Tafsir of Al-Ma'idah 5:47

An initiating command to them to judge by—and to act upon—the matters contained therein, among which are the proofs of the messengership of the Prophet (ﷺ) and the rulings established by his noble law. As for the abrogated rulings, judging by them is not judging by what Allah the Exalted has revealed; rather, it is an invalidation and suspension of it. This is because the Gospel itself bears witness to their abrogation and the termination of the time for acting upon them, for its testimony to the validity of the Muhammadan Law—which abrogates those previous rulings—is a testimony to their abrogation, and [it confirms] that the [valid] rulings are those established by the very law whose validity it attests to, as established by Shaykh al-Islam—may his secret be sanctified. Al-Jubba’i chose the view that it is an initiating command.

It is also said: It is a narrative of the command issued to them, with an implicit verb coordinated with [the verb in] “We gave him” (آتيناه), meaning: "And We said: Let the People of the Gospel judge." The omission of the verb of saying due to the indication provided by what precedes it is frequent in speech, such as the words of the Exalted: “And the angels enter upon them from every gate, ‘Peace be upon you’” (13:23-24). Ali ibn Isa chose this view.

Hamza read it as wa-li-yahkuma (وَلِيَحْكُمَ) with the lam of causation (lam al-jar) and the verb in the subjunctive mood due to an implied an (that). The [resulting] verbal noun is coordinated with “guidance” (hudan) and “admonition” (maw’izah), assuming they are both causal [in function]. The lam was made explicit here due to the change in the agent, for the agent of the implicit verb is the pronoun of Allah the Exalted, while the agent of this [verb] is the People of the Scripture. It is connected to an implied [phrase] based on the first interpretation of “guidance” and “admonition,” meaning: "And We gave him [the Gospel] in order that the People of the Gospel might judge..." It was not coordinated directly [without the lam] because it is not correct to coordinate a causal phrase with a circumstantial one (hal). Some allow the coordination based on the premise that the circumstantial phrase here is in the sense of a causal one, but this is weak. Some estimated in the speech—assuming it to be causal—that it connects to “revealed” so that it is valid as a cause for the bestowing of the aforementioned upon Jesus, peace be upon him.

It is reported from Abu Ali that he read wa-an li-yahkuma (وَأَنْ لِيَحْكُمَ), on the basis that an is joined to the command, as in your saying: "I commanded you to stand up" (أمرتك بأن قم). The meaning of this joining is that an becomes, with what follows it, part of the speech, like alladhi and its siblings. The joining of the masdariyyah (infinitive) an to an imperative verb is something often repeated in al-Kashshaf, wherein he mentions it on the authority of Sibawayh. He estimated here "our command," as if it were said: "And We gave him the Gospel, and We commanded that he judge." An objection was raised against Sibawayh, regarding which the author of al-Kashf delved into the response and provided that which dispels many of the questions regarding the masdariyyah and tafsiriyyah [forms].

“And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, then it is those who are the defiantly disobedient” (47).

That is: the rebellious ones who have exited from His judgment or from faith. Its verification has already passed, and the sentence is an appositive (tadhyil) confirming the content of the previous sentence, emphasizing the obligation to comply with the command. The verse indicates that the Gospel contains rulings, and that Jesus, peace be upon him, was independent in his law and commanded to act upon the rulings contained therein, whether few or many, not merely what was in the Torah. The Hadith in Bukhari bears witness to this: "The people of the Torah were given the Torah and acted upon it, and the people of the Gospel were given the Gospel and acted upon it." Some scholars differed on this. In al-Milal wa al-Nihal by al-Shahristani, it is stated: "All of the Children of Israel were obligated by the law of Moses, peace be upon him, and charged with adhering to the rulings of the Torah; the Gospel revealed to the Messiah, peace be upon him, did not contain rulings, nor did it harbor [detailed] lawful and unlawful matters, but rather [it consisted of] symbols, parables, and admonitions; all other laws and rulings were referred back to the Torah." This is why the Jews did not submit to Jesus, peace be upon him. The dissenter interpreted this verse as: "Let them judge by what Allah has revealed therein," [referring to] the requirement to act upon the rulings of the Torah. This is contrary to the apparent meaning, just as is [the interpretation that] "what was revealed therein" refers only to the prophethood of our Prophet (ﷺ).