Sūrat al-Māʾidah
Section 25 of 25 · Surah Studies · Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
The Table Spread
This shows the attitude of the Ṣaḥābah — their pure attitude: they had no questions. Everything was āmannā wa-sallamnā — we believe and we submit. ʿAlā raʾsī wa-ʿaynī, as the Assyrians would say: on my head, on my eyes — whatever it may be. The Ḥawāriyyūn, however, asked ʿĪsā (peace be upon him): can your Lord — hal yastaṭīʿu rabbuk — is your Lord able to send down upon us a spread of food from the heavens?
إِذْ قَالَ ٱلْحَوَارِيُّونَ يَـٰعِيسَى ٱبْنَ مَرْيَمَ هَلْ يَسْتَطِيعُ رَبُّكَ أَن يُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنَا مَآئِدَةً مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ ۖ قَالَ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ
“When the disciples said, “O ‘Īsā, son of Maryam, can your Lord send down to us a repast from the heavens?” He said, “Fear Allah if you are believers.”” (5:112)
ʿĪsā (peace be upon him) says: qāla-ttaqū Allāha in kuntum muʾminīn — that is verse 112. ʿĪsā (peace be upon him) tells them: fear Allah. If you are believers, fear Allah — what kind of question is that?
قَالُوا۟ نُرِيدُ أَن نَّأْكُلَ مِنْهَا وَتَطْمَئِنَّ قُلُوبُنَا وَنَعْلَمَ أَن قَدْ صَدَقْتَنَا وَنَكُونَ عَلَيْهَا مِنَ ٱلشَّـٰهِدِينَ
“They said, “We wish that we eat from it, and our hearts be satisfied, and we may know for sure that you have told us the truth, and we may become witnesses to it.”” (5:113)
They said: no — nurīdu an naʾkula minhā, we wish to eat from it; wa-taṭmaʾinna qulūbunā, and our hearts will be the more content and satisfied; wa-naʿlama an qad ṣadaqtanā, and we shall know that you have told us the truth. Could the Ṣaḥābah ever be imagined saying such a thing? SubḥānAllāh — never. Wa-nakūna ʿalayhā mina al-shāhidīn: and we shall be among the witnesses to it as well.
قَالَ عِيسَى ٱبْنُ مَرْيَمَ ٱللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَآ أَنزِلْ عَلَيْنَا مَآئِدَةً مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ تَكُونُ لَنَا عِيدًا لِّأَوَّلِنَا وَءَاخِرِنَا وَءَايَةً مِّنكَ ۖ وَٱرْزُقْنَا وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ ٱلرَّٰزِقِينَ
“‘Īsā son of Maryam said, “O Allah, our Lord, send down to us a repast from heaven which may be a happy occasion for us, for all our generations present and future, and a sign from You, and give us provisions. You are the best Giver of Provisions.”” (5:114)
ʿĪsā (peace be upon him) then called upon Allah: O Allah, send one of these down for us — in his own words, naturally. It would then be an Eid for us: li-awwalinā wa-ākhirinā wa-āyatan minka — let it be a sign from You; wa-rzuqnā wa-anta khayru al-rāziqīn. In his own manner he called upon Allah for it.
قَالَ ٱللَّهُ إِنِّى مُنَزِّلُهَا عَلَيْكُمْ ۖ فَمَن يَكْفُرْ بَعْدُ مِنكُمْ فَإِنِّىٓ أُعَذِّبُهُۥ عَذَابًا لَّآ أُعَذِّبُهُۥٓ أَحَدًا مِّنَ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
“Allah said, “I am going to send it down to you; but whoever among you disbelieves after that, I shall give him such a punishment as I shall not give to anyone else in all the worlds.”” (5:115)
Allah says: one will be made to come down; one will be sent down for you. The command will go out. But if anyone thereafter denies and disbelieves, then: fa-innī uʿadhdhibuhu ʿadhāban lā uʿadhdhibuhu aḥadan mina al-ʿālamīn. Allah says: it will be done for you, because you have asked; but whoever denies thereafter, He will punish with such a punishment as He has never inflicted upon anyone in all the worlds.
After that the discussion concerns ʿĪsā (peace be upon him) and his mother, where Allah (swt) speaks of another exchange: did you tell people that they should take you and your mother as gods apart from Allah?
