Tafsir of Al-Ma'idah 5:72

(Indeed, those who say, "Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary," have disbelieved.) This is an initiation into detailing the abominations of the Christians and refuting their corrupt statements, following the detailing of the abominations of the Jews. The speaker of this statement is among them, as has been narrated from Mujahid. We have already spoken extensively on the details of their statements and sects previously, so recall that.

"The Messiah" is a circumstantial qualifier for the doer of "they said," with the inclusion of an implied qad (indeed), which serves to further condemn their state by highlighting their denial of the Messiah and their lack of deterrence from that upon which they persisted, despite what they were threatened with. That is, they said this while the Messiah, peace be upon him, had already said, addressing them: (O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.) For I am a subject [of Allah] just as you are, so worship my Creator and your Creator.

(Indeed, he who associates others with Allah...) That is, anything in His worship—the Exalted—or in what is exclusive to Him of attributes and actions, such as attributing the knowledge of the unseen or the giving of life to the dead in essence to Jesus, peace be upon him—(Allah has forbidden him Paradise.) Because it is the abode of the monotheists. The intended meaning is that he is prevented from entering it, just as that which is forbidden is prevented from the one forbidden it. Thus, the "forbidding" is a synecdoche or a dependent metaphor for "prevention," as there is no legal obligation there. The manifestation of the Glorious Name [Allah] in the place of a pronoun is to emphasize the gravity of the matter and to cultivate awe.

(And his abode is the Fire.) For it is prepared for the polytheists. This is an explanation of their being afflicted with punishment, following the explanation of their being deprived of reward. It is not hidden what this sentence contains of an indication of the strength of the cause for his entry into the Fire.

(And for the wrongdoers there are no helpers.) That is, they have no one to help them by rescuing them from the Fire or entering them into Paradise, neither by way of overpowering [the guards] nor by way of intercession. The plural is used to observe correspondence with "wrongdoers."

It is also said: It is to make known the negation of a helper by a priority of argument (min bab awla), for if a great multitude does not help them, how could one of them help them? It is also said: This is in accordance with their claim that they have many helpers, so it denies that mockingly. The lam (in "the wrongdoers") is either for specification (referencing them), with the plural considered according to the meaning of "he who" (man), just as the singular pronouns are considered according to its wording; or it is for the generic category, and they are entered into it as a primary inclusion. Placing it in the position of their pronoun is to record against them that they have committed injustice by polytheism and have deviated from the path of truth. The sentence is a concluding confirmation (tadhyil) that establishes what precedes it. It is either part of the speech of Jesus, peace be upon him, or it is introduced from the side of the Exalted, confirming his saying, peace be upon him, and establishing its content.