Tafsir of Al-Ma'idah 5:65

(And if the People of the Scripture) — meaning the Jews and the Christians, assuming that "the Scripture" refers to the generic category that encompasses both the Torah and the Gospel. It is possible that only the Jews are intended; the mention of the Gospel is not an explicit proof of universality, but that which the general body of exegetes holds is universality. They mentioned them by that title to emphasize the denunciation of them. The intent by them is those contemporary to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). That is, even if they—despite the various forms of crimes in word and deed that have proceeded from them—(had believed) in what faith had been negated from them, thereby including their obligatory belief in the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

The object of belief is omitted, relying upon the clarity of what preceded in His saying, the Exalted: "Do you find fault with us except that we have believed in Allah..." and what follows in His saying, the Glorified: "And if they had upheld the Torah..." To restrict the object to belief in him (peace and blessings be upon him) is rejected, as the Shaykh al-Islam said, because the context—what was mentioned before and what follows regarding their disbelief in him (peace and blessings be upon him)—is only mentioned accompanied by their disbelief in their own scriptures as well. This is intended to compel and rebuke them by clarifying that disbelief in him (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) necessitates disbelief in their own scriptures. Thus, interpreting "belief" here as only belief in him (peace and blessings be upon him) is detrimental to the harmony of the noble arrangement.

Qatadah—as reported by Ibn Humayd and others—interpreted the object as "what Allah has revealed," which is an inclination toward generalization. He likewise generalized the meaning in His saying, the Exalted: (And feared) by saying: That is, what Allah the Exalted has forbidden.

The Shaykh al-Islam said: That is, if they had refrained from the sins we have counted—among which is the opposition to their scriptures—(We would have wiped out their bad deeds) which they committed and hastened into, even if they were of the utmost magnitude, and We would not have held them accountable for them. The use of the plural of paucity [in "sayyi'at"] is either in consideration of the types or in consideration of the fact that, even if they were many, they are few in relation to the generosity of Allah the Exalted. We have previously indicated that the plural of paucity may stand in the place of the plural of abundance if the context requires it.

(And We would have certainly admitted them) along with that (to the Gardens of Pleasure). Abu Hayyan proposed that the wiping out of bad deeds is in response to "belief," and the admission to the Gardens of Pleasure is in response to "piety," interpreting the latter as the performance of commands and the avoidance of prohibitions; thus, the verse is a case of distribution. However, the apparent meaning is otherwise, and the repetition of the [emphatic] lam is for the confirmation of the promise. In this is an alert to the complete magnitude of their sins and the abundance of their transgressions, and that Islam erases what came before it, even if it were grave and exceeded the limit. In the genitive construction of the Gardens to "Pleasure" [al-Na'im], there is an alert to the punishment they would have deserved had they not believed and feared.

Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu al-Shaykh reported from Malik ibn Dinar that he said: "The Gardens of Pleasure are between the Gardens of Firdaws and the Gardens of 'Adn; in them are maidens created from the roses of Paradise." It was said: "Who will inhabit them?" He said: "Those who intended to commit sins, but when they remembered the greatness of Allah—His status is exalted—they restrained themselves." It is not hidden that such a statement cannot be said based on opinion. That which the apparent meaning requires is that it be said of all the Gardens: "Gardens of Pleasure," even if the ranks of pleasure within them differ.