Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:53

"Or do they have a share of the dominion?"

The Jews are described here as possessing stinginess and envy—the two worst traits—as they withhold the blessings they have been given and covet the blessings of others.

"Or do they have a share of the dominion?" The am (or) is munqaṭiʿah (disjunctive), and the hamzah (interrogative) serves to deny that they possess any share of dominion.

"Then they would not give the people [even] as much as a speck on a date seed." Meaning: If they had a share of dominion, they would not give anyone even the amount of a naqīr due to their extreme stinginess. The naqīr is the tiny pit on the back of a date seed; it is a proverb for insignificance, like the fatīl (thread in the date pit) and the qiṭmīr (the thin membrane covering the pit).

The "dominion" (mulk) refers either to worldly power or to the dominion of Allah, as in His saying: "Say, 'If you possessed the treasuries of the mercy of my Lord, then you would withhold [them] out of fear of spending'" (Al-Isrāʾ: 100). This is more descriptive of their miserliness and fits better with its parallel in the Qurʾān. It is also possible that the hamzah in am serves to deny that they have already been given a share of dominion—as if they were kings possessing wealth, gardens, and fortified palaces—and that they would not give anyone anything from what they possess.

Ibn Masʿūd recited it as fa-idhan lā yuʾtū (in the accusative), treating idhan as an operative particle. In the common recitation, it is considered mulghāh (non-operative), as if it were said: "They would not give people a naqīr if [they had dominion]."

"Or do they envy the people?" Meaning: Do they envy the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and the believers? This is an expression of disapproval and condemnation of envy. They envied them for the victory, dominance, increasing honor, and daily progress that Allah had granted them.

"For We had already given the family of Abraham the Scripture and wisdom." This is a binding argument against them, based on what they know of Allah’s granting of the Scripture and wisdom to the family of Abraham—who are the ancestors of Muhammad (ﷺ). It is not an innovation that Allah should grant him the same as He granted his ancestors.

Ibn ʿAbbās said: The "dominion" in the family of Abraham refers to the dominion of Joseph, David, and Solomon.

It is also said that they criticized his (the Prophet's) many wives. It was said to them: "How do you find his nine wives excessive, when David had one hundred, and Solomon had three hundred free wives and seven hundred concubines?"

"And among them is he who believed in it, and among them is he who turned away from it." Meaning: Among the Jews, some believed in what was mentioned regarding the family of Abraham, and some denied it despite knowing its truth. Or, it means: among the Jews, some believed in the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and some denied his prophethood. Or, among the family of Abraham, some believed in Abraham and some disbelieved, as in His saying: "And among them is one who is guided, but many of them are defiantly disobedient" (Al-Ḥadīd: 26).