Tafsir of Al-Ma'idah 5:68

(Say, "O People of the Scripture") The intent by them is the Jews and the Christians, as some exegetes have stated. Others said: The intent by them is the Jews [exclusively]. Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Jarir, and others recorded from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them) that he said: Rafi' ibn Harithah, Sallam ibn Mishkam, Malik ibn al-Sayf, and Rafi' ibn Huraymilah came [to the Prophet] and said: "O Muhammad, do you not claim that you are upon the creed and religion of Ibrahim, that you believe in what we have of the Torah, and that you testify that it is truly from Allah the Exalted?" The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied: "Yes, but you have introduced innovations, denied what is in it of the covenant taken from you, and concealed that which you were commanded to make clear to the people. So, I am innocent of your innovations." They said: "We take what is in our hands; we are upon guidance and truth, and we will not believe in you nor follow you." Thereupon, Allah the Exalted revealed concerning them: (You have nothing) i.e., [no] religion to be relied upon or worthy of being called "something," due to the manifest nature of its falsehood and the clarity of its corruption. In this expression, there is an obvious belittlement, and among their proverbs is "less than nothing." (until you uphold the Torah, the Gospel) i.e., observe them and preserve what they contain of matters, among which are the proofs of the messengership of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and the evidences of his prophecy. The upholding of them and the fulfilling of their rights is only achieved through that, not by acting upon everything contained therein—whether it be abrogated or otherwise—for the observance of the abrogated is a nullification of them and a rejection of their testimony. (and what has been revealed to you from your Lord) i.e., the Glorious Quran. Upholding it [is accomplished] by believing in it. The upholding of the two previous scriptures was mentioned before the upholding of it—even though it is the primary intended object—in order to respect the right of testimony and to lure them down from the rank of opposition. It is said: The intended meaning of the relative noun [what has been revealed] is the books of the Prophets of the Children of Israel (upon them be prayer and peace). It is also said: [It refers to] the Divine Books, for all of them speak of the obligation to believe in whoever claims prophethood and demonstrates a miracle, and the obligation for those to whom he was sent to obey him. The full discussion of this noble structure has already passed, as has the discussion of His saying: (And surely, what has been revealed to you from your Lord will increase many of them in transgression and disbelief). The sentence is inaugural, as the Shaykh al-Islam said, demonstrating the severity of their stubbornness, their extremism in denial and obstinacy, and the fact that [the act of] conveying the message brings no benefit. It begins with an oath to emphasize its content and verify it. Attributing the revelation to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)—while it was attributed to them [the People of the Scripture] previously—serves to signal their detachment from that attribution. And if the relative noun is intended to mean the blessings granted to him (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), the matter of the attribution is very clear.

(So do not grieve over the disbelieving people) i.e., do not sorrow or be sad over the increase of their transgression and disbelief, for the dire consequences of that are attached to them, and its burden returns upon them. In the believers, there is sufficiency for you [to replace them]. The noun is placed in the position of the pronoun [i.e., 'the disbelieving people' instead of 'them'] to record against them their steadfastness in disbelief. It is said: The intent is, do not grieve over their destruction and punishment. The noun is placed in the position of the pronoun to draw attention to the cause necessitating the absence of grief, though it is not free from being far-fetched.