Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:95

The apparent meaning is that this is an independent, parenthetical sentence, not included under the command. It was brought forth by the Exalted One to clarify the unspoken reluctance that exposes the falsehood of their claim. The intent of "they will never wish for it" is: as long as they live. This is specific to those contemporary to the Prophet (may Allah exalt him and grant him peace), based on what was narrated from Nafi’, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: A Jew disputed with us and said, "In your Book it says: 'Then wish for death' (and so on), so I am wishing for death, why do I not die?" Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, heard him and became angry. He entered his house, drew his sword, and went out. When the Jew saw him, he fled from him. Ibn ‘Umar said, "By Allah, had I caught him, I would have struck his neck! That cursed, ignorant dog imagined that this applied to every Jew or to the Jews at every time. No, it was only for those who stubbornly resisted and denied the prophethood of the Prophet (may Allah exalt him and grant him peace) after they had recognized it, and the argumentation with them was by the tongue, not by the sword."

This is supported by what Ibn Jarir recorded from Ibn ‘Abbas, in a mawquf (attributed to a Companion) report: "Had they wished for it on the day he said that to them, there would not have remained a Jew on the face of the earth except that he would have died." This sentence is a report of the unseen and a miracle of the Prophet (may Allah exalt him and grant him peace). It contains evidence of their confession of his prophethood, for had they not been certain of that, they would not have refrained from the wishing. It has been said: It is not evidence, but rather the abstention was due to al-sarfah (a divine intervention preventing them), as was said regarding the lack of opposition to the Qur’an.

To the objection—"How can this be a miracle when it is impossible to know that no one wished for it, as wishing is an internal state of the heart that cannot be observed?"—we respond: We do not concede that the "wishing" here means an internal state; rather, it means that one says, "Would that such-and-such were so," and the like, as mentioned earlier. Even if it were granted that it is an internal state, this is mentioned in the context of argumentation and demonstrating a miracle; thus, it is not refuted except through outward expression and utterance. It is like a man saying to his wife, "You are divorced if you wish or desire it," for it attaches to the report, not the concealment. Since it is established that there was no utterance of such a report, and that had it occurred, it would have been narrated and become famous—because motives for reporting it were abundant, as it is a momentous matter upon which the issue of Prophethood revolves (for its absence proves his truthfulness, and its occurrence would invalidate the claim to his prophethood)—it is established that it is a miracle with which his Lord supported him. Whoever interprets "wishing" as figurative does not encounter this question, nor does he require this answer, though you know the implications of that.

The majority of exegetes went to the view that the ruling of the verse is general, applying to all Jews in all eras. I am not one of those who hold this view, even if a vast multitude approves of it and claims it is the famous position consistent with the literal text. Unless, that is, it refers to all Jews who recognized his prophethood (may Allah exalt him and grant him peace) yet denied it in all eras, not to the Jews absolutely in all of them. Even then, I have reservations about this, after what has been said.

"Because of what their hands have put forth": That is, because of the sins they committed that necessitate the Fire, such as disbelief in Muhammad (may Allah exalt him and grant him peace) and the Qur’an, and the killing of the prophets. "What" (ma) is a relative pronoun, and the referent (‘a’id) is omitted, or it is a conjunctive particle (masdariyyah) with no omission. The "hand" is a metonym for the person himself; it is also used as a metonym for power/capability, because it is the organ through which a human conducts his general craft and the pivot of most of his benefits. It should not be interpreted as a metaphorical attribution; rather, "hand" is to be taken in its literal sense, meaning: because of what they put forth with their hands—such as the distortion of the Torah—so that it includes what they put forth with all their other limbs, which is more eloquent in condemnation.

"And Allah is Knowing of the wrongdoers": A suffix for warning and an alert that they are wrongdoers in claiming what is not theirs and denying it to others. "Knowing" here refers either to the apparent meaning or is a metonym for retribution. The definite article (al-) is for reference to the aforementioned group, and the preference for an explicit noun over a pronoun is for condemnation, or it is for the generic category, thus including those referenced in the same manner as previously stated.