5. Al-Ma'idah Page 126 یَوْمَ (The) day یَجْمَعُ will (be) gathered اللّٰهُ (by) Allah الرُّسُلَ the Messengers فَیَقُوْلُ and He will say مَا ذَاۤ What اُجِبْتُمْ ؕ was (the) response you received قَالُوْا They said لَا (There is) no عِلْمَ knowledge لَنَا ؕ for us اِنَّكَ Indeed You اَنْتَ You عَلَّامُ (are the) Knower الْغُیُوْبِ (of) the unseen اِذْ When قَالَ said اللّٰهُ Allah یٰعِیْسَی O Isa ابْنَ son مَرْیَمَ (of) Maryam اذْكُرْ Remember نِعْمَتِیْ My Favor عَلَیْكَ upon you وَ عَلٰی and upon وَ الِدَتِكَ ۘ your mother اِذْ when اَیَّدْتُّكَ I strengthened you بِرُوْحِ with (the) Spirit الْقُدُسِ ۫ the Holy تُكَلِّمُ you spoke النَّاسَ (to) the people فِی in الْمَهْدِ the cradle وَ كَهْلًا ۚ and (in) maturity وَ اِذْ And when عَلَّمْتُكَ I taught you الْكِتٰبَ the Book وَ الْحِكْمَةَ and the wisdom وَ التَّوْرٰىةَ and the Taurat وَ الْاِنْجِیْلَ ۚ and the Injeel وَ اِذْ and when تَخْلُقُ you make مِنَ from الطِّیْنِ the clay كَهَیْـَٔةِ like the shape الطَّیْرِ (of) the bird بِاِذْنِیْ by My permission فَتَنْفُخُ then you breath فِیْهَا into it فَتَكُوْنُ and it becomes طَیْرًۢا a bird بِاِذْنِیْ by My permission وَ تُبْرِئُ and you heal الْاَكْمَهَ the born blind وَ الْاَبْرَصَ and the leper بِاِذْنِیْ ۚ by My permission وَ اِذْ and when تُخْرِجُ you bring forth الْمَوْتٰی the dead بِاِذْنِیْ ۚ by My permission وَ اِذْ And when كَفَفْتُ I restrained بَنِیْۤ (the) Children اِسْرَآءِیْلَ (of) Israel عَنْكَ from you اِذْ when جِئْتَهُمْ you came to them بِالْبَیِّنٰتِ with the clear proofs فَقَالَ then said الَّذِیْنَ those who كَفَرُوْا disbelieved مِنْهُمْ among them اِنْ Not هٰذَاۤ (is) this اِلَّا but سِحْرٌ magic مُّبِیْنٌ clear وَ اِذْ And when اَوْحَیْتُ I inspired اِلَی to الْحَوَارِیّٖنَ the disciples اَنْ to اٰمِنُوْا believe بِیْ in Me وَ بِرَسُوْلِیْ ۚ and in My Messenger قَالُوْۤا they said اٰمَنَّا We believe وَ اشْهَدْ and bear witness بِاَنَّنَا that indeed we مُسْلِمُوْنَ (are) Muslims اِذْ When قَالَ said الْحَوَارِیُّوْنَ the disciples یٰعِیْسَی O Isa ابْنَ son مَرْیَمَ (of) Maryam هَلْ Is یَسْتَطِیْعُ able رَبُّكَ your Lord اَنْ to یُّنَزِّلَ send down عَلَیْنَا to us مَآىِٕدَةً a table spread مِّنَ from السَّمَآءِ ؕ the heaven قَالَ He said اتَّقُوا Fear اللّٰهَ Allah اِنْ if كُنْتُمْ you are مُّؤْمِنِیْنَ believers قَالُوْا They said نُرِیْدُ We wish اَنْ that نَّاْكُلَ we eat مِنْهَا from it وَ تَطْمَىِٕنَّ and satisfy قُلُوْبُنَا our hearts وَ نَعْلَمَ and we know اَنْ that قَدْ certainly صَدَقْتَنَا you have spoken the truth to us وَ نَكُوْنَ and we be عَلَیْهَا over it مِنَ among الشّٰهِدِیْنَ the witnesses 5. Al-Ma'idah Page 127 قَالَ Said عِیْسَی Isa ابْنُ son مَرْیَمَ (of) Maryam اللّٰهُمَّ O Allah رَبَّنَاۤ our Lord اَنْزِلْ send down عَلَیْنَا to us مَآىِٕدَةً a table spread مِّنَ from السَّمَآءِ the heaven تَكُوْنُ to be لَنَا for us عِیْدًا a festival لِّاَوَّلِنَا for first of us وَ اٰخِرِنَا and last of us وَ اٰیَةً and a sign مِّنْكَ ۚ from You وَ ارْزُقْنَا And provide us وَ اَنْتَ and You خَیْرُ (are) best الرّٰزِقِیْنَ (of) the providers قَالَ Said اللّٰهُ Allah اِنِّیْ Indeed I مُنَزِّلُهَا (will) send it down عَلَیْكُمْ ۚ to you فَمَنْ then whoever یَّكْفُرْ disbelieves بَعْدُ after (that) مِنْكُمْ among you فَاِنِّیْۤ then indeed I اُعَذِّبُهٗ [I] will punish him عَذَابًا (with) a punishment لَّاۤ not اُعَذِّبُهٗۤ I have punished اَحَدًا anyone مِّنَ among الْعٰلَمِیْنَ۠ the worlds
(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.'
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.