Tafsir of Surah Al-Ma'idah - Verse 63

The People of the Book are Enraged at the Believers Because of their Faith in Allah

Allah commands: Say, O Muhammad, to those who mock and jest about your religion from among the People of the Scriptures,

هَلْ تَنقِمُونَ مِنَّآ إِلاَّ أَنْ ءَامَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَمَآ أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلُ

(Do you criticize us for no other reason than that we believe in Allah, and in what has been sent down to us and in that which has been sent down before (us)) Do you have any criticism or cause of blame for us, other than this This, by no means, is cause of blame or criticism. Allah said in other Ayat,

وَمَا نَقَمُواْ مِنْهُمْ إِلاَّ أَن يُؤْمِنُواْ بِاللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَمِيدِ

(And they had no fault except that they believed in Allah, the Almighty, Worthy of all praise!) and,

وَمَا نَقَمُواْ إِلاَ أَنْ أَغْنَاهُمُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ

(and they could not find any cause to do so except that Allah and His Messenger had enriched them of His bounty.)9:74 In an agreed upon Hadith, the Prophet said,

«مَا يَنْقِمُ ابْنُ جَمِيلٍ إِلَّا أَنْ كَانَ فَقِيرًا فَأَغْنَاهُ الله»

(What caused Ibn Jamil to Yanqim (refuse to give Zakah), although he was poor and Allah made him rich) Allah's statement,

وَأَنَّ أَكْثَرَكُمْ فَـسِقُونَ

(and that most of you are rebellious. ..) is connected to

أَنْ ءَامَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَمَآ أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلُ

(that we believe in Allah, and in that which has been sent down to us and in that which has been sent down before (us).) Therefore, the meaning of this part of the Ayah is: we also believe that most of you are rebellious and deviated from the straight path.

The People of the Scriptures Deserve the Worst Torment on the Day of Resurrection

Allah said next,

قُلْ هَلْ أُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِشَرٍّ مِّن ذلِكَ مَثُوبَةً عِندَ اللَّهِ

(Say: "Shall I inform you of something worse than that, regarding the recompense from Allah") The Ayah commands the Prophet to say: Shall I inform you about a worse people with Allah on the Day of Resurrection than what you think of us They are you, with these characteristics,

مَن لَّعَنَهُ اللَّهُ

(those who incurred the curse of Allah) were expelled from His mercy,

وَغَضِبَ عَلَيْهِ

(and who incurred His wrath) and anger, after which He will never be pleased with them,

وَجَعَلَ مِنْهُمُ الْقِرَدَةَ وَالْخَنَازِيرَ

(those of whom He transformed into monkeys and swine,) as we mentioned in Surat Al-Baqarah (2) and as we will mention in Surat Al-A`raf (7). Sufyan Ath-Thawri narrated that Ibn Mas`ud said, "Allah's Messenger was asked if the current monkeys and swine were those whom Allah transformed. He said,

«إنَّ اللهَ لَمْ يُهْلِكْ قَوْمًا، أَوْ لَمْ يَمْسَخْ قَوْمًا فَيَجْعَلَ لَهُمْ نَسْلًا وَلَا عَقِبًا، وَإِنَّ الْقِرَدَةَ وَالْخَنَازِيرَ كَانَتْ قَبْلَ ذلِك»

(Allah never destroyed a people by transforming them and making offspring or descendants for them. The monkeys and swine existed before that.)" This was also recorded by Muslim. Allah said,

وَعَبَدَ الطَّـغُوتَ

(Those who worshipped Taghut...) and served them, becoming their servants. The meaning of this Ayah is: you, O People of the Scriptures, who mock our religion, which consists of Allah's Tawhid, and singling Him out in worship without others, how can you mock us while these are your characteristics This is why Allah said,

أُوْلَـئِكَ شَرٌّ مَّكَاناً

(such are worse in rank...) than what you -- People of the Scriptures -- think of us Muslims,

وَأَضَلُّ عَن سَوَآءِ السَّبِيلِ

(and far more astray from the straight path.) `More' in the Ayah does not mean that the other party is `less' astray, but it means that the People of the Scriptures are far astray. In another Ayah, Allah said,

أَصْحَـبُ الْجَنَّةِ يَوْمَئِذٍ خَيْرٌ مُّسْتَقَرّاً وَأَحْسَنُ مَقِيلاً

(The dwellers of Paradise will, on that Day, have the best abode, and have the fairest of places for repose.)

