Tafsir of Al-Ma'idah 5:65-66

"And if only the People of the Scripture had believed..." Despite the sins We have enumerated against them:

"...believed..." In the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and in what he brought, and coupled their faith with the piety that is the prerequisite for success through faith.

"...We would have removed from them their misdeeds..." We would have wiped away those sins and not held them accountable for them.

"...and would have admitted them to Gardens of Pleasure." Along with the Muslims.

In this is an indication of the magnitude of the sins of the Jews and Christians and the abundance of their misdeeds. It also demonstrates the vastness of Allah’s mercy and His opening the door of repentance to every sinner, no matter how great their sins or how much they reached the level of the sins of the Jews and Christians. It also shows that faith does not save or bring happiness unless it is accompanied by piety, as Al-Hasan said: "This is the tent pole; where are the tent ropes?"

"And if only they had upheld the Torah and the Gospel..." If they had upheld their rulings, their limits, and what they contained regarding the description of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).

"...and what has been revealed to them from their Lord..." From the rest of the Books of Allah, for they are obligated to believe in all of them, as if they were all revealed to them. It is also said that this refers to the Qur'an. Allah would have expanded their provision, for they had suffered drought.

"...they would have eaten from above them and from beneath their feet." An expression denoting abundance. There are three interpretations:

1. That the blessings of the heaven and the earth would overflow upon them.
2. That He would increase the fruit-bearing trees and the high-yielding crops.
3. That He would provide them with orchards of ripe fruit, where they would harvest what hangs low from the tops of the trees and gather what has fallen to the ground from beneath their feet.

"Among them are a moderate nation..." A group whose state is balanced, unlike those who are in enmity toward the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). It is said that this refers to the believing group: Abdullah ibn Salam and his companions, and forty-eight of the Christians.

"...but evil is that which many of them do." This contains a sense of astonishment, as if it were said: "And many of them—how evil is their work!" It is said that this refers to Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf and his companions, and the Romans.