Tafsir of Al Imran 3:50

It is a conjunctive [‘atf] either to the implied [pronoun] to which His saying—Exalted is He—(with a sign) is attached; that is, "I have come to you arguing or manifesting (with a sign), etc., and (confirming what), etc." Or it is a conjunctive to (a messenger), as it carries the meaning of an utterance, similar to it. It is also permitted that it be in the accusative case due to a verb indicated by (I have come to you), meaning: "And I have come to you confirming, etc."

His saying—Glory be to Him—(from the Torah) is in the position of the accusative as a state [hal] from the hidden pronoun in the adverb [zarf], and its operative [‘amil] is the [implied verb for] istaqra’a (to derive/gather) or the adverb itself, as it stands in the place of a verb. It is also permissible for it to be a state from (what), in which case its operative is (confirming). The meaning of his—peace be upon him—confirming the Torah is the belief that all that is within it is wisdom and truth. It is also said that his confirmation of it is his coming (a messenger) according to what it heralded.

(And to make lawful for you) is a predicate for a hidden [governor] after the waw, meaning: "And I have come to you to make lawful," so it is a conjunctive of a sentence to a sentence. Or it is conjunctive to (with a sign) from His saying—Glory be to Him—(I have come to you with a sign), because it bears the meaning of "I have come to you to show you a sign and to make lawful," so the objection that it is invalid to join a maf’ul lahu (dative object) to a maf’ul bihi (direct object) does not apply. Or it is conjunctive to (confirming), and one is committed to an interpretation that makes them of the same category, even if the first is a state and the second is a dative object; it is as if it were said: "I have come to you to confirm and to make lawful." It is also said: It is necessary to estimate "I have come to you" for all of them, since one type of operative cannot be joined to another.

(Some of what was forbidden to you)—that is, in the law of Moses—peace be upon him. Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from al-Rabi’ that he said: What Jesus brought was milder than what Moses brought—peace be upon them both. It was forbidden to them in what Moses brought: the meat of camels and al-thuruh (fatty membranes), so he made them lawful for them by the tongue of Jesus. Also, the fat of camels was forbidden to them, so it was made lawful for them in what Jesus brought, along with certain fish and birds that possess no sayṣiyah (claws or gizzards), and other things that were forbidden to them and in which they were constrained. Jesus brought the relaxation of that in the Gospel.

‘Abd bin Humayd narrated a similar account from Qatadah. This indicates that the Gospel contains rulings that differ from those in the Torah and that the law of Jesus abrogated some of the law of Moses. This does not impair his being a "confirmer of the Torah," for abrogation is a clarification of the end of the first ruling’s timeframe, not a cancellation or invalidation, as has been established. This is like the Quran’s abrogation of parts of itself by other parts.

Some held the view that the Gospel did not specify rulings, nor did it contain lawful and unlawful matters, but rather consisted of symbols, parables, admonitions, warnings, and other such things, with all other laws and rulings being referred back to the Torah. They held that Jesus—peace be upon him—did not abrogate anything from the Torah, but rather observed the Sabbath, prayed toward the Sacred House (Bayt al-Maqdis), forbade swine flesh, and taught circumcision. However, the Christians changed that after his ascension, so they adopted Sunday instead of the Sabbath because it is the first day of the week and the beginning of [divine] effusion. They prayed toward the East for the reason previously mentioned, interpreted circumcision as the circumcision of the heart and cutting it off from worldly attachments and impediments to the Divine Presence, and they made swine flesh lawful, despite Mark narrating in his Gospel that the Messiah destroyed the swine, drowning a large herd of them in the sea, and said to his disciples: "Do not give what is holy to the dogs, and do not cast your pearls before swine," pairing them with dogs. The cause of this was their claim that Peter saw in a dream a scroll descended from heaven containing images of animals, including the image of a swine, and he was told: "O Peter, eat of them what you wish." This statement is attributed to Wahb bin Munabbih.

Those who hold this view interpreted the verse to mean that what was forbidden was what their scholars forbade out of caprice or error in judgment. They argued that the Messiah—peace be upon him—said in the Gospel: "I have not come to abolish the Torah, but I have come to fulfill it." It is not hidden that interpreting the verse in this way is far-fetched in itself, and it is made further so by the fact that it was read hurrima (passive) and also harrama (with a weight of karrama, active). Furthermore, what they mentioned of the speech of the Messiah—peace be upon him—does not contradict abrogation, as you have learned that it is not an invalidation but a clarification of the end of the first ruling. The meaning of "fulfillment" is the addition of the inner policy/governance that he brought to the outer policy that Moses—peace be upon him—brought, or the abrogation of some rulings of the Torah with rulings that are more in accordance with wisdom, more appropriate for welfare, and more suitable for the time. Thus, the statement of the Messiah would be an argument for the first group, not against them. Perhaps what they—the second group—went to is what is relied upon, as is not hidden to those of insight.

(And I have come to you with a sign from your Lord)—the discussion regarding this is the same as the discussion regarding its counterpart. It was also read as "with signs" (bi-ayat).

(So fear Allah)—in not accepting what I have brought to you—(and obey me) in what I command you and forbid you by the command of Allah—Exalted is He.