Tafsir of Al Imran 3:69

It is well-known that this was revealed when the Jews invited Hudhayfah, Ammar, and Mu’adh to Judaism; therefore, the intended meaning of "the People of the Scripture" here is the Jews. It is also said that it refers to both parties (Jews and Christians). The verse serves to explain that they are callers to misguidance, following the explanation that they themselves are misguided. Ibn al-Mundhir recorded from Sufyan that he said: "Everything in Surah Al-Imran mentioning the 'People of the Scripture' refers to the Christians." Perhaps this is to be understood in the context of the majority.

The min (from) is for partitive purposes (tab’id), and the "party" (ta’ifah) refers to their leaders and rabbis. It is also said that it is for the sake of clarifying the category (jins), and the "party" refers to all of the People of the Scripture, though this is logically problematic.

The particle law (if) carries the meaning of an (that), and the phrase formed by the infinitive acts as the object of wadda (wished). It is also permitted that it remains as it is, with the object of wadda and the apodosis of law being implied. The estimation would be: "They wished for your misguidance; if they were to mislead you, they would be pleased by that."

The meaning of "they mislead you" is: they return you to your disbelief, as stated by Ibn Abbas; or they destroy you, as stated by Ibn Jarir al-Tabari; or they cause you to fall into misguidance and cast upon you that which makes you doubt your religion, as stated by Abu Ali, which is close to the first view.

The waw (and) is for the state (hal). If "misleading" here is taken to mean "destruction," the meaning is that they destroy none but themselves, because by choosing to destroy the believers, they have earned the wrath and anger of Allah the Exalted. If the intended meaning of destruction is "increasing in misguidance," it requires interpretation, because the people are already misguided, and it would lead to defining the already misguided as being misled. Thus, it is said that the intended meaning of "misleading" is the consequence that returns to them, either by way of majaz mursal (synecdoche) or metaphor—meaning that the misguidance does not bypass them, but its consequence returns to them in that their punishment is doubled thereby.

Alternatively, by "their own selves," it is meant their counterparts who sit with them. In this, as has been said, is an informing of the Unseen, so it is a metaphor or a simile based on the estimation of "their counterparts," for no Muslim became a Jew, and for Allah is all praise. It is also said that the meaning of them misleading themselves is their persistence in misguidance through what their own selves have made attractive to them, despite their ability to follow the guidance through the clarification of proofs. However, this is not free from criticism.

That is, they do not realize that the misguidance is restricted to them because of the veil that has covered their hearts, as stated by Abu Ali. It is also said: They do not perceive that Allah the Exalted informs the believers of their misguidance and their attempt to mislead. In the negation of perception regarding them is an exaggeration in condemning them.