| An-Nisā’ (The Women): (153 - 154) The People of the Book ask you...

This is the second category of the foolish demands of the Jews. They said: "If you are a Messenger from God, bring us a book from heaven all at once, just as Moses brought the Tablets."

It is also said that they requested a book descending from heaven addressed to a specific person, and another to another person, confirming you are God's Messenger. Or, they wanted a book they could witness descending. They proposed this only out of obstinacy, because the Messenger's miracles had already occurred and been established; thus, demanding an increase was purely out of contention.

Then the Almighty said: {Indeed, they asked of Moses something greater than that}. This request is attributed to them even though it originated from their forefathers during Moses' time (the seventy chieftains) because they followed their doctrine, consented to their request, and shared in their obstinacy.

Know that the purpose of the verse is to clarify the inherent nature of their contentiousness. It is as if the meaning is: When a book descended from heaven to Moses, they were not satisfied with that amount, but rather demanded to see God visually (by direct sight). This indicates that their demand for a book to descend to them from heaven was not for guidance but purely for stubbornness.

Then the Almighty said: {Indeed, they asked of Moses something greater than that. They said, "Show us Allah openly." So the thunderbolt seized them for their wrongdoing}. We have already explained this story in Surah Al-Baqarah, and we have addressed the Mu'tazila's argument based on this verse for denying the vision there.

Then the Almighty said: {Then they took the calf after the clear proofs had come to them}. The meaning is to clarify the extent of their ignorance and their persistence in disbelief. After the Torah was revealed to them, they were not content with demanding to see God openly; rather, they added the worship of the calf to it. This demonstrates the extreme distance they were from seeking truth and religion.

The "clear proofs" (al-bayyināt) mentioned in {after the clear proofs had come to them} refer to several things:

1. That God made what He showed them—the thunderbolt—as clear proofs. Although the thunderbolt was a single event, it indicated God's power, His knowledge, His eternity, His being distinct from bodies and accidents, and the truthfulness of Moses' claim to prophethood.
2. That the clear proofs refer to the descent of the thunderbolt and their revival after He had caused them to die.
3. That they only worshipped the calf after witnessing the miracles Moses performed during Pharaoh's time, such as the staff, the shining hand, the splitting of the sea, and other overwhelming miracles.

The purpose of this discourse is to inform you, O Muhammad, that these people demand you send down a book from heaven. Know, O Muhammad, that they demand it only out of contention and obstinacy. Moses had a book sent down to him by God, along with all the overwhelming miracles, yet they demanded to see God visually out of contention and turned to worshipping the calf. All of this indicates that they are inherently inclined toward stubbornness, contention, and deviation from the path of truth.

Then He said: {Then We pardoned you for that}, meaning We did not utterly destroy the calf-worshippers. {The People of the Book ask you that...} meaning, although the people of Moses exaggerated in showing contention and obstinacy toward him, We supported and strengthened him, so his affair became great, and his opponent weakened.

This contains a subtle hint and indication (a ramz) to the Prophet (PBUH) that even though these disbelievers contend with him, he will ultimately prevail over them and conquer them.

Then the Almighty recounted their other follies and their insistence on falsehoods:

1. That God raised the Mount of Sinai above them concerning their covenant (mithāq). There are several interpretations for this:
   • First: They gave a covenant not to turn away from the religion. When they intended to turn back, God raised the Mount above them so they would fear and not break the covenant.
   • Second: They refused to accept the Law of the Torah. God raised the mountain above them until they accepted it. The meaning then becomes: "And We raised the Mount above them so that they might give the covenant to accept the religion."
   • Third: They gave a covenant that if they intended to revert from the religion, God would punish them with any type of punishment He willed. When they intended to abandon the religion, God cast the Mount over them, which is what is meant by {And We raised the Mount above them because of their covenant}.

2. His saying: {And We said to them, "Enter the gate in prostration"}, the explanation of which has passed in Surah Al-Baqarah.

3. His saying: {And We said to them, "Do not transgress on the Sabbath," and We took from them a solemn covenant}. This involves several issues:

There are two views:

• First: Do not transgress by hunting fish therein. Al-Wāḥidī said: ʿadā ʿalayhi means he wronged him severely, and al-ʿadā’ and al-ʿudwān mean injustice and exceeding the limit. Hence, His saying: {they would revile Allah in enmity} (Al-An'ām: 108).
• Second: Do not transgress on the Sabbath in the sense of al-ḥaḍar (staying put/remaining). The meaning is a prohibition against working or earning on the Sabbath, as if He told them: "Cease from work on this day and remain in your homes, for I am the Provider."

Nāfi‘ recited it with a quiescent 'ayn and a doubled dāl: {lā taʿaddū} (with a tashdīd on the dāl), intending: "Do not commit aggression" (lā taʿtadū). His proof is His saying: {And you certainly knew those among you who transgressed concerning the Sabbath} (Al-Baqarah: 65), where the form tafaʿʿaltum (transgressed) is used for this exact story. The tā’ was then assimilated into the dāl due to their proximity, and because the dāl has more emphasis in articulation (being voiced) than the tā’. Many grammarians deny combining two quiescent letters when the second is assimilated and the first is not a soft letter (like in dābbah or shābbah), but they say the tashdīd acts as a substitute for the vowel. Warsh, from Nāfi‘, narrated {lā taʿaddū} with an open 'ayn and a doubled dāl. This is because when the tā’ was assimilated into the dāl, its vowel was transferred to the 'ayn. The rest of the reciters use {taʿaddū} with a ḍammah on the dāl and a quiescent 'ayn, which is the literal form.

Al-Qaffāl said that the solemn covenant is the covenant confirmed with the utmost emphasis, which is evident in what they claim from the Torah.

Then the Almighty said:

{So for their breaking of the covenant and their disbelief in the signs of Allah and their killing of the prophets without right and their saying, "Our hearts are covered," rather, Allah has set a seal upon them because of their disbelief, so they believe not except for a few.}