The Hypocrites Pretend to be Believers but Hide their Kufr

Allah said,

وَإِذَا جَآءُوكُمْ قَالُواْ ءَامَنَّا وَقَدْ دَّخَلُواْ بِالْكُفْرِ وَهُمْ قَدْ خَرَجُواْ بِهِ

(When they come to you, they say, "We believe." But in fact they enter with (an intention of) disbelief and they go out with the same.) This is the description of the hypocrites, for they pretend to be believers while their hearts hide Kufr. So Allah said;

وَقَدْ دَّخَلُواْ

(But in fact they enter) on you, O Muhammad,

بِالْكُفْرِ

(with disbelief) in their hearts and they depart with Kufr, and this is why they do not benefit from the knowledge they hear from you, nor does the advice and reminder move them. So,

وَهُمْ قَدْ خَرَجُواْ بِهِ

(and they go out with the same) meaning, they alone,

وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا كَانُواْ يَكْتُمُونَ

(and Allah knows all that they were hiding.) Allah knows their secrets and what their hearts conceal, even if they pretend otherwise with His creatures, thus pretending to be what they are not. Allah, Who has perfect knowledge of the seen and unseen, has more knowledge about the hypocrites than any of His creatures do and He will recompense them accordingly. Allah's statement,

وَتَرَى كَثِيراً مِّنْهُمْ يُسَـرِعُونَ فِى الإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ وَأَكْلِهِمُ السُّحْتَ

(And you see many of them (Jews) hurrying for sin and transgression, and eating illegal things.) They hurry to devour prohibited and illegal things, all the while transgressing against people, unjustly consuming their property through bribes and Riba,

لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ

(Evil indeed is that which they have been doing.) Indeed, horrible is that which they used to do and the transgression that they committed.

Criticizing Rabbis and Learned Religious Men for Giving up on Forbidding Evil

Allah said,

لَوْلاَ يَنْهَـهُمُ الرَّبَّـنِيُّونَ وَالاٌّحْبَارُ عَن قَوْلِهِمُ الإِثْمَ وَأَكْلِهِمُ السُّحْتَ لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُواْ يَصْنَعُونَ

(Why do not the Rabbaniyyun and the Ahbar forbid them from uttering sinful words and from eating illegal things. Evil indeed is that which they have been performing.) meaning why don't the Rabbaniyyun and the Ahbar forbid them from this evil The Rabbaniyyun are the scholars who are in positions of authority, while the Ahbar are the regular scholars.

لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُواْ يَصْنَعُونَ

(Evil indeed is that which they have been performing.) referring to the Rabbaniyyun, as `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn `Abbas, because they abandoned forbidding evil. Ibn Jarir recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, "There is no Ayah in the Qur'an that has more severe admonition than this Ayah,

لَوْلاَ يَنْهَـهُمُ الرَّبَّـنِيُّونَ وَالاٌّحْبَارُ عَن قَوْلِهِمُ الإِثْمَ وَأَكْلِهِمُ السُّحْتَ لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُواْ يَصْنَعُونَ

