| Al Imran: (72) And a party of the People of the Book said...

Know that when the Almighty recounted that they used to mix the truth with falsehood, He followed it by recounting one type of their deception, which is mentioned in this verse. There are several issues here:

Issue 1: The saying of some of them to others, {And a party of the People of the Book said: "Believe in what was revealed..."}

This statement can imply either belief in all that was revealed or belief in some of what was revealed.

There are several interpretations for this:

First View: The Jews and Christians devised a stratagem to sow doubt among the weak Muslims regarding the truthfulness of Islam. They would appear to affirm the laws revealed to Muhammad (PBUH) at certain times, and then subsequently appear to deny them. When people witness this denial, they might conclude that this denial is not due to envy or obstinacy (otherwise, they wouldn't have believed it initially). If it's not due to envy or obstinacy, it must be because they, as People of the Book, thoroughly examined the matter and investigated the proofs of his prophethood, and after complete reflection and exhaustive research, it became clear to them that he was a liar. This tactic would thus become a source of doubt for the weak Muslims regarding the validity of his prophethood. It is narrated that twelve Jewish scholars from Khaybar agreed upon this method.

The phrase {that they might return} means: If we cast this doubt, perhaps their followers will revert from their religion.

Second View: The leaders of the Jews and Christians said to one another: "Feign agreement and show accord with the believers, but on the condition that you remain steadfast in your religion when you are in private with your People of the Book brethren. For the affair of these believers is in turmoil. So, spend some days with them through hypocrisy, perhaps their affair will weaken and their religion will vanish, and they will return to your religion." This is the view of Abu Muslim al-Asfahani. Two points support this:

1. When the Almighty said, {Indeed, those who have believed, then disbelieved, then believed, then disbelieved...} (An-Nisa: 137), He followed it with {Give good tidings to the hypocrites}. This is similar to His saying, {And when they meet those who believe, they say, "We believe," but when they are alone with their devils, they say, "Indeed, we are with you; we were only jesting"} (Al-Baqarah: 14).
2. The Almighty followed this verse with {that they might return, and do not believe except in one who follows your religion}. This indicates that they were forbidden from anything other than the religion they were already upon, making their statement {In the morning believe... and in the evening disbelieve} an order for hypocrisy.

Third View: Al-Asamm said: Some of them said to others: "If you deny everything he brought, your common folk know you are lying, because much of what he brought is true. So, affirm some of it and deny some of it, so that people attribute your denial to fairness rather than obstinacy, and thus accept what you say."

The phrase {And a party of the People of the Book said: "Believe in what was revealed to those who..."} refers to some of what Allah revealed. Those who hold this view interpret it concerning the Qibla (direction of prayer) and offer two explanations:

First Explanation (Ibn Abbas): "In the morning believe" means the beginning of the day, which is the morning prayer. "And in the evening disbelieve" means the afternoon prayer (Dhuhr). The reasoning is that when the Prophet (PBUH) arrived in Medina, he prayed towards Jerusalem, which pleased the Jews and made them hopeful that he might be one of them. When Allah changed the Qibla to the Kaaba, this occurred around the Dhuhr prayer. Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf and others said: {And a party of the People of the Book said: "Believe in what was revealed"} meaning: Believe in the Qibla towards which he prayed the morning prayer, for it is the truth, and disbelieve in the Qibla towards which he prayed the afternoon prayer, which is the end of the day, and that is the second disbelief.

Second Explanation: When the Qibla was changed to the Kaaba, it was difficult for them. So, some said to others: "Pray towards the Kaaba at the beginning of the day, then disbelieve in this Qibla at the end of the day and pray towards the Rock (Jerusalem). Perhaps they will say that the People of the Book are the people of knowledge; if they did not know this Qibla (to the Kaaba) was false, they would not have abandoned it, and then they will revert from this Qibla."

Issue 2: The benefit of Allah informing us about their agreement on this stratagem.

This has several benefits:

1. This stratagem was hidden among them, and they did not reveal it to any outsiders. When the Messenger informed about it, it was a report of the unseen, thus being a miracle.
2. When the Almighty informed the believers about their agreement on this trick, the stratagem had no effect on the hearts of the believers. Had this announcement not been made, this trick might have affected some whose faith was weak.
3. When they were exposed in this stratagem, it served as a deterrent for them against undertaking similar tricks and deceptions.

Issue 3: The meaning of "The face of the day" (وجه النهار)

"The face of the day" means its beginning. In Arabic, the "face" (wajh) of anything means its front or what faces it first, just as one says the "face of the garment" for the front of the garment. Tha'lab narrated from Ibn al-A'rabi: "I came to him at the face of the day, the chest of the day, and the youth of the day," meaning the beginning of the day. Al-Rabi' ibn Ziyad recited poetry:

! 7 < {And do not believe except in one who follows your religion. Say, "Indeed, the guidance is the guidance of Allah. [Do you expect] that one should be given the like of what you were given or that they should argue with you before your Lord?" Say, "Indeed, favor is in the hand of Allah; He gives it to whomever He wills. And Allah is All-Encompassing [in His bounty], All-Knowing." * He selects for His mercy whom He wills. And Allah is the Owner of great favor.} > 7

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