Sūrat al-Māʾidah
Section 5 of 25 · Surah Studies · Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
The Covenant with the Israelites
Allah (swt) then turns to the Yahūd; for there was a grave problem being dealt with at that time, and all of it was being revealed in the Qur'an. They would sometimes hold their discussions at home, in secret; they had spies among the Muslims, within the community; and Allah (swt) would reveal the matter in the Qur'an the next day.
Allah says in verse 12:
۞ وَلَقَدْ أَخَذَ ٱللَّهُ مِيثَـٰقَ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ وَبَعَثْنَا مِنْهُمُ ٱثْنَىْ عَشَرَ نَقِيبًا ۖ وَقَالَ ٱللَّهُ إِنِّى مَعَكُمْ ۖ لَئِنْ أَقَمْتُمُ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَيْتُمُ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَءَامَنتُم بِرُسُلِى وَعَزَّرْتُمُوهُمْ وَأَقْرَضْتُمُ ٱللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا لَّأُكَفِّرَنَّ عَنكُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمْ وَلَأُدْخِلَنَّكُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ ۚ فَمَن كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ مِنكُمْ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ سَوَآءَ ٱلسَّبِيلِ
“Allah has made the Children of Israel take a pledge. We appointed twelve chiefs from among them. Allah said, “I am surely with you. If you establish Salāh, and pay Zakāh, and believe in My Messengers, and hold them in reverence, and advance to Allah a goodly loan, I shall certainly write off your evil deeds, and I shall certainly admit you into Gardens beneath which rivers flow. So, whoever from you disbelieves after that has lost the straight path.”” (5:12)
Allah (swt) begins to speak of all the benefits, all the bounties, that He gave them. We have given you so much, in your twelve tribes. We made you a promise. We removed from you your evil, your sins. We promised you a paradise beneath which rivers flow, and all the rest. But because they persisted in blaspheming and violating, We at length made their hearts hard:
فَبِمَا نَقْضِهِم مِّيثَـٰقَهُمْ لَعَنَّـٰهُمْ وَجَعَلْنَا قُلُوبَهُمْ قَـٰسِيَةً ۖ يُحَرِّفُونَ ٱلْكَلِمَ عَن مَّوَاضِعِهِۦ ۙ وَنَسُوا۟ حَظًّا مِّمَّا ذُكِّرُوا۟ بِهِۦ ۚ وَلَا تَزَالُ تَطَّلِعُ عَلَىٰ خَآئِنَةٍ مِّنْهُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِّنْهُمْ ۖ فَٱعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَٱصْفَحْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
“So, because they broke their pledge, We cursed them and made their hearts hardened. They change words from their places, and they have overlooked a good deal of the Advice they were given. Every now and then you come across a certain treachery from all of them, except a few. So, forgive them and forego. Indeed, Allah loves those who are good in deeds.” (5:13)
They then went so far as to alter their scriptures, from one place to the next. Allah (swt) then treats of the Christians, the Naṣārā, in depth from verses 16 and 17 onwards. Then in verse 18 comes a discussion concerning them both. The Yahūd and the Naṣārā say:
وَقَالَتِ ٱلْيَهُودُ وَٱلنَّصَـٰرَىٰ نَحْنُ أَبْنَـٰٓؤُا۟ ٱللَّهِ وَأَحِبَّـٰٓؤُهُۥ ۚ قُلْ فَلِمَ يُعَذِّبُكُم بِذُنُوبِكُم ۖ بَلْ أَنتُم بَشَرٌ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقَ ۚ يَغْفِرُ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا ۖ وَإِلَيْهِ ٱلْمَصِيرُ
“The Jews and the Christians say, “We are the sons of Allah and His favourites.” Say, “Why then would He punish you for your sins? In fact, you are just human, among those He has created. He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills.” Unto Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what lies between them, and unto Him is the return.” (5:18)
They claim to be the children of God and the beloved of God. Allah therefore asks them — or instructs the Prophet (peace be upon him) to ask them — fa-lima yuʿadhdhibukum bi-dhunūbikum: why, then, will Allah punish you for your sins? You are like every other insān, and every other creature. Allah forgives whom He wills, and punishes whom He wills.
In both verse 15 and verse 19 there is: O People of the Book —
يَـٰٓأَهْلَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ قَدْ جَآءَكُمْ رَسُولُنَا يُبَيِّنُ لَكُمْ عَلَىٰ فَتْرَةٍ مِّنَ ٱلرُّسُلِ أَن تَقُولُوا۟ مَا جَآءَنَا مِنۢ بَشِيرٍ وَلَا نَذِيرٍ ۖ فَقَدْ جَآءَكُم بَشِيرٌ وَنَذِيرٌ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
“O people of the Book, Our Messenger has come to you making things clear to you after a gap between Messengers, lest you were to say, “There has not come to us a bearer of good news, and a warner.” So, now there has come to you a bearer of good news, and a warner. Allah is powerful over everything.” (5:19)
Our Messenger has come to you. This is the upgrade: the fresh, new, revitalised, corrected form. Follow him. He has come to you to give you warning and to give you glad tidings.