Tafsir of Al-Ma'idah 5:112

It is also possible that it is an adverb of time for the verb "said" (Qalu). In that case, according to some, it serves as a warning that their claim of sincerity—accompanied by their question, "Can your Lord send down for us a table from the heaven?"—was neither based on verification nor on knowledge of Allah the Exalted and His power. For if they had verified and known, they would not have said that, as such a request does not befit a believer in Allah the Almighty. Al-Halabi objected to this view, stating that it contradicts the consensus (Ijma'). Ibn 'Atiyyah stated: "I do not know of any disagreement that they were believers," supporting this with the Almighty’s saying: "Whoever among you disbelieves after that," and by the fact that describing them as the Hawariyin (Apostles) contradicts the notion that they were upon falsehood. Furthermore, Allah the Exalted commanded the believers to emulate them and follow their example in His saying: "Be helpers of Allah," and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) praised Al-Zubayr, saying, "Every prophet has an apostle, and my apostle is Al-Zubayr."

To maintain that the Apostles were two groups—the believers, who were the pure companions of Jesus (peace be upon him) and those commanded to be emulated, and the disbelievers, who were the ones asking for the table—requires a transmission [of evidence], which does not exist. Hence, responses were given to the verse. It was said: The meaning of "Can your Lord" (Hal yastati'u rabbuka) is "Will He do it?" just as one says to a person capable of standing: "Can you stand?" as an exaggeration in urging the request. This view is reported from Al-Hasan.

Expressing an action through "ability" is an instance of expressing the caused (musabbab) through the cause (sabab), for ability is among the causes of bringing things into existence. Conversely, expressing the desire for an action through the action itself is naming the cause—which is the desire—by the name of the caused, which is the action, as in His saying: "When you rise up for prayer..."

It was also said: The meaning is, "Will your Lord obey?" so yastati'u (can/is able) means yuti'u (obeys), and yuti'u figuratively means "answers/grants." This is reported from Al-Suddi. Abu Shamah mentioned that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) visited Abu Talib during his illness and said to him, "O my uncle, call upon your Lord to heal me." He said, "O Allah, heal my uncle." He stood up as if he had been untied from a bond, and said, "O my uncle, your Lord whom you worship obeys you." He replied, "O my uncle, if you had obeyed Him, He would have obeyed you," meaning: He would answer your intended request. The Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) use of that phrasing was for the sake of mushakala (linguistic consistency/matching).

Others said: This "ability" refers to what is necessitated by Wisdom and Will. It is as if they said: "Has the Will and Wisdom of Allah the Exalted attached itself to this or not?" because nothing happens without its attachment to it. This was challenged on the grounds that His saying, "Fear Allah if you are believers," does not align with this, because asking about such a matter—which is among the unseen—implies no deficiency.

It was said: Their question was for the sake of reassurance and confirmation, just as the Friend (Ibrahim, peace be upon him) said: "Show me how You give life to the dead." The meaning of "if you are believers" is: "If you are perfect in faith and sincerity." The meaning of "so that we may know that you have spoken the truth to us" is: "that we may know through the knowledge of witnessing and sight, after having known it through the knowledge of faith and certainty." From this, one knows how to deflect the aforementioned objection.

Al-Kisa'i, Ali (may Allah be pleased with his face), 'A'ishah, Ibn 'Abbas, Mu'adh, and a group of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) read "Hal tastati'u rabbaka" with a Ta (addressing Jesus, peace be upon him), with Rabbaka in the accusative case as the direct object.

The majority hold that there is an implied addition: "Do you ask your Lord?" meaning: "Do you ask Him for that without any detractor?" Al-Farisi held that there is no need for such an estimation; the meaning is: "Can you [cause] your Lord to send down [it] by your supplication?" Yet, since you know the [literal] phrasing does not convey that, an estimation is necessary.

The Ma'ida (Table) in common parlance is the platter upon which food is placed. It comes from mayada (to sway) if it moves, or from mada (to give/endow), making it a word in the form of a doer (fa'ila) that carries the meaning of the object (maf'ula), like the phrase "a pleasing life" ('ishatan radiyah). Al-Zuhari chose this in Tahdhib al-Lughah. Alternatively, it is treated as such because of the capability of holding what is upon it, as if it is itself a giver, similar to how they call a fruitful tree mut'imah (feeder/giver). Some permitted calling it a maydah, citing the poet: "A maydah full of boards, made for neighbors and brethren." Al-Manawi chose the view that the Ma'idah is everything that is stretched and spread out, meaning a tablecloth (sufrah). Its origin is the food a traveler takes, then it was named for the round leather skin used to carry it, just as the water-skin (mazadah) is named after the rawiyah (water carrier). It is also possible that the leather skin is called a sufrah (tablecloth) because it has cords; when they are untied, it opens up and reveals what is inside. This is different from the khawan (with a kha either dammaed or kasraed), which is more eloquent. It is also called ikhwan (with a kasraed hamza) because it is a name for a raised object prepared for food to be eaten upon. Eating upon it is an innovation (bid'ah), but it is permissible if it is free from the intent of arrogance. The Ma'idah is also applied to the food itself, as some investigators have stated.

"From the heaven"—it is permissible for this to be connected to the verb before it, or to be connected to an implied word serving as an adjective for "Table," meaning: "a table that is from the heaven."

He—that is, Jesus (peace be upon him)—said to them when they said that: "Fear Allah," from such requests and the proposition of miracles, as Al-Zajjaj said. Al-Farisi reported that it was a command for them to fear Him absolutely; perhaps that was to become a means for obtaining what was hoped for. For the Almighty has said: "And whoever fears Allah, He will make for him a way out and provide for him from where he does not expect," and the Almighty also said: "O you who have believed, fear Allah and seek the means of approach to Him."

"If you are believers"—by the perfection of Allah’s power and the validity of my prophethood, or [if you are] perfect in faith and sincerity, or [if you are] truthful in your claim of faith and submission.