Appearance
Verses 15–19
It was described above that God had made a covenant with the People of the Book that they would help respectfully His Messengers and would preserve the Book that was revealed to them but they broke the covenant, which they had made with their Creator. After this preamble, God invites them to believe in His Messenger whom He has now sent and the Book, which has been revealed to him. For this purpose, God has introduced the Messenger and the Book to them and has established proof of truth of his messengership and the Book and finally, He has completed that proof for them.
As for the introduction, it is contained in these sentences: O People the Book! Indeed has come to you Our Messenger making clear to you much of what you concealed of the Book and passing over much; indeed there has come to you a light and a clear Book from Allah. And then, O People of the Book! Indeed Our Messenger has come to you explaining to you after a cessation of the Messengers ...
As for establishment of the proof, we see it in the Divine words: making clear to you much of what you concealed of the Book and passing over much. There could be no better proof of the truth of the Prophet who was an unlettered Arab and was revealing to them what they were hiding that could be known only to their own scholars with specialized knowledge. Likewise, the sentence: with it Allah guides him who follows His pleasure into the ways of peace ... gives a convincing proof; the true ideas are the best proof for the truth of messengership and veracity of the Book.
As for completing the proof, it is asserted in the last sentence: lest you say: “There came not to us a giver of good news or a warner,” so indeed there has come to you a giver of good news and a warner, and Allah has power over all things.
Also, God has refuted in the passing the belief of a group of them that: “Surely, Allah—He is the Messiah, son of Mary,” and the saying of the Jews and the Christians both: “We are sons of Allah and his beloved ones.”
يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولُنَا يُبَيِّنُ لَكُمْ كَثِيرًا مِمَّا كُنْتُمْ تُخْفُونَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَيَعْفُو عَنْ كَثِيرٍ ۚ قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ نُورٌ وَكِتَابٌ مُبِينٌ ١٥
(5:15) O People of the Book! Indeed has come to you Our Messenger making clear to you much of what you concealed of the Book and passing over much; indeed there has come to you a light and a clear Book from Allah.
We may quote the following verses to see how the Prophet made clear to them what they were hiding: Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet, the ummī, whom they find written down with them in the Torah and the Gospel ... (). Those whom we have given the Book recognize him as they recognize their sons; ... (). Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those with him are severe against the unbelievers, compassionate among themselves ... that is their description in the Torah and their description in the Gospel; like as seed produce that puts forth its sprout ... (). Also, as he disclosed the order of stoning which they had hidden and wanted to use the Prophet to get it changed as the verse 41 of this chapter will show: O Messenger! Let not those grieve you who strive together in hastening to unbelief ... We find even today the law of stoning clearly mentioned in Deuteronomy, . As for the Messenger’s passing over much of their misbehavior, suffice it to say that he left undisclosed many things, which they were hiding of their Book. It may be ascertained from the contradictions and errors still found in the Torah and the Gospel. The Torah, for example, contains many things concerning Tawhīd (Divine Unity) and Prophethood which cannot be ascribed to God: That He has got a body, He enters into a place and things like that; also unacceptable accusations against the Prophet that they indulged in kufr, sins and other misdemeanors. Also, the Torah is totally silent about the resurrection, while no religion can stand on its feet without this important belief. As for the Gospels, they, and especially the Gospel according to St. John are full of idolatrous ideas.
... indeed there has come to you a light and a clear Book from Allah: The construction of the sentence manifestly shows that the coming one depends on God as a speech depends on the speaker and an explanation depends on the explainer. Accordingly, the light would refer to the Qur’an; and in that case the conjunction: “and a clear Book,” would be an explicative apposition; thus, the light and the clear Book both would indicate the Qur’an. God has called the Qur’an a light in several places; for example: ... and follow the light which has been sent down with him ... (). Therefore believe in Allah and His Messenger and the Light which We have revealed ... (). and we have sent to you clear light ().
Alternatively, the light may refer to the Prophet. This explanation gets support from the beginning of the verse; also, God has called the Prophet, “Light,” in the verse 46 of the chapter 33: ... and as a light-giving torch.
يَهْدِي بِهِ اللَّهُ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ رِضْوَانَهُ سُبُلَ السَّلَامِ وَيُخْرِجُهُمْ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ بِإِذْنِهِ وَيَهْدِيهِمْ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ ١٦
(5:16) With it Allah guides him who follows His pleasure into the ways of peace and brings them out of utter darkness into light by His permission and guides them to a straight path.
