَ لَاۤـئِمٍ​ ؕ ذٰ لِكَ فَضۡلُ اللّٰهِ يُؤۡتِيۡهِ مَنۡ يَّشَآءُ​ ؕ وَاللّٰهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيۡمٌ‏ ﴿5:54﴾ اِنَّمَا وَلِيُّكُمُ اللّٰهُ وَرَسُوۡلُهٗ وَالَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوا الَّذِيۡنَ يُقِيۡمُوۡنَ الصَّلٰوةَ وَيُؤۡتُوۡنَ الزَّكٰوةَ وَهُمۡ رَاكِعُوۡنَ‏ ﴿5:55﴾ وَمَنۡ يَّتَوَلَّ اللّٰهَ وَ رَسُوۡلَهٗ وَالَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا فَاِنَّ حِزۡبَ اللّٰهِ هُمُ الۡغٰلِبُوۡنَ‏ ﴿5:56﴾

(5:51) Believers! Do not take the Jews and the Christians for your allies. They are the allies of each other. And among you he who takes them for allies, shall be regarded as one of them. Allah does not guide the wrong-doers. (5:52) Indeed you see those afflicted with the disease of hypocrisy race towards them, saying: 'We fear lest some misfortune overtakes us.84 And it may happen that Allah will either bring you a decisive victory or bring about something else from Himself?85 and then they will feel remorseful at their hypocrisy which they have kept concealed in their breasts - (5:53) while those who believe will exclaim: 'Are these the self-same people who solemnly swore by Allah that they were with you?' All their acts have gone to waste and now they are the losers.86 (5:54) Believers! If any of you should ever turn away from your faith, remember that Allah will raise up a people whom He loves, and who love Him; a people humble towards the believers, and firm towards the unbelievers;87 who will strive hard in the way of Allah and will not fear the reproach of the reproacher.88 This is the favour of Allah which He grants to whom He wills. Allah is vast in resources, All-Knowing. (5:55) Only Allah, His Messenger, and those who believe and who establish Prayer, pay Zakah, and bow (before Allah) are your allies. (5:56) All those who take Allah and His Messenger and those who believe as their allies, should remember that the party of Allah will be triumphant.

Notes

84. The outcome of the conflict in Arabia between Islam and unbelief (kufr) had not crystallized. Although Islam had become a formidable force owing to the daring, courage and sacrifices of its followers, the forces opposed to it were also tremendously powerful. To an objective observer it must have seemed that either party had an equal chance of success, and so the hypocrites, apparently an integral part of the Muslim body politic, sought to maintain good relations with the Jews and the. Christians as well. They expected refuge and protection from the Jews in case Islam was defeated. Moreover, the Jews and Christians held the greatest economic power in Arabia insofar as the banking system and the greenest and most fertile regions of Arabia were in their possession. For these reasons the hypocrites were keen to maintain good relations with them: they thought that to regard the conflict between Islam and unbelief as crucially important, and to sever their relations with all those currently in conflict with Islam, would be too great a risk both politically and economically.

85. They were looking for a conclusive victory, or at least something not far short of it, to inspire confidence that the conflict would end in favour of Islam.

86. However much they might profess to follow Islam - by performing Prayers, by observing Fasts, by paying Zakah, by taking part in wars in the cause of God - all was reduced to naught because they had not devoted themselves to the service of the One True God. In pursuit of their worldly ambitions they had split their souls into two, distributing half to God and half to those in rebellion against Him.

87. To be 'humble towards believers' signifies that a person should never use his strength against the believers. His native intelligence, shrewdness, ability, influence, wealth, physical prowess should not be used for the purpose of either suppressing, persecuting or causing harm to the Muslims. Among themselves, the Muslims should always find him gentle, merciful, sympathetic and mild tempered.

To be 'firm towards unbelievers', on the contrary, means that by virtue of the intensity of his faith, the sincerity of his conviction, his strict adherence to his principles, his strength of character and his insight and perspicacity born of faith, a man should be firm as a rock in his dealings with the opponents of Islam, so that they find it impossible to dislodge him. There should be no doubt in their minds that the believer would rather lay down his life than compromise his position by yielding to external pressures.

88.In following the religion of God, in implementing His injunctions, in judging things to be either right or wrong according to the criteria of the faith, the believer will be afraid of nothing. He will be impervious to opposition, reproach, denunciation, name-calling and scorn. Even when public opinion happens to be hostile, and his efforts to follow Islam single him out for the scorn of the whole world, the man of faith will still follow the way which he recognizes in his heart to be true.