وَإِذْ قَالَ ٱللَّهُ يَـٰعِيسَى ٱبْنَ مَرْيَمَ ءَأَنتَ قُلْتَ لِلنَّاسِ ٱتَّخِذُونِى وَأُمِّىَ إِلَـٰهَيْنِ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ قَالَ سُبْحَـٰنَكَ مَا يَكُونُ لِىٓ أَنْ أَقُولَ مَا لَيْسَ لِى بِحَقٍّ ۚ إِن كُنتُ قُلْتُهُۥ فَقَدْ عَلِمْتَهُۥ ۚ تَعْلَمُ مَا فِى نَفْسِى وَلَآ أَعْلَمُ مَا فِى نَفْسِكَ ۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ عَلَّـٰمُ ٱلْغُيُوبِ مَا قُلْتُ لَهُمْ إِلَّا مَآ أَمَرْتَنِى بِهِۦٓ أَنِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ رَبِّى وَرَبَّكُمْ ۚ وَكُنتُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا مَّا دُمْتُ فِيهِمْ ۖ فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِى كُنتَ أَنتَ ٱلرَّقِيبَ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ وَأَنتَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ شَهِيدٌ
“And when Allah said, “O ‘Īsā, son of Maryam, did you say to the people: ‘Take me and my mother as gods beside Allah?” He said, “Pure are You, it does not behoove me to say what is not right for me. Had I said it, You would have known it. You know what is in my heart, and I do not know what is in Your’s. You alone have full knowledge of all that is unseen. I have not said to them anything but what You have ordered me to say, that is, ‘Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord’ and I was a witness over them as long as I was with them. But when You recalled me, You were the One watching over them. You are a witness over everything.” (5:116–117)
ʿĪsā (peace be upon him) says: subḥānak — how could I say such a thing? ʿĪsā (peace be upon him) in fact uses a wholly rational argument. He says: had I said it, You would have known of it. You are the Knower of all things. You know what is in my heart; I do not know what is in Your mind, but You know what is in my heart. You are the Knower of all things. I told them only what You commanded me to tell them: mā qultu lahum illā mā amartanī bih — these are verses 116 and 117. And as long as I remained among them I was a witness over them; but when You took me — when You took me from this world — You were the watcher over them, and You know all things; so Allah knows best.
Then — and this is the beauty of the prophets — he says something that has gone down in history, subḥānAllāh, and is often quoted, especially in connection with duʿāʾs:
إِن تُعَذِّبْهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبَادُكَ ۖ وَإِن تَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ فَإِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ
“If You punish them, they are Your slaves after all, but if You forgive them, You are the Mighty, the Wise.”” (5:118)
If You wish to punish them, You have the absolute right, for they are Your servants; You have the absolute right to punish them. And if You forgive them, You have the might, the command, the judgement and the wisdom to do so. The sense is that were You to forgive them, it would not be from helplessness, as though You were unable to punish them; no — You have every capacity to do so; but were You to forgive — that is the contrast he draws, and that is his manner of making duʿāʾ to Allah. This duʿāʾ may be used: O Allah, if You wish, You may punish me; You have the absolute right to do so; but if You forgive… Then Allah (swt) says:
قَالَ ٱللَّهُ هَـٰذَا يَوْمُ يَنفَعُ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ صِدْقُهُمْ ۚ لَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٌ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ أَبَدًا ۚ رَّضِىَ ٱللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا۟ عَنْهُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
“Allah will say, “This is a day on which the truth of the truthful shall benefit them. For them there are gardens beneath which rivers flow, where they will live forever. Allah is well-pleased with them and they are well-pleased with Him. That is the great achievement.” (5:119)
On that Day of Judgement, whoever has been truthful — his truth will profit him; and again, for them will be those jannāt, those gardens, and Allah will be pleased with them. So the sūrah closes with a further word on the Day of Judgement.
***
* Kept as said. The Epistles to the Corinthians are in the New Testament, not the Old Testament; the biblical commands on slaughter and the draining of blood are in the Old Testament, at Leviticus 17:10–14 and Deuteronomy 12:23–24.
** Kept as said. Verse 5:110 reads bi-idhnī, "with My permission", each time a miracle of ʿĪsā (peace be upon him) is named: forming the bird, curing the blind and the leper, and raising the dead.