Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:137

(Then if they believe in the like of that which you believe in, they have been guided) relates to His saying (say: We believe) etc., or to His saying (but the religion of Abraham) etc. Even if it is purely for the sake of assumption, the speech is a form of istidraj (gradual enticement) and giving the opponent enough rope, where the intent is to silence them. This is a field in which the horses of debaters race, so there is no harm in interpreting the Word of Allah, the Exalted, accordingly. This means: We do not say that we are on the truth and you are on falsehood, but if you attain something equal to what we are upon—of that which is obligatory to believe in or to practice as a religion—then you have been guided, and our purpose is your guidance regardless of how it is achieved. When the opponent looks at this statement with an eye of fairness and reflects upon it, he knows that the truth is what the Muslims are upon and nothing else; for there is no "like" to what they believe in—which is His Essence, the Exalted, and His Books revealed to His Prophets—nor is there any religion like their religion.

Thus, "believe" (aminu) is transitive via the ba (in), and "the like" (mithl) is taken literally. Or say: "Believe" is treated as intransitive, and the ba is either for seeking aid and instrumentation, and the meaning is: If they enter into belief by means of a testimony similar to your testimony, in speech and conviction, (then they have been guided); or, if they seek belief through a path that leads to the truth, similar to your path—for the unity of the goal does not forbid the multiplicity of paths, as it is said: "The paths to Allah, the Exalted, are as numerous as the breaths of the creation," and the context is that of designating the true religion, not the context of designating a specific path leading to it, so that this interpretation may hold.

The ba may also be redundant for emphasis, and "that" (ma) is an infinitive particle, and the pronoun in "in it" (bihi) refers to Allah, or to His saying (we believe in Allah) etc.—interpreted as "the mentioned matter"—or to the Quran, or to Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The meaning is: (Then if they believe) in what is mentioned, like your belief in it.

It may also be for accompaniment; meaning: believe, while being accompanied (by the like of what you believe in), while being accompanied by it; or: if they believe a belief accompanied by the like of what you believe—a belief accompanied by it—of assent, sincerity, and not distinguishing between the Prophets, peace be upon them.

It is said that "the like" (mithl) is inserted as an intensive particle, as in the saying of the Almighty: (And a witness from the Children of Israel bore witness to the like of it), meaning: to it. Ubayy's reading supports this: "in what you believe in," and Ibn Abbas's reading: "in what you believe in." He, may Allah be pleased with him, used to say: "Read it thus, for Allah, the Exalted, has no like." Perhaps this is to be taken as an interpretation, not that he denied the mutawatir (consecutively transmitted) reading or that its meaning was hidden from him.

Some people said: It is possible to dispense with all of this by saying: If the Jews believe in the like of what you believe in, as their believers did before the corruption (of their scripture), for they believed in the like of what the believers believe in; since there is in what the Prophets were given in the time of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, what was revealed to them, and that did not exist before it. However, this interpretation necessitates keeping the past tense form in its literal meaning, as in their saying: "If you honored me, I have honored you." So ponder this.

You know that the One believed in does not admit multiplicity, and keeping the speech on its literal meaning—dispensing with all that was mentioned—requires the existence of that impossible multiplicity. So what benefit could this offer other than increasing talk and expanding the circle of dispute and debate? So reflect.

(And if they turn away), meaning: if they turn away from the faith commanded, or from your reply to their statement, (then they are in a schism [shiqaq]), meaning: in opposition to Allah, the Exalted—said by Ibn Abbas—or a dispute and hostility—said by Ibn Zayd—or enmity—said by Al-Hasan. There is disagreement regarding the derivation of shiqaq; it is said it is from shaqq (side), or from shiqqa (a piece), or taken from their saying: "he split the staff" (shaqqa al-'asa) when he shows enmity. The tanwin (indefinite marking) is for magnification. The sentence is the response to the conditional, either because the intent is their opposition occurring after their turning away from the faith—the nominal sentence being preferred to indicate their stability and persistence in that—or by interpreting it as: "then know."

(So Allah will suffice you against them) is a consolation to him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and a glad tiding to the believers with the promise of victory and triumph, and a guarantee of support and empowerment in the most eloquent way. This is due to the sin (in sa-yakfikahum), which indicates the certainty of the occurrence, or it is a suffix to what follows, since the sin in common usage indicates no more than a future time-frame following the mention of what leads to debate and fighting. The intent is: He will suffice you against their plotting and their opposition, because sufficiency does not relate to the individuals, but to the actions.

The shifting of the address to isolate it for the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, despite the fact that He, the Exalted, fulfilled His noble promise with that which was sufficient for all—the killing of the Banu Qurayzah, their enslavement, and the exile of the Banu Nadir—is because he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is the root and the pillar in that, and he is the apple of the believers' eyes and the target of the disbelievers' plotting. It is also to signify that the undertaking of warfare affairs, the bearing of hardships, and the enduring of tribulations in opposing the enemies are among the duties of leaders; thus, His favor, the Exalted, in sufficiency and support is more complete and perfect regarding him.

(And He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing) is a postscript to what preceded of the promise, and a confirmation of it. Meaning: (He is the All-Hearing) of what you supplicate with, (the All-Knowing) of what is in your intention of manifesting His religion; so He will answer you and lead you to your objective. Or it is a threat to the disbelievers, meaning: He hears what they disclose and knows what they conceal of that which has no good in it, and He is punishing them for it. In this, there is also a confirmation of the preceding promise, for the threat to the disbelievers is a promise to the believers.