Tafsir of Al-Ma'idah 5:62

Al-Ma'idah (5:62)

"And you see many of them..."

• Al-Musāra'ah (hastening/rushing) means to commence something quickly.
• It is said that Al-Ithm (sin) here means lying, and Al-'Udwan (aggression/transgression) means injustice.
• Another view is that Al-Ithm refers to sins specific to themselves, while Al-'Udwan is what extends beyond them to others.
• As for eating Al-Suḥt (illicit gain), it refers to taking bribes (ar-raswah). A detailed explanation of Al-Suḥt was previously covered on Page V12P033.

In this verse, there are several points of benefit:

The First Benefit: Allah says, "{And you see many of them...}" The reason for using "many" is that not all of them were doing this; rather, some of them felt shame and refrained.

The Second Benefit: The word Al-Musāra'ah (hastening) is usually used for good deeds. Allah says: "{They hasten to good deeds}" (Al 'Imran: 114) and "{We hasten for them in good things}" (Al-Mu'minun: 56). Therefore, the word Al-'Ajalah (speed/haste) would have been more appropriate for this context. However, Allah mentioned Al-Musāra'ah for a specific reason: they were committing these reprehensible acts as if they were justified in doing so.

The Third Benefit: The term Al-Ithm (sin) encompasses all disobedience and prohibitions. When Allah subsequently mentioned Al-'Udwan (aggression) and eating Al-Suḥt, this indicates that these two categories are the greatest types of sin and transgression.

Then Allah Almighty said:

"{Why do not the learned men (Rabbāniyyūn) and the religious scholars (Aḥbār) forbid them from their sinful speech and their eating of ill-gotten things? Evil indeed is that which they have been doing!}" (5:62)