(Why do not the Rabbaniyyun and the Ahbar forbid them from uttering sinful words and from eating illegal things. Evil indeed is that which they have been performing.)" Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Yahya bin Ya`mar said, " `Ali bin Abi Talib once gave a speech, which he started by praising Allah and thanking Him. He then said, `O people! Those who were before you were destroyed because they committed sins and the Rabbaniyyun and Ahbar did not forbid them from evil. When they persisted in sin, they were overcome by punishment. Therefore, enjoin righteousness and forbid evil before what they suffered also strikes you. Know that enjoining righteousness and forbidding evil does not reduce the provision or shorten the term of life." Imam Ahmad recorded that Jarir said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«مَا مِنْ قَوْمٍ يَكُونُ بَيْنَ أَظْهُرِهِمْ مَنْ يَعْمَلُ بِالْمَعَاصِي هُمْ أَعَزُّ مِنْهُ وَأَمْنَعُ، وَلَمْ يُغَيِّرُوا إِلَّا أَصَابَهُمُ اللهُ مِنْهُ بِعَذَاب»

(There is no people among whom there are those who commit sins, while the rest are more powerful and mightier than the sinners, yet they do not stop them, but Allah will send a punishment upon them.) Ahmad was alone with this wording. Abu Dawud recorded it, but in his narration Jarir said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying,

«مَا مِنْ رَجُلٍ يَكُونُ فِي قَوْمٍ يُعْمَلُ فِيهِمْ بِالْمَعَاصِي، يَقْدِرُونَ أَنْ يُغَيِّرُوا عَلَيْهِ، فَلَا يُغَيِّرُوا إِلَّا أَصَابَهُمُ اللهُ بِعِقَابٍ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَمُوتُوا»

(There is no one who resides among people commiting evil among them, and they do not stop him though they are able to do so, but Allah will punish them all before they die.)" Ibn Majah also recorded this Hadith.

The Correction of Deeds

Of those who have laid the greatest emphasis on the correction of deeds, the foremost are the respected Sufis (spiritual masters) and the men of Allah. These blessed souls have deduced from these very sayings of the Qur'an the significant principle that all human deeds, good or bad, really come from ingrained habits and morals which ultimately become man's second nature. Therefore, when they wish to check, modify or dilute the recurrence of evil deeds, they keep these ingrained habits in sight. Thus, when they correct these, all deeds that issue forth start coming out right. Let us take the example of a person whose heart is overwhelmingly filled with greed for worldly acquisitions. As a result of this greed, he takes bribes, and devours income from interest, and if, given the opportunity, things could also reach the limits of theft and robbery. Instead of correcting these crimes separ-ately, the spiritual masters use one masterly prescription which could cause the very foundation of these crimes razed to the ground - and that is the realization of the mortality of the world and the poisoned nature of its luxuries.

Similarly, if someone suffers from over weaning pride or arrogance or anger, and he belittles or insults others, or quarrels with friends and neighbours, these blessed souls will use the same prescription, the prescription with ingredients of the concern for the life-to-come and the fear of ultimate accountability before Almighty Allah. Once these start remaining in sight actively, such evil behaviour patterns die out automatically.

In short, this Qur'anic indicator tells us that man has some ingrained traits which become his second nature. If these ingrained traits tilt towards good, good deeds issue forth on their own. Similarly, if the ingrained traits are evil, man starts running towards evil deeds automatically. To achieve a total correction of behaviour, the correction of these ingrained traits is necessary.

Are religious leaders responsible for the deeds of common people?

In the second verse (63), the Shaykhs and ` Alims among the Jews have been sternly warned as to why would they not stop such people from evil deeds. At this place in the Qur'an, two words have been used. The first word is: رَبَّانِيُّونَ 'Rabbaniyyun', which means Men of Allah, that is, those who are intensely devoted to acts of worship and abstain from worldly temptations - commonly known as Derwish, Pir or Shaykh. The second word used is Ahbar.' Religious scholars among Jews are called Ahbar.' This tells us that the real responsibility of the Qur'anic injunction of اَلاَمر بالمعروف Al-Amr bil-Ma` ruf (bidding the Fair) and نھی عن المنکر Nahy Anil-Munkar (forbidding the Unfair) falls on these two groups, that is, on the Shaykhs and A` lims. However, some commentators have said that ` Rabbaniyyun' refers to ` Ulama who have been appointed by Government and are fully authorized, while 'Ahbar' means the ` Ulama in general. Taken in that sense, the responsibility of stopping people from committing crimes comes to fall on government officials and ` Ulama both. Incidentally, this has been further clarified in some other verses as well.

