Tafsir of Al-Ma'idah 5:15

(O People of the Scripture) — This is a shift to addressing both groups: the Jews and the Christians. The term "Scripture" (al-Kitab) refers to the genus, applicable to the singular, the dual, and the plural alike. Addressing them with the title "People of the Scripture" is intended to rebuke them, for the very state of being "People of the Scripture" necessitates that they observe it, act according to its requirements, and clarify the rulings contained within it—all of which they failed to do, even though they knew better.

(There has come to you Our Messenger) — referring to Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Expressing this through such a title, while attributing it to the pronoun of Majesty, serves to honor him and to notify them of the obligation to follow him (peace and blessings be upon him).

(Clarifying for you) — This is a state (hal) of "Our Messenger." The preference for the verbal form (active participle) is to indicate the renewal and continuity of this clarification; meaning, he is in the state of clarifying for you gradually, as necessitated by public interest.

(Much of what you used to conceal of the Scripture) — That is, from the Torah and the Gospel, such as the description of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), the verse regarding stoning, and the glad tidings of Ahmad (peace and blessings be upon him) brought by Jesus. Ibn Jarir narrated from Ikrimah that the Jews came to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) asking him about stoning. He asked, "Who among you is the most learned?" They pointed to Ibn Suriya. He adjured him by the One who sent down the Torah to Moses (peace be upon him), the One who raised the Mount, and by the covenants taken from them until he began to tremble. He then said: "When it became prevalent among us, we would whip the offender a hundred times and shave their heads." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ruled that they should be stoned, and so Allah the Almighty revealed this verse. The postponement of "much" (kathiran) after the prepositional phrase (min al-kitab) is for the reason previously mentioned more than once. The combination of the past and future tenses is to indicate their persistence in concealing and hiding. The phrase "of what" (mimma) is attached to a deleted element that serves as an adjective for "much." "What" (ma) is a nominal relative pronoun, with the following clause being its relative clause and the referent pronoun being deleted. "Of the Scripture" (min al-kitab) is a state (hal) of that deleted element. Thus, it means: "He clarifies to you much of what you conceal, continuously, while it is from the Scripture of which you are the people and the custodians."

(And overlooks much) — That is, He does not expose much of what you conceal if there is no religious necessity to do so, as a protection for you against further disgrace. Al-Hasan said: It means He pardons many of you and does not take you to task if you repent and follow him. Ibn Humayd narrated a similar view from Qatadah. This has been objected to, as it contradicts the apparent meaning, which suggests that this "much" is the same as the previous "much." However, there is room for debate here, as al-Shihab noted: when an indefinite noun is repeated as an indefinite noun, it implies difference. Nevertheless, al-Jubba’i and a group of exegetes chose the first interpretation. The sentence is conjoined to the current sentence and falls under its ruling.

(There has come to you from Allah a Light) — A great light; this is the Light of Lights and the Chosen Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Qatadah held this view, and al-Zajjaj preferred it. Abu Ali al-Jubba’i said: The "Light" refers to the Quran because of its ability to reveal and make manifest the paths of guidance and certainty. Al-Zamakhshari limited his commentary to this. Upon this interpretation, the conjunction in His saying (And a clear Book) is because the difference in title is treated as equivalent to a difference in essence. As for the first interpretation, it is clear. Al-Tayyibi said: It is more consistent with the repetition of His saying, "There has come to you," without a conjunction, as he attached the description of the Messenger to the first, and the description of the Book to the second. Better than this is the approach taken by al-Raghib, where he said: He explained in the first and second verses the three blessings with which the servants were favored: Prophethood, Intellect, and the Scripture. In the third verse, he mentioned three rulings, each returning to one of the aforementioned blessings. "He guides by it" returns to His saying, "There has come to you Our Messenger"; "And brings them out," etc., returns to His saying, "There has come to you Our Messenger"; and "And He guides them," returns to His saying, "And a clear Book," similar to His saying, "Guidance for the God-fearing."

You know that there is no proof for this assignment other than the consideration of the verbal order. If you were to assign all three rulings to the first, it would not be impossible. It does not seem far-fetched to me that "the Light" and "the clear Book" are intended to mean the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and the conjunction upon it would be like the conjunction mentioned by al-Jubba’i. There is no doubt about the correctness of applying each to him (peace and blessings be upon him). Perhaps you would hesitate to accept this from the perspective of literal phrasing (ibarah), so let it be from the perspective of indication (isharah). The prepositional phrase "from Allah" is linked to "has come" (ja'akum), with "from" indicating the starting point of the origin figuratively, or it is linked to a deleted element acting as a state of "a Light." Placing it before the subject is to hasten the clarification that the arrival is from His Exalted Presence and to stir longing for the one who has arrived, and because it contains a type of length that, if postponed, would disturb the harmony of the noble arrangement. "Clear" (al-mubin) is derived from bana (intransitive), meaning "to appear," so its meaning is "the one whose miracle is apparent." It is also permissible for it to be from the transitive form, meaning "the one who reveals that which was hidden from them."