Al-Ma'idah (The Table Spread): 60. Say: Shall I inform you...

Herein are several issues:

This phrase refers to the one who is punished. The implied word must be omitted, meaning: "a worse human being than those of that religion." This is because the verse states, "{from those whom Allah has cursed}." It is not said, "The cursed one is worse than that religion," but rather, "He is worse than the one who possesses that religion."

Objection: This implies that those possessing that religion are judged as evil, which is known not to be the case.

Response: The statement is framed according to their own claims and beliefs. Since they judged that adhering to that religion was evil, the response is: "Suppose that is the case, but Allah's curse, His wrath, and the transformation of forms are worse than that."

• Grammar: It is in the accusative case (mansūb) as a tamyīz (specification/elucidation). Its pattern is mufa''alah, like maqūlah and mujāwazah. It means the verbal noun (maṣdar). Sources also mention nouns following the pattern maf''ūl for the verbal noun, such as al-ma'qūl (what is reasoned) and al-ma'sūr (what is made easy).
• Objection: Mathūbah is typically reserved for good deeds. How can it be used concerning evil deeds?
• Response: This usage follows the pattern of the verse {فبشرهم بعذاب أليم} (So give them tidings of a painful punishment) (Al 'Imran: 21), and the poet's line:

  A greeting between them is a painful striking.

This pronoun has two possibilities:

1. Nominative (Rafa'): It functions as the predicate (khabar) of an omitted subject (mubtada'). Since the verse began, "Say: Shall I inform you of a worse human being than that," someone might ask, "Who is that?" The answer is: "He is the one whom Allah has cursed." This is similar to the verse {قل أفأنبئكم بشر من ذالكم النار} (Say: Shall I inform you of something worse than that? The Fire) (Al-Hajj: 72), as if saying: "It is the Fire."
2. Genitive (Khafd): It can be in apposition (badal) to the word shar (worse). The meaning would be: "Shall I inform you of the one whom Allah has cursed."

Allah mentions several of their characteristics:

1. Allah cursed them.
2. Allah was wrathful toward them.
3. Allah transformed some of them into apes and pigs, and [others] worshipped the Ṭāghūt.

Exegesis: The commentators state that the apes refer to the companions of the Sabbath, and the pigs refer to the disbelievers of Jesus's table (the Mā'idah). It is also narrated that the transformed ones were among the Sabbath-keepers, as their youths were transformed into apes, and their elders into pigs.

The author of Al-Kashshāf mentioned several variant readings for this phrase:

1. Abī: Wa 'abadū aṭ-Ṭāghūt (And they worshipped the Ṭāghūt).
2. Ibn Mas'ūd: Wa man 'abadū (And those who worshipped...).
3. Conjoined to Apes: Wa 'ābid aṭ-Ṭāghūt (And the worshipper of the Ṭāghūt), in apposition to al-qiradah (apes).
4. Wa 'ābidi (And worshippers of...).
5. Wa 'ibbād (And worshippers of...).
6. Wa 'abd (Pattern of ḥiṭam).
7. Wa 'ubayd (And little slaves of...).
8. Wa 'abid (with two ḍamm sounds, meaning all slaves).
9. Wa 'abdatu (Pattern of kafara).
10. Wa 'abd (The original was ʿabdatu, the tā’ was dropped due to annexation, or it is like khadam for khādim).
11. Wa 'abd.
12. Wa 'ibbād.
13. Wa 'a'bad.
14. Wa 'abda aṭ-Ṭāghūt (Worshipped the Ṭāghūt in the passive form, omitting the relative pronoun, meaning: the Ṭāghūt was worshipped among them).
15. Wa 'abda aṭ-Ṭāghūt (meaning the Ṭāghūt became worshipped instead of Allah, like saying amara meaning "he became a prince").
16. Ḥamzah's Reading: ʿabada aṭ-Ṭāghūt (with fatḥah on the 'ayn, ḍammah on the bā’, and naṣb on the dāl). Grammarians criticized this reading severely. However, some argued it is neither a grammatical error nor a mistake, offering several justifications:
    • The word ʿabid means slave, but the bā’ is vocalized with a ḍammah for emphasis, like ḥadhir and faṭin for an eloquent person. Thus, ʿabidu aṭ-Ṭāghūt means they reached the extreme limit in obeying Satan. This is considered the best explanation.
    • ʿabid and ʿabid are two linguistic variants, like sab'un and sab'un.
    • The plural of ʿabid is ʿibbād, and the plural of ʿibbād is ʿabid (like thimār and thamar). Two consecutive ḍamm sounds were difficult, so the first was changed to a fatḥah.
    • Perhaps it intended a'badu aṭ-Ṭāghūt, similar to fals and aflas, then the hamzah was dropped and its vowel moved to the 'ayn.
    • Perhaps it intended wa 'abdatu aṭ-Ṭāghūt (as read elsewhere), then the hā’ was dropped and the bā’ was vocalized with a ḍammah to distinguish it from the verb form.

Al-Farrā' interpreted this as: "And Allah made of them apes, and [made of them] those who worshipped the Ṭāghūt." According to this view, the relative pronoun is omitted.

Our scholars use this verse as proof that disbelief (kufr) is by the decree of Allah. They argue that the meaning of the verse is: "And Allah made of them those who worshipped the Ṭāghūt." This making only makes sense if Allah Himself caused that worship to originate in them. If it meant that they themselves caused that worship, then Allah did not make them worshippers of the Ṭāghūt; rather, they made themselves so, which contradicts the verse.

The Mu'tazilah argue that the meaning is that Allah judged them as such and described them with it, similar to the verse {وجعلوا الملئكة الذين هم عباد الرحمان إناثا} (And they made the angels, who are servants of the Most Merciful, females) (Az-Zukhruf: 19). This discussion has been presented multiple times previously.

It is said that Ṭāghūt refers to the Calf (the golden calf). It is also said that it refers to the Rabbis. Everyone who obeys someone in disobedience to Allah has worshipped them.

Then Allah says: {أولئك شر مكانا} (Those are worse in station)

This means those who were cursed, transformed, are worse in station than the believers. There are two interpretations for specifying "station" (makān):

1. Ibn 'Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Because their station is Saqar (Hellfire), and no station is more severe in evil than it.
2. The word "station" is used to weaken the description of evil, attributing it to the location, while the reality of the evil belongs to its inhabitants. This is a form of allusion (kināyah), like saying, "So-and-so is long in the spear and abundant in ashes" (referring to his stature and generosity, respectively, by mentioning their necessities). The essence returns to pointing to a thing by mentioning its necessary attributes and consequences.

Then Allah says: {وأضل عن سواء السبيل} (and further astray from the straight path)

This means further astray from the correct path and the true religion. The commentators said: When this verse was revealed, the Muslims addressed the People of the Book by saying, "O brothers of apes and pigs!" They were thus disgraced and hung their heads in shame.

7. {وإذا جآءوكم قالوا ءامنا وقد دخلوا به وهم قد خرجوا به والله أعلم بما كانوا يكتمون} (And when they come to you, they say, "We believe," but they enter in disbelief, and they have exited in it. And Allah is most knowing of what they conceal.)