Tafsir of Al-Ma'idah 5:82

God describes the harshness and stubbornness of the Jews, their difficulty in accepting the truth, and the softness and receptivity of the Christians, along with their inclination toward Islam. He places the Jews alongside the polytheists in the intensity of their enmity toward the believers; indeed, He highlights their precedence in this by mentioning them before the polytheists, just as He did in His saying: "And you will surely find them the most greedy of people for life—[even more] than those who associate others with Allah" (Al-Baqarah: 96). By my life, they are indeed like that, and even more so.

It is narrated from the Prophet (ﷺ): "No two Jews have ever been alone with a Muslim without plotting to kill him" (Note: This is very weak).

He explains the ease of the Christians' receptivity and the closeness of their affection for the believers by saying: "That is because among them are priests and monks"—meaning scholars and ascetics—"and because they are not arrogant." They are a people characterized by humility and submissiveness, lacking pride, whereas the Jews are the opposite. This is clear evidence that learning is the most beneficial, guiding, and success-leading thing, as is the case with the priests. Likewise, concern for the Hereafter, speaking of the final outcome (as seen in the monk), and freedom from arrogance (as seen in the Christian) are virtues.

God describes them as having tender hearts, weeping upon hearing the Quran. This is like the story of the Negus (may Allah be pleased with him) when the emigrants to Abyssinia and the polytheists gathered in his court. The polytheists were slandering them, seeking to cause them harm. The Negus asked, "Is there any mention of Mary in your book?" Ja'far replied, "Yes, there is a Surah attributed to her," and he recited until: "That is Jesus, the son of Mary" (Maryam: 34). He also recited Surah Taha until: "And has there reached you the story of Moses?" (Taha: 9). The Negus wept, as did his people who later visited the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)—seventy men—when he recited Surah Ya-Sin to them; they wept.

If you ask: To what does the lam (preposition) in "for those who believe" attach? I say: It attaches to "animosity" and "affection." It implies that the enmity of the Jews toward the believers is the most intense and manifest of enmities, and the affection of the Christians toward the believers is the closest, most immediate, and easiest to attain. God describes the Jews with enmity and the Christians with affection, signaling a disparity, then qualifies these with "most intense" and "closest."

If you ask: What is the meaning of "overflowing with tears"? I say: It means they are filled with tears until they overflow. "Overflowing" (fayd) occurs when a vessel is so full that its contents spill over the sides. He used "overflowing," which is a result of being full, in place of "being full." This is either placing the effect in the place of the cause, or it is an exaggeration in describing their weeping, as if their eyes themselves are overflowing—meaning they stream with tears due to weeping.

If you ask: What is the difference between the two instances of min (from) in "from what they have recognized of the truth"? I say: The first is for the "beginning of the limit" (ibtida' al-ghayah), meaning the overflowing of tears began and originated from the recognition of the truth, and was because of it. The second is to explain the relative pronoun (al-mawsul), which is "what they have recognized." It may also imply partiality (tab'id), meaning they recognized some of the truth, which made them weep; how much more so if they had recognized all of it, read the entire Quran, and grasped the Sunnah?

"Our Lord, we have believed" The intent here is the initiation of faith and entering into it.

"So register us among the witnesses" With the nation of Muhammad (ﷺ), who are witnesses over all other nations on the Day of Resurrection, as in: "That you may be witnesses over the people" (Al-Baqarah: 143). They said this because they found their mention in the Gospel as such.

"And why should we not believe in Allah..." This is a denial and an expression of astonishment at the absence of faith while its cause exists—namely, the hope for Allah’s grace in the company of the righteous. It is said that when they returned to their people, they were blamed, and they answered with this. Or, they meant: "Why should we not believe in Allah alone?" for they were Trinitarians, and that is not faith in Allah. The phrase "we do not believe" is in the accusative state (nasb) as a circumstantial qualifier (hal), meaning "while not believing." The waw in "and we hope" is the waw of the circumstantial state.

If you ask: What is the governing agent ('amil) for the first and second circumstantial states? I say: The agent for the first is the meaning of the verb contained in the lam (in "why should we not..."), as if it were said: "What has happened to us while we are not believing?" The second is governed by the meaning of this verb, but restricted by the first state; if you removed the first, saying "Why should we not... and we hope," it would not be coherent speech. It is also possible that "and we hope" is a state of "we do not believe," meaning they denied for themselves that they would not unify Allah while hoping to accompany the righteous. Or, it is conjoined to "we do not believe," meaning: "Why should we combine Trinitarianism with the hope of accompanying the righteous?" or "Why should we not combine them by entering Islam?" for a disbeliever should not hope for the company of the righteous.

Al-Hasan read: fa-atahum (He gave them).

"For what they said" Meaning: for what they spoke with conviction and sincerity. From the saying: "This is the word of so-and-so," meaning his belief and what he adheres to.