The preposition “with” in “with it” is attached to the pronoun of the instrument that refers to the Book or to the Light. It makes no difference whether the light refers to the Prophet or to the Qur’an, because the end result is the same. The Prophet is one of the apparent causes of the guidance and the same is the position of the Qur’an; and the reality of guidance comes from God as He has said: Surely you cannot guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He pleases ... (). And thus did We reveal to you a spirit by Our command. You did not know what the Book was, nor (what) the faith (was), but We made it a light, guiding thereby whom We please of Our servants; and most surely you guide to the right path. The path of Allah, Whose is whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth; now surely to Allah do all affairs eventually come (). As you see, these verses ascribe the guidance to the Qur’an and the Prophet and simultaneously, they ascribe it to God; God is the Guide in reality while others are apparent causes who have been brought in this world to revive the guidance.
The guidance of God benefits him who follows His pleasure. In other words, the Divine guidance will affect only those who would follow His pleasure. Guidance in this verse denotes conveyance to the destination; God takes such people to a way or ways of peace or to many such ways, one after another.
Peace is unrestricted; as such, it denotes safety and freedom from all misery and distress that spoil the happiness of life in this world or the hereafter. The Qur’an has described Islam, faith and piety as success, achievement and security and the peace mentioned here fits perfectly on that. We have described in the first volume of our book while explaining the verse: Guide us to the straight path (), that depending on the conditions of the walkers, God has created many lanes in one highway; all walk on the same route related to God which He has named in His Book, ‘the straight path’: And (as for) those who strive hard for Us, We will most certainly guide them unto Our ways; and Allah is most surely with the doers of good (29: 69). And (know) that this is My path, the straight one, therefore follow it, and follow not (other) ways, for they will lead you away from His way ... (). God has thus shown that He has laid down many lanes but all lead the walkers to the same destination without differentiating between walkers of one lane from those of the others. It is unlike the ungodly ways where each way leads to a different destination.
The verse thus means—and God knows better—that God guides, and through His Book or through His Prophet, He leads those who follow His pleasure to the ways that protect the walkers from infelicity of the life of this world and the next, and keeps them away from all things which contaminate the happiness of life.
The guidance to peace and happiness revolves around following the Divine pleasure; and God has said: ... and He does not like kufr in His servants; ... (). ... yet surely Allah is not pleased with the transgressing people (). Ultimately, it depends on keeping aloof from the way of injustice and avoiding any contact with unjust people. God has excluded them from His guidance and made them despaired of reaching this Divine honor, as He has said: ... and Allah does not guide the unjust people (). The verse: “with it God guides him who follows His pleasure into the ways of peace,” runs in a way parallel to the verse which says: Those who believe and do not mix up their faith with injustice, those are they who have the security and they are those who go aright.
... and brings them out of utter darkness into light by His permission and guides them to a straight path: al-Zulumāt is plural of al-Zulmah (darkness). Darkness has been brought in plural while light is singular. It gives an indication that unlike the path of untruth there is no difference or disparity in the path of truth even if it contains various lanes suitable to various spiritual levels.
If bringing out of utter darkness into light is ascribed to someone other than God, like the Prophet or the Book, then the Divine permission means His approval and pleasure; as God says: (This is) a Book which We have revealed to you that you may bring forth men, by their Lord’s permission from utter darkness into light ... (). This verse says that the Prophet was to bring them out from darkness to light, and this action has been qualified with permission of their Lord. The idea is to show that the Prophet was not an independent cause of guidance, because its actual cause is God. Soon after that a verse says: And certainly We sent Moses with Our signs saying: “Bring forth your people from utter darkness into light ...” (). This verse, has not qualified the guidance with Divine permission because the imperative mood has taken care of that.
When this action is attributed to God then ‘bringing them out with His permission’ means that God takes them out of darkness with His knowledge; al-idhn (permission) has been used for information. They say: adhina bihi (learnt of him), that is, was informed about him. The following verses give the same meaning: And an announcement (information) from Allah and His Messenger ... (). But if they turn back, say: “I have given you warning (information) all alike ... “ (). And proclaim (inform) among men the hajj ... (); there are several other verses like these.
... and guides them to a straight path: The verb, “guides them,” has been repeated because another verb: “and brings them out,” has come between “with it God guides Him,” in this sentence. Also, we have explained in the chapter of “The Opening” that the straight path is a highway, which contains many lanes. Therefore, guidance to that path also should be a comprehensive one which would include all kinds of guidance.
“A straight path” is a common noun, yet it refers to the same straight path which is unique and which God always ascribes to Himself alone (the only exception is in the chapter of “The Opening” where it is not ascribed to God but the context makes it clear). The common noun serves to enhance its status and magnify its honor.
لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ ۚ قُلْ فَمَنْ يَمْلِكُ مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا إِنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يُهْلِكَ الْمَسِيحَ ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ وَأُمَّهُ وَمَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ۗ وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا ۚ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ١٧
(5:17) Certainly they disbelieve who say: “Surely, Allah—He is the Messiah, son of Mary.” Say: “Who then could control anything as against Allah if He wished to destroy the Messiah son of Mary and his mother and all those on the earth together?” And Allah’s is the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what is between them; He creates what He pleases and Allah has power over all things.
It refers to one of the three sects mentioned in the chapter of “The House of ʿImrān” (Ch. 3) who believed that God had become one with Messiah and Messiah is god and man both at the same time. This sentence may fit to the belief of sonship of Messiah as well as the belief of the three persons in one god. Be it as it may, the sentence points to the belief that Messiah had become one with God.
Say: “Who then could control anything as against Allah if He wished to destroy the Messiah son of Mary and his mother and all those on the earth together?” This is a proof to refute their belief because that belief contains contradiction in term. They say that Messiah is God and at the same time he is man as they have introduced him as the son of Mary; now being a man he is subject to all those changes which afflict any other man on this earth; all human beings like all that is in the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, are owned and controlled by God; they are subjugated under His Kingdom and authority; He can dispose them as He wishes and decides for or against them as He thinks fit; He has the right and authority to destroy Messiah as He has the right and authority to destroy his mother and all those who are on the earth together without any distinction for Messiah over others. But if he is God how can he be destroyed? To say that Messiah is man rebuts their claim that he is God.
The words: who then could control anything as against God, are an allusion to show that there is no one at all who could stop God from doing anything He wished; otherwise, it would mean that God had no control on that thing. No cause in the universe has an independent control on its effect; nothing can stop or overwhelm the Divine control on anything; nobody owns anything except God alone who has no partner or colleague; when He makes us owner of a certain thing, His ownership and His authority on it continues as before.
Now, come the words, if He wished to destroy the Messiah son of Mary and his mother and all those on the earth together? The Messiah is qualified by the phrase “son of Mary” to show that he was a total man, and like other human beings was under the control of the Lord. For this very reason, “his mother” has been added in conjunction because both had the same root and origin. Then, the clause: “and those on the earth together” was added because all are governed by the same law without any difference.
This qualification and conjunction clearly present the proof of Jesus’s transience. The Messiah is like any other human being, and like all those on the earth he is subject to all the changes and variations which affect others, because all are similarly transient; if others can be destroyed by Divine order then Jesus too would be affected likewise. There is nothing to save him from it; if he were God he could not be destroyed.
The clause, And God’s is the Kingdom of the Heavens and the earth and what is between them, gives the reason of the preceding statement. The Qur’an generally refers to the creation with the words: “the Heavens and the earth” but here the phrase: “and what is between them” has been added. The aim is to make the proof clearer; now no one can say that God has not mentioned what is between the heavens and the earth while the speech deals with Jesus who was between the heavens and earth. In this sentence, the predicate “and God’s is” has been written before the subject, in this way it confines the Ownership to God, and the proof becomes more emphatic. The meaning will be: How can anyone stop God if He wished to destroy the Messiah and others when the Kingdom and unrestricted authority on the heavens, earth and what is between them is reserved for God and no one shares it with Him. Consequently, nobody can stop the implementation of God’s order.
He creates what He pleases; and God has power over all things: These sentences in their turn explain the reason of the preceding sentence, that is: and God’s is the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what is between them. The Kingdom—which is a sort of control and ownership—contains in its essential ingredients comprehensive power and effectual will; and such a Kingdom in the heavens, earth and what is between them is reserved for God. He has power over all things and He creates what He pleases. His creating what He pleases and having power on all things is the proof of His Kingdom; and His Kingdom proves that if He wished to destroy all, there is nobody to stop its implementation. Finally, it proves that no one is His partner in His Divinity.
To prove that His will is implemented and His power is comprehensive, it is enough to say that He is God. Perhaps, for this reason the Divine name, God, has been repeated several times. If He is God then nobody shares Godship with Him.
وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَىٰ نَحْنُ أَبْنَاءُ اللَّهِ وَأَحِبَّاؤُهُ ۚ قُلْ فَلِمَ يُعَذِّبُكُمْ بِذُنُوبِكُمْ ۖ بَلْ أَنْتُمْ بَشَرٌ مِمَّنْ خَلَقَ ۚ يَغْفِرُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۚ وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا ۖ وَإِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ ١٨
(5:18) And the Jews and the Christians say: “We are the sons of Allah and his beloved ones.” Say: “Why does He then chastise you for your faults? Nay, you are men