Tafsir of Al-Ma'idah 5:82

(You will surely find the most intense of the people in animosity toward those who have believed [to be] the Jews and those who associate [others with Allah]) This is an initiating sentence brought forth to confirm what preceded it regarding the detestable traits of the Jews. It is emphasized with an oath, out of concern for clarifying the certainty of its content. The address is either to the Master of those addressed, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, or to anyone suitable to be addressed, signaling that their state is something that is not hidden from anyone.

The verb wajada (to find) governs two objects: the first is ashadda (most intense), and the second is al-yahud (the Jews) and what is conjoined to it, as Abu al-Baqa' said. Al-Samin chose the opposite, because they are originally a subject and predicate, and the focus of the benefit is the predicate. There is no harm in the inversion if there is evidence indicating the sequence, and it is clear here; for the intention is to clarify that the two groups are the most intense of people in animosity toward the believers, so that the ones who are the most intense in animosity toward them are the two mentioned groups—so understand this.

Adawatan (animosity) is a specifier (tamyiz). The lam prefixed to the relative noun (alladhina) is connected to it, strengthening its operation. It does not matter that it is feminine with a ta’ (i.e., adawah), because it is built upon that, like rahbatu ‘iqabik (the fear of Your punishment). Abu al-Baqa' and al-Samin permitted it to be connected to an omitted element that acts as an adjective for it—that is, "animosity existing toward those who have believed."

The apparent meaning is that "the Jews" refers to the generality of those who were in the presence of the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, from the Jews of Medina and others. This is supported by what Abu al-Shaykh and Ibn Mardawayh recorded from Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "No Jew has ever been alone with a Muslim without thinking of killing him," and in another wording, "without speaking to himself about killing him." It has been said: The meaning is the Jews of Medina, but there is weakness in this. Just as there is disagreement regarding the generality of the Jews, there is disagreement regarding the generality of "those who associate [others with Allah]." The meaning of "the people," as Abu Hayyan said, is the disbelievers—that is, "You will surely find the most intense of the disbelievers in animosity [to be] these."

Allah, Glory be to Him, described them as such due to the severity of their obstinacy, the multiplication of their disbelief, their immersion in following desires, their proximity to blind imitation, their distance from verification, their habituation to rebellion and resistance against the Prophets, peace be upon them, and their boldness in denying them and opposing them. It has been said that it is among the doctrines of the Jews that they must inflict harm upon those who differ from them in religion by any means possible.

The priority given to the Jews over the polytheists signals their precedence over them in animosity, just as their priority in the verse, "And you will surely find them the most greedy of people for life, and [more so] than those who associate [others with Allah]," signals their precedence over them in greed. It is said the priority is because the discourse is in the enumeration of their detestable traits. Perhaps the expression "those who associate [others with Allah]" was used rather than "the polytheists"—despite it being more concise—for the sake of exaggeration in dispraise. It is also said it was to be in the pattern of "those who have believed," and it was used rather than "the believers" because it is more explicit in showing the causality of what is in the position of the silah (relative clause).

The relative noun and its clause were repeated in His saying, "And you will surely find the nearest of them in affection to those who have believed," for the sake of increased clarification and explanation. The expression "those who said, 'We are Christians'" was used rather than "the Christians" to signal the proximity of their affection, as they claim to be the helpers (ansar) of Allah and the friends of the people of truth, even if they do not manifest the belief in the validity of Islam.

Ibn al-Munir said: Allah, Glory be to Him, did not say "the Christians" as He said, "the Jews," as an insinuation of the hardness of the former in disbelief and their refusal to submit. This is because when the Jews were told, "Enter the Holy Land," they said, "Go, you and your Lord, and fight!" whereas when the Christians were told, "Who are my helpers for Allah?", they said, "We are the helpers of Allah." It also appeared at the beginning of the Surah in His saying, "And from those who said, 'We are Christians,' We took their covenant; but they forgot a portion of that of which they were reminded." However, it is mentioned here to draw attention to their submission and that they did not oppose the command with rejection like the Jews did. It was mentioned there to draw attention to the fact that they did not remain firm on the covenant. Allah, the Exalted, knows best the secrets of His speech.

