Tafsir of Al-Ma'idah 5:52

The words of the Exalted: "So you see those in whose hearts is a disease," meaning hypocrisy, like 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy and his ilk, as Ibn 'Abbas—may Allah be pleased with both of them—said, are an explanation of the manner of their befriending, an indication of its cause, and of what their affair will lead to. The fa (so) is to signal its consequence upon the lack of guidance; it is purely for causality.

Al-Karkhi allowed that it might be for connection to [the verse] "Indeed, Allah...", in terms of meaning. The address is either to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) by way of stylistic variation, or to everyone who has the capacity for it. Using the relative pronoun (those) instead of a pronoun for the people is to indicate, through what is contained in the connecting clause, that what they committed of befriending was due to the disease lurking within them. The vision is either visual, and the words of the Exalted "hurrying into them" are a circumstantial qualifier for the object—which is most appropriate given the manifest nature of their hypocrisy—or it is mental, and the clause is in the position of a second object. The intended meaning, on both accounts, is that they are hurrying in their befriending of them. However, it is said that "in them" is an exaggeration in stating their desire for it and their frantic pursuit of it. Preferring the word "in" over "to" is to indicate that they are established within that befriending, and their hurrying is merely from some of its levels to others.

Al-Zamakhshari interpreted the "hurrying" as "being busy/industrious," due to its frequent usage with "in." Some investigators avoided this, as it is an interpretation by that which is more obscure. It was chosen that the verb "hurrying" here takes the preposition "to" due to it implying the meaning of entering. It was also recited as "he sees" (yara) with the ya of the third person, in which case the pronoun, as Abu al-Baqa' said, is for Allah—Exalted is He. It is also said it refers to whomever is capable of seeing. It is also said that the subject is the relative pronoun and the object is the clause, with an elided an (the source-particle), and the vision is mental; meaning, the people in whose hearts is a disease see that they should hurry into them. When the an was elided, the verb became elevated, as in the saying: "Would that this one who forbids me would attend the battle."

And His saying, Exalted is He: "Saying, 'We fear that a circle of misfortune may strike us,'" is a circumstantial qualifier from the subject of "hurrying." "Circle" (da'irah) is one of the prevalent attributes whose described noun is not mentioned. Its root is dawwarah, for it is from "to turn/rotate." Its meaning linguistically, according to al-Qamus, is that which encompasses a thing. In Sharh al-Mulakhkhas, it is stated that a circle is a flat surface encompassed by a curved line, within which a point can be posited such that the distance between it and the line is the same from all directions. "Circle" may also be applied to that encompassing line itself.

There is disagreement regarding which of the two meanings is the literal one. It is said that it is literal for the first (the surface) and figurative for the second (the line), and it is said to be the opposite. Al-Birjandi said: The verification of this is that if one end of a straight line is fixed and rotated a full turn, a circular surface is formed, which is named as such because the form of this surface has a rotation, on the basis that the active participle form is for attribution. If the movement of a point around a fixed point is imagined for a full turn, such that the distance between the moving point and the fixed point does not vary, the circumference of a circle is formed, which is named as such because the point was "circling," so what resulted from its rotation was called a "circle." If the first is considered, it is appropriate that applying "circle" to the surface is literal and to the circumference is figurative; if the second is considered, it is appropriate that the matter be the reverse.

Some scholars critiqued this, saying that its defect is not hidden, because applying it to the circumference in the second consideration is also figurative, as it belongs to the category of naming the effect by the name of the cause. Unless it is said: he intended by the literalness of its application to the circumference that its application is not figurative in the way it was in the first consideration, for the mode of the metaphor there is the naming of the circumference by the name of the encompassed, which is not the case here, as you have heard. But this is far-fetched. If he had said in the mode of naming the latter that "the form of the line has a rotation," in accordance with his saying in the mode of the former, this would not be objected to against him. Reflect on this. However, it has been metaphorically used for the vicissitudes of time by noting its encompassing nature.

Their saying this was an excuse for the befriending, meaning: "We fear that a circle of the circles of time and a state of its states might revolve upon us," in that the affair turns toward the disbelievers and the state becomes theirs over the Muslims, and we will need them. This was said by Mujahid, Qatadah, and al-Suddi. From al-Kalbi: the meaning is "we fear that time will turn against us with something disliked, like drought or famine, so they will not provision us or lend to us." It is not far-fetched that the hypocrites manifest to the believers that they mean by the "circle" what al-Kalbi said, while concealing in the circles of their hearts what the group said, which signals the doubt regarding the affair of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Allah the Exalted decreed their false excuses and cut off their empty greeds, and He gave glad tidings to the believers regarding the attainment of their wish by His saying, Glorified is He: "But perhaps Allah will bring about the conquest." For "perhaps" (asa) from Him—Exalted is He—is a fated promise, for when the Generous makes one hopeful, He provides. So what is your estimation of the Most Generous of the generous?

The intended meaning of "the conquest" is the conquest of Mecca, as reported from al-Suddi. It is said: the conquest of the lands of the disbelievers, and al-Juba'i preferred this. Qatadah and Muqatil said: it is the decisive judgment by His granting victory to him—upon him be peace and blessings—over those who opposed him and the strengthening of the religion. "And that He brings" is in the interpretation of the infinitive, and it is a predicate of asa according to al-Akhfash, and an object according to Sibawayh, so that reporting an event about the Essence is not necessitated. The matter regarding that, according to al-Akhfash, is simple. "Or a command from Him," which is the killing and enslaving of the offspring of Banu Qurayzah and the expulsion of Banu Nadir, according to Muqatil. It is said: the manifesting of the hypocrisy of the hypocrites along with the command for their killing, and this is narrated from al-Hasan and al-Zajjaj. It is also said: the death of the head of hypocrisy, and this is narrated from al-Juba'i.

"So they become," meaning those hypocrites. It is a conjunction to "will bring," included with it in the realm of the predicate of asa. The fa of causality makes the two clauses like a single clause, dispensing with the need for a pronoun returning to the noun. The intended meaning is "so they will become, regarding what they concealed within themselves" of disbelief and doubt in the affair of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), "regretful."

It is a predicate of "become," and with it, there is a connection to "what they concealed." Specifying regret to it, and not to what they were manifesting of befriending the disbelievers, is because it is that which was driving them to that befriending and enticing them toward it. Thus, it is indicated that their regret is for the befriending in its origin and its cause.

Ibn Mansur and Ibn Hatim narrated from 'Amr that he heard Ibn al-Zubayr recite: "Perhaps Allah will bring the conquest or a command from Him, so the corrupt will become regretful for what they concealed within themselves." 'Amr said: I do not know if this was a recitation from him or an interpretation.