(Among the People of the Scripture are those who, if you entrust him with a qintar [a large amount of wealth], he will return it to you) – This begins an explanation of another type of their faults. (If you entrust him) is derived from aminta-hu, meaning "you have placed him in trust." The preposition ba is said to mean "over" (‘ala), or alternatively "in" (fi), meaning in the safekeeping of a qintar. The qintar has already been discussed. It is narrated that Abdullah ibn Salam was entrusted by a Qurayshi with one thousand two hundred ounces of gold, and he returned it to him.
(And among them is he who, if you entrust him with a single dinar, he will not return it to you) – Such as Finhas ibn ‘Azura, for it is narrated that another Qurayshi entrusted him with a dinar, and he denied it. It has been said that those who are trustworthy with a large amount are the Christians, as trustworthiness is prevalent among them, while those who are treacherous with a small amount are the Jews, as treachery is prevalent among them. This has been narrated from ‘Ikrimah.
The word dinar is a non-Arabic term. Its ya replaces a nun; its original form is danar, and the first of the two similar letters was changed into a ya because it occurred after a kasrah. Its plural form, dananir, indicates its origin, as the plural form returns a word to its root. In the well-known standard, it is twenty-four carats, and a carat is three grains of medium barley, making a total of seventy-two grains. They stated this has not differed in either the pre-Islamic era or in Islam. It is among the strange reports what Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Malik ibn Dinar, who said: "The dinar was only called a dinar because it is din (debt/judgment) and nar (fire); the meaning being that whoever takes it rightfully, it is his din (due), and whoever takes it wrongfully, for him is the nar (fire)." Perhaps this is an indication derived from the word itself, not that it is so in the objective reality of the language, as is not hidden from one who possesses even a dirham's worth of intellect, let alone a dinar.
The verb (yu’addi-hi) is read with the ha carrying a kasrah followed by a ya in pronunciation; or with a kasrah without a ya; or with the ha sukun-ed, treating the state of connection like the state of a pause; or with the ha carrying a dammah followed by a waw in pronunciation; or with a dammah without a waw.
(Unless you remain standing over him) – This is an exception from the most general states or times. That is: "He will not return it to you" in any state or at any time, except in the state of your constant standing over him, or at the time of your constant standing over him. "Standing" (qiyam) is a metaphor for excessive persistence in demanding one's right. Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) interpreted it as persistence (ilhah); Al-Suddi as constant adherence and staying with him; and Al-Hasan as constant adherence and demanding payment. The majority favor the dammah on the dal of dumta ("you remained"), treating it as they do qultu. It has also been read with a kasrah on the dal, in which case it is on the pattern of khifta; this is a linguistic variation. The imperfect tense for the first form is yadumu (like yaqumu), and for the second is yadamu (like yakhafu).
(That) – Meaning, the refusal to return the trust, indicated by His saying: (He will not return it to you).
(Is because they said) – The plural pronoun refers to the "those" (man) in (if you entrust him with a dinar), pluralized because it refers to the meaning. The ba is for causality; meaning: because of their saying: (There is no blame upon us concerning the unlettered people) – i.e., there is no reproach or sin upon us regarding what we take from the wealth of the Arabs.
Ibn Jarir narrated from Ibn Jurayj who said: In the pre-Islamic era, some men among the Muslims traded with the Jews. When they accepted Islam, they demanded their rights from them. The Jews said: "There is no trust or obligation of payment upon us to you, because you have abandoned the religion you were previously upon." They claimed they found this in their scripture. Allah the Exalted said: (And they speak a lie about Allah while they know) – meaning they are liars.
Al-Kalbi said: The Jews claimed, "All wealth belonged to us, so whatever of it is in the hands of the Arabs belongs to us; they have wronged us and seized it, so there is no sin upon us in taking our wealth from them."
Ibn al-Mundhir and others narrated from Sa'id ibn Jubayr who said: When (Among the People of the Scripture...) was revealed up to His saying: (That is because they said, "There is no blame upon us concerning the unlettered people"), the Prophet (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) said: "The enemies of Allah have lied! There is nothing from the pre-Islamic era that is not beneath these two feet of mine, except for the trust; for it must be returned to the pious and the wicked alike."
The prepositional phrase (regarding the unlettered) is connected to "they say." The intended meaning is "they fabricate." It is permissible that it be a state describing the "lie," preceding it. Abu al-Baqa did not permit it to be connected to the "lie" because the silah (relative clause) does not precede the mawsul (relative pronoun), but others permitted it because it is like an adverbial phrase where there is flexibility not found in others.