Avoiding—as the Shaykh of Islam said—making the point of difference between the two parties a single thing in which they differed in intensity and weakness or proximity and distance—by saying at the end, "And you will surely find the weakest of them in affection..." or by saying at the beginning, "You will surely find the furthest of people in affection"—is to signal the complete divergence of the difference between the two parties by clarifying that one of them is at the extreme limit of one of the two opposites, and the other is at the nearest limit of the other opposite. The discussion regarding the two objects of "You will surely find" and the connection of the lam is like what preceded. The meaning of "the Christians," according to what is narrated from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, Ibn Jubayr, ‘Ata’, and al-Suddi, is the Najashi (Negus) and his companions.

According to Mujahid, they are those who came with Ja’far, may Allah be pleased with him, as Muslims; they were seventy men: sixty-two from Abyssinia and eight from the people of Sham. They were Bahira the monk, Abrahah, Idris, Ashraf, Tammam, Qutham, Duraid, and Ayman. The apparent meaning is the generality, in the style of what preceded.

("That is because among them are priests and monks")—that is, because among them are qissisin (priests). These are the scholars and worshippers of the Christians and their leaders. Qissis is an intensive form derived from taqassasa a thing, meaning to follow it at night; they were named such due to their intensity in pursuing knowledge, as al-Raghib said. It is said the qass—with a fathah on the fa—is to pursue a thing and seek it, and from this, the scholar of the Christians is called qassan (with a fathah) and qissisan (due to his pursuit of knowledge). It is also said it means to follow a trace. Qutrub said: The qass and qissis are the "scholar" in the Roman language, and the Arabs have used it, treating it like the rest of their words, saying in the infinitive qasusa and qasisah, and in the plural qusus, qissisun, and qasawisah like mahalibah. The original was qasasah, but because the sin sounds were frequent, they replaced one of them with a waw. In Majma' al-Bayan, it is narrated from some that the Christians lost the Gospel and inserted into it what was not part of it, and only one of their scholars remained upon the truth and uprightness, who is called qissisan; so whoever was upon his guidance and religion is a qissis.

("And monks")—the plural of rahib, like rakib and rukban, or faris and fursan. Its infinitive is rahbanah and rahbaniyyah. It is said it is used for both singular and plural. The tarahhub is worshipping in a cell (hermitage). Its root is from rahbah (fear). Al-Fairuzabadi and al-Jawhari attributed it to worship generally without restricting it to a cell. In the Hadith, "There is no monasticism in Islam," the intended meaning, as al-Raghib said, is the exaggeration in undertaking worship out of excessive fear. In al-Nihayah, it is from the monasticism of the Christians; its root is rahbah (fear). They would practice monasticism by abandoning worldly occupations, leaving their pleasures, practicing asceticism, isolating themselves from their people, and intentionally undertaking hardships—to the extent that some would castrate themselves, put chains on their necks, and other types of torture. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, negated this from Islam and forbade the Muslims from it. It is attributed to rahbanah by the addition of the alif.

The use of the indefinite in "monks" is to denote plurality, and it must be considered for the "priests" as well, since it is what indicates the affection of the Christian gender to the believers. For the characterization of many individuals of a genus with a trait is a justification for the characterization of the genus itself with it. Otherwise, there are also among the Jews people who are guided, but since they were not in such numbers as those from the Christians, their ruling did not extend to the genus of the Jews.

("And they are not arrogant")—conjoined to "that among them are"; that is, and because they do not act arrogantly regarding following the truth and submitting to it when they understand it. Or, they are humble and do not become arrogant like the Jews. This trait, as it is said, is inclusive of all individuals of the genus, so its causality for their being the nearest in affection to the believers is clear. The verse is evidence that humility, turning toward knowledge and action, and turning away from desires are praiseworthy wherever they are found.