Surah Al-Ma'idah (The Table Spread): Verse 44

Translation:

Exegetical Notes (Tafsir)

This verse is an admonition from Allah to the Jews who denied the necessity of stoning (Rajm), and an encouragement for them to emulate their predecessors among the Jewish scholars and the Prophets sent to them. There are several issues to consider:

The conjunction ("and") implies a difference between Hudā (guidance) and Nūr (light).

• Guidance (Hudā): Is interpreted as the clarification of rulings, religious laws (sharā'i'), and obligations (takālīf).
• Light (Nūr): Is interpreted as the clarification of the Oneness of God (Tawhid), prophethood, and the Hereafter.

Al-Zajjaj said: "{In it is guidance}" means the clarification of the ruling they were asking the Prophet (PBUH) about, and "{and light}" means the clarification that the mission of the Prophet (PBUH) is true.

Those who argue that the laws of previous prophets are binding upon us unless evidence proves their abrogation rely on this verse.

The Argument: Allah states that the Torah contains guidance and light. If the ruling (like stoning) were entirely abrogated and irrelevant, it could not contain guidance and light. It cannot be argued that Hudā and Nūr refer only to the fundamentals of religion (like Tawhid), because mentioning both would imply redundancy. Furthermore, since this verse was revealed concerning the issue of stoning, the specific legal rulings must be included within the scope of the verse. Even if there is disagreement about matters outside the immediate cause of revelation, we agree that the subject of revelation must be included.

This refers to the prophets sent after Moses. Allah sent thousands of prophets to the Children of Israel without new scriptures; they were sent only to uphold the Torah, establish its limits, fulfill its obligations, and distinguish its lawful from its unlawful.

Objection: Every prophet must inherently be a Muslim (one who submits). So, what is the benefit of saying, "The prophets who submitted"?

Answers:

1. Submission to the Torah: The term Aslamū here means they submitted to the ruling of the Torah. Some prophets did not have the Torah as their specific law. Those who submitted to the Torah were those sent between the time of Moses and the time of Jesus (peace be upon them).
2. Referring to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): Al-Hasan, Al-Zuhri, 'Ikrimah, Qatadah, and Al-Suddi suggested that this might refer to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This is because he judged the two adulterous Jews by stoning, which was a ruling of the Torah. The plural form is used for his glorification, similar to Allah's saying, "{Indeed, Abraham was a nation...}" (16:120) and "{Or do they envy people...}" (4:45), because he embodied the virtues of most prophets.
3. Refutation of Jewish/Christian Claims: Ibn Al-Anbari stated this refutes Jews and Christians who claimed all prophets were either Jewish or Christian. Allah clarifies that the prophets were not defined by Judaism or Christianity, but by being Muslims submitting to Allah's commands.
4. Intention in Judgment: The meaning is that the prophets' intention in judging by the Torah was faith, Islam, manifesting Allah's rulings, and submission to His commands. This contrasts sharply with the late Jews whose goal in claiming adherence to the Torah was taking bribes and misleading the common people.

There are two interpretations:

1. The prophets judged for the Jews, meaning on their behalf and among them.
2. It could be a matter of sequence: "Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in it guidance and light, for those who were Jews; the prophets who submitted would judge by it."

• Al-Rabbāniyyūn: Their explanation has preceded (referring to earlier sections of Tafsir).
• Al-Ahbār: Ibn Abbas said they are the jurists (Fuqahā'). Linguists differed on the singular form:
  • Al-Farrā': The singular is Hibr (with a kasra), referring to a learned man. He is named this because of the ink (Hibr) used for writing, signifying he is a man of books.
  • Abu 'Ubaydah: Said the singular is Habar (with a fatha).
  • Al-Layth: Said it can be Hibr or Habar.
  • Al-Asma'i: Was uncertain.
  • Etymology: Some say it derives from Tahbīr (beautification/adornment), as knowledge is the highest form of virtue and beauty. Others (Al-Farrā', Al-Kisā'i, Abu 'Ubaydah) say it derives from the ink used for writing.

The verse indicates that the prophets, the Rabbāniyyūn, and the Ahbār judged by the Torah. This implies that the Rabbāniyyūn held a higher status than the Ahbār. Thus, the Rabbāniyyūn are established as being like the Mujtahids (independent jurists), and the Ahbār like the general body of scholars.

There are two issues here:

Issue 1: The Two Aspects of Preserving Allah's Book

1. Preservation by not forgetting (memorization).
2. Preservation by not allowing it to be lost or neglected (action).

Allah took a covenant from the scholars to preserve His Book in both ways: by memorizing it and teaching it, and by not neglecting or abandoning its rulings.

