| Al Imran: (70) O People of the Book...

He said: {Why do you disbelieve in the verses of Allah, O People of the Book?} There are several points concerning this:

The original form is lima (لِمَا), as it is the interrogative ma (ما) preceded by the preposition lam (لِ). The alif (ا) was dropped for ease of pronunciation, as the preposition acts as a substitute for it, and because the word ends with a vowel mark (the fatha indicating the dropped alif). This is similar to His saying: {About what are they asking each other?} (An-Naba: 1) and {And what are you being informed of?} (Al-Hijr: 54). When pausing on these words, the ha (ه) is used, such as limah (لِمَه) or bimah (بِمَه).

There are several interpretations regarding the phrase "verses of Allah" (آيات الله) in the context of the preceding verse (which is implied here, referring to the context of the Book).

The First View: The "verses of Allah" refer to the verses found in the Torah and the Gospel. Under this view, there are several sub-points:

1. The glad tidings concerning the Prophet (peace be upon him) found in these two Books.
2. The mention in these Books that Abraham (peace be upon him) was a Hanif (upright monotheist) and a Muslim.
3. The confirmation within them that the true religion is Islam.

Know that, based on this interpretation encompassing these points, disbelief in the verses carries two meanings:

1. They did not disbelieve in the Torah itself, but rather in what the Torah indicated. Thus, the evidence (the verse) is used metaphorically to mean the indicated reality (the prophethood of Muhammad).
2. They disbelieved in the Torah itself because they used to distort it and deny the existence of those verses indicating the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him).

As for His saying, {while you are witnesses}: According to this view, it means that in the presence of Muslims, and in the presence of their common folk, they would deny that the Torah and Gospel contained verses indicating the prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH). However, when some of them were alone with others, they would testify to their authenticity. This is similar to His saying: {seeking to make it crooked, while you are witnesses} (Al Imran: 99).

Know that interpreting the verse this way indicates that it contains a report of the unseen (al-ghayb), because the Prophet (PBUH) informed them of what they concealed within themselves while showing the opposite. Reporting the unseen is undoubtedly a miracle.

The Second View: The "verses of Allah" refer to the Qur'an. The phrase {while you are witnesses} means that they deny the miraculous nature of the Qur'an to the common people, yet they testify in their hearts and minds to its miraculous nature.

The Third View: The "verses of Allah" refer to the totality of miracles that appeared through the hands of the Prophet (PBUH). According to this view, {while you are witnesses} means that they acknowledged the evidential power of the miracles that appeared through previous prophets (peace be upon them) as proof of their truthfulness—since a miracle stands in place of divine affirmation. If they testify that the miracle proves the truthfulness of the other prophets in this regard, and you (O People of the Book) witness that this same principle applies to Muhammad (PBUH), then your insistence on denying his prophethood and message contradicts what you have already testified to regarding the evidential power of the miracles of the other prophets.