For ` Ulama and Mashayikh - a Note of Warning

Towards the end of the verse (63), it was said: لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُوا يَصْنَعُونَ : "Evil is what they have been doing" - which means that it is bad habit on the part of such religious leaders known as Mashayikh and ` Ulama that they have abandoned their cardinal duty of bidding the Fair and forbidding the Unfair. They see people ruining themselves and they do not stand up and stop them.

Commentators with knowledge and insight have pointed out that at the end of the first verse (62) which mentioned the errors made by common people, what was said is: لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ (Evil is what they have been doing). But, in the second verse (63), where the Mashayikh and ` Ulama have been admonished for their failing, the concluding sentence used is: لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُوا يَصْنَعُونَ "Evil is what they have been doing [ by design ]." The reason is that, according to the Arabic usage, the word, فعل :fi'l (that which is done) includes everything done, whether with intention, or without. But, the word, عمل :Amal (that which is acted upon) is applied to what is done particularly with intention and volition. As for the words, صنع : Sana'a and صنعت : San'at (that which is done by design) are concerned, they are applied when something is done with intention, and volition or choice, and that it is done repeatedly as a matter of habit and considered purpose both. Therefore, as a result of the evil done by common people, the word chosen was Amal, that is: لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ (Evil is what they have been doing). But, as a result of the wrong done by Mashayikh and ` Ulama particularly, the word selected was: صنع : Sana'a, as in: لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُوا يَصْنَعُونَ : "Evil is what they have been doing [ by design ]." In this arrangement here, there may be a hint that the attitude of such religious leaders was false because they knew that if they were to stop their people, they would listen to them and, it was likely, that they would abstain from evil deeds. Yet, such is their greed for whatever offerings they may get from them, or such is their fear of losing the faith of their clients, that their hearts are not moved enough to stand up to defend and uphold the truth. This failing of theirs is far too grave than the evil doings of those evil doers.

The outcome is: If the people of a country get involved in sins and crimes, and their religious leaders know that they will listen and abstain if asked to stop, then, under such a condition, if they do not try to stop the flood of sins and crimes because of temptation, fear or apathy, their crime is more grave than the crime of real criminals and sinners.

Therefore, Sayyidna Abdullah ibn Abbas ؓ had said that a stronger warning for Mashayikh and ` Ulama does not appear any-where in the entire Qur'an other than the one in this verse. The recognized authority in Tafsir, Dahhak has said: In my view, this is the most frightening Ayah for Mashayikh and ` Ulama. (Ibn Jarir Ibn Kathir)

The reason is that in the light of this verse, the failing of religious leaders gets to be rated as far more serious than the actual crime committed by thiefs and robbers and sinners (Refuge with Allah). However, it should be borne in mind that this stern warning stands operative in the situation when the Mashayikh and ` Ulama are reasonably certain that their appeal will be heard and accepted. But, under other conditions when prevailing trends or corresponding experience create a stronger likelihood that nobody is going to listen to them, rather, they may even have to face harm or hurt in doing so, the command is that their responsibility, no doubt, stands dropped, but, the conduct which still remains better and higher is that they should - whether heard or negated - go on doing their duty without bothering about any blame thrown or pain caused. This approach was identified earlier as well in verse 54 which highlighted one of the qualities of the Mujahidin in the way of Allah by saying: وَلَا يَخَافُونَ لَوْمَةَ لَائِمٍ that is, they are not afraid of any blame thrown at them by those who would blame anyone who speaks the truth.

