Al-Ma'idah (5): 53 - And those who believe say...

Issues Discussed:

There are different readings for the word "Yaqūlu" (says) here:

1. Ibn Kathir, Nafi', and Ibn 'Amir read it as {يقول} (without the wāw). This reading aligns with the Mushafs of the people of Hijaz and Sham (the Levant).
2. Abu 'Amr reads it with the wāw as {ويقول} (with the wāw), which is found in the Mushafs of the people of Iraq.

Al-Wāḥidī stated that omitting the wāw is equivalent to including it. This is because the clause being connected (the statement of the believers) already contains a reference to the preceding clause (the hypocrites who hasten towards them). The ones whom the believers accuse ("Are these the ones who swore by Allah...") are the same ones described as hastening towards the Jews and Christians. Since each clause implicitly refers to the other, the connection is established whether the wāw is present or absent.

He cites the analogy of the verse: {They will say, "Three, the fourth of them being their dog," and they will say, "Five, the sixth of them being their dog"} (Al-Kahf: 22). Since each statement refers back to the preceding one, the wāw was omitted. However, the next verse states: {And they will say, "Seven, and the eighth of them being their dog"} (Al-Kahf: 22), where the wāw is included. This demonstrates that both omitting and including the wāw are permissible.

The author of Al-Kashshāf suggested that omitting the wāw implies a response to an implied question: "What will the believers say then?" The answer is: "The believers will say, 'Are these the ones who swore...'"

Another difference in reading this verse:

• Abu 'Amr read {ويقول الذين آمنوا} in the accusative case (Naṣb), implying: "And perhaps the believers will say..."
• Those who read it in the nominative case (Rafʿ) treat the wāw as connecting one complete sentence to another complete sentence. The reading in the nominative case is supported by the reading that omits the wāw (which implies a nominative subject).

The benefit of having the believers make this statement is that they express astonishment at the state of the hypocrites. The hypocrites had previously sworn by Allah with the strongest oaths that they were with the believers and their supporters. Now, how have they become allies to the enemies of the believers, loving to mix with them and seek strength from them?

This phrase can be interpreted in two ways:

1. It could be the speech of the believers.
2. It could be the speech of Allah (God).

The meaning is that the outward display of faith they showed has vanished, and all the good deeds they performed have become void because they have now openly allied themselves with the Jews and Christians. Consequently, they have become losers in this world and the Hereafter. Since their deeds are nullified, they have endured the hardship of performing those deeds without gaining any of their rewards or benefits, instead deserving condemnation in this world and punishment in the Hereafter.

Verse 7: