Tafsir of Al-Ma'idah 5:83

Al-Ma'idah (5:83)

{And when they hear what has been revealed to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflowing with tears}

The pronoun in {they hear} refers to the monks and priests among them who believed.

{what has been revealed} means the Qur'an, revealed to the Messenger, meaning the Prophet (peace be upon him).

Ibn Abbas said: This refers to the Negus (the King of Abyssinia) and his companions. This is because Ja'far al-Tayyar recited Surah Maryam to them. The Negus took a straw from the ground and said, "By God, this does not add anything beyond what was said in the Injil (Gospel) like this." They kept weeping until Ja'far finished reciting.

Regarding the phrase {you see their eyes overflowing with tears}:

1. Meaning 1: Their eyes become so full of tears that they overflow, as fayḍ (overflowing) means the vessel or container becomes full to the point that what is inside spills over its sides.
2. Meaning 2: It is an exaggeration describing their intense weeping, making it as if their eyes are overflowing by themselves.

{because of what they have recognized of the truth} means because of what was revealed to Muhammad, which is the Truth.

If it is asked: What is the difference between the min (from/of) in {because of what they have recognized of the truth}?

We reply:

1. The first min indicates the beginning of the cause (Ibtida' al-Ghāyah). The meaning is that the overflowing of tears began because of, and due to, their recognition of the Truth.
2. The second min indicates partiality (Tab'īḍ). It means they recognized some of the Truth (the Qur'an), and God made them weep because of it. So, how much more so if they had recognized all of it!

{saying, "Our Lord, we believe!} meaning, we believe in what we have heard and witnessed to be the Truth. {so record us among the witnesses}

There are two interpretations for this:

1. It means the Ummah of Muhammad (peace be upon him), who testify to the Truth. This is derived from the verse: {And thus We have made you a community justly balanced that you may be witnesses over mankind} (Al-Baqarah: 143).
2. It means, "Record us among all those who have testified to Your oneness, O Lord, whether they are Your prophets or the believing servants."

{And what is [the reason] that we should not believe in Allah while the truth has come to us, and we long that our Lord should admit us along with the righteous people?}