Issue 2: The Function of the Preposition 'Bā' (Bi) in {Bi-mā Istuhfidhū}

1. It relates to the Ahbār (scholars), meaning: they judged as scholars entrusted with preserving the Book.
2. It relates to the act of judging: they judged based on what they were entrusted to preserve (Al-Zajjaj's view).

This means these prophets, Rabbāniyyūn, and Ahbār were witnesses that everything in the Torah was true, truthful, and from Allah. Therefore, they were obligated to enforce the rulings of the Torah and guard it against distortion and alteration.

After establishing that the prophets and scholars upheld the rulings of the Torah without hesitation, Allah addresses the Jews of the Prophet's time, forbidding them from distortion.

The people's willingness to distort the text must stem from either fear/awe (rahbah) or greed/desire (raghbah). Since fear has a stronger influence, Allah mentioned it first: {So fear not the people, but fear Me}.

This means: Do not alter My Book out of fear of people, kings, or nobles, lest you waive the obligatory punishments against them or devise stratagems to exempt them from Allah's obligations. Instead of fearing people, fear Me and My punishment.

Following the warning against fear, Allah addresses desire: {And do not exchange My verses for a small price}. Just as I forbade you from changing My rulings out of fear, I forbid you from changing them out of greed for wealth, status, or taking bribes. All worldly possessions are meager, and the bribes you take are extremely small. Moreover, bribes are impure, lacking blessing, permanence, and benefit. Thus, the wealth you gain is small upon small, yet you sacrifice your religion, eternal reward, and endless happiness for it.

It is also possible that their distortion resulted from a combination of both factors: fear of leaders and taking bribes from the masses. By forbidding both despicable actions, Allah provided conclusive proof against distortion and alteration.

There are two issues here:

Issue 1: Contextual Meaning (The Threat)

The primary purpose of this statement is to threaten the Jews for their distortion of Allah's ruling concerning the punishment of the married adulterer (stoning). Since they denied a ruling explicitly stated in the Torah and claimed it was not obligatory, they are considered absolute disbelievers, not deserving the name of faith, neither through Moses and the Torah nor through Muhammad and the Qur'an.

Issue 2: The Khawarij Position vs. The Majority

The Khawarij argue: Every person who disobeys Allah is a disbeliever (Kāfir). They use this verse as proof, asserting that anyone who judges contrary to what Allah revealed is a Kāfir, and since every sinner judges contrary to a divine ruling, every sinner must be a Kāfir.

The Majority of Imams disagree. They offer several responses to this doubt:

1. Specificity of Cause: This verse was revealed specifically concerning the Jews, so it should be restricted to them. (This is weak, as the ruling is generally derived from the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the cause.) Some tried to modify this by saying: "And whoever does not judge by what Allah revealed among those previously mentioned..." (This is also weak, as adding conditions to a conditional statement is impermissible.)
2. Type of Disbelief: 'Ata' said it is a disbelief lesser than disbelief (kufr dūna kufr). Al-Tawus said it is not the disbelief that removes one from the religious community (like denying Allah or the Last Day). They interpreted it as disbelief in the blessing (kufr al-ni'mah) rather than disbelief in religion (kufr al-dīn). (This is weak, as the term kufr when used absolutely refers to religious disbelief.)
3. Resemblance: Ibn Al-Anbari suggested the meaning is: whoever judges contrary to Allah's revelation has done an act resembling the actions of disbelievers, thus being likened to them. (This is weak as it deviates from the apparent meaning.)
4. Scope of "All Revelation": 'Abd Al-'Aziz ibn Yahya Al-Kinani suggested that "{by what Allah has revealed}" is a general term, meaning: whoever acts contrary to Allah's ruling in all that Allah has revealed, then those are the disbelievers. This is because the Kāfir is one who opposes Allah's command in everything revealed. A sinner (Fāsiq) only opposes it in a few actions, while remaining in agreement regarding belief and affirmation. (This is also weak because if this verse were a specific threat only for those who oppose all of Allah's rulings, it would not apply to the Jews regarding their rejection of stoning, as they did not reject all of Allah's rulings. Since commentators agree this threat applies to the Jews regarding the stoning ruling, this interpretation fails.)
5. Denial vs. Action (The Correct View): 'Ikrimah said this verse only applies to one who denies the ruling in his heart and rejects it with his tongue. If someone knows in his heart that it is Allah's ruling and affirms it with his tongue, but then acts contrary to it, he is still judging by what Allah revealed (in affirmation), but he is abandoning it. Therefore, he is not necessarily included under this verse. This is the correct answer, Allah knows best.

Surah Al-Ma'idah (The Table Spread): Verse 45