It is useful to sum up the main elements of our discussion before we part with it by saying that Mashayikh and ` Ulama, rather, all Muslims, once they know something to be sinful or against law, are duty-bound to check, stop or prohibit sin and crime, to the best of their ability - with their own hands or word of mouth or, at the least, with distaste of the heart or dislike of the attitude - of course, subject to the condition that the occasion lends to the possibility and stronger probability that they will be heard and their call will be entertained. But, should there be an occasion where stronger probability exists that they will not be heard or they will be subjected to hostility against them, then, that will be a different condition in which it will no more be obligatory on them that they must prohibit and stop people - but, it shall still remain the better and the higher form of conduct. All these details about the well known Qur'anic maxim of Bidding the Fair and Forbidding the Unfair have been deduced from Sahih Ahadith. We can say that, by placing the responsibility - of personally doing what is right and good, avoiding what is not, and inviting others too to do good and shun evil, - on Muslims at large, and on Mashayikh and ` Ulama in particular, Islam has given to the world a priceless principle of peace which, if practiced, could help nations after nations become easily cleansed of all sorts of evils which afflict them.

The Method of Community Correction

As long as Muslims adhered to this principle right through the early and later centuries of Islam, they held a position of universal distinction in terms of knowledge, deed, morals and character. Once Muslims ignored this duty, started taking the prevention of crime as the sole responsibility of the government and its law-enforcing agencies and withdrew from their role in it, the result that came out was no secret. It is there for everyone to see. Here you have a father, a mother, the whole family, all religiously observing and fully adhering to the Shari` ah. But, their children and their family circle are different, al-most their reverse. They think and feel otherwise. They do things differently. It is for this reason that the mission of Bidding the Fair and Forbidding the Unfair has been particularly stressed upon in the Qur'an and Hadith as the surest method of any collective reform in the Muslim Ummah. The Holy Qur'an has identified this mission as a unique distinction of the Ummah of the Prophet of Islam ﷺ . And it has also declared that any contravention of this rule shall be a grave sin and a certain cause of punishment. In Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has said: When sins are committed among a people and there lives someone who does not stop them, then, not far is the likelihood that Allah sends a punishment to fall on all of them. (Ai-Bahr al-Mubit)

Warning against Not hating Sins

Malik ibn Dinar says: Allah asked his angels to destroy a certain town. The angels said that there lived in that town a devoted servant of His busy praying to Him. Came the command: Let him too taste the punishment because he never showed his anger against people disobeying Us and committing sins openly, not even with a sign of it on his face.

To Sayyidna Yusha` ibn Nun (علیہ السلام) ، (Joshua) the Israelite prophet, Allah Almighty revealed that one hundred thousand of his people will be destroyed by a punishment. Of them, forty thousand were righteous and sixty thousand, evil. Sayyidna Yusha` (علیہ السلام) said: 0 Lord, the ruin of the evil is obvious but why the good ones? It was said: The good ones had friendly relations with the bad ones. Together, they ate and drank and enjoyed life and never frowned on people sinning and disobeying their Creator. (Details of all these narrations can be seen in Al-Bahr al-Muhit)

The favoured religion of God is that of taqwa (fear of God). In other words, a man should live in society in such a way that he utters no words of sin; in his activities he should avoid forbidden ways and he should behave with entire fairness towards those with whom he has dealings. But a man’s selfishness puts him on the path of world-worship; he wants to lead a life in which he is not troubled by having to distinguish between right and wrong, and in which he needs to worry only about his own worldly interests. The general run of the Jewish people mindlessly trod this path of self-centredness. This being so, it was the duty of the foremost among them to alert them to their wrongdoing and to wean them away from this course. Instead of this, they reached a tacit understanding with the common people. They started disseminating among them a particular type of religion which guaranteed their salvation and promised them a high status, without their having to change their actual way of living in any way. These prominent people did not disturb the current lives of the common people, but used to recite to them false stories of the supremacy of the Jewish community; giving a religious colour to their communal events and conveying to them the glad news that they only had to repeat a number of ritual actions and palaces would be built for them in paradise. Before God, it is the most evil deed to disseminate this type of religion among the people, in which change in their actual lives is not required, and to delude them into thinking that, by publicly performing certain showy rites, their entry into paradise will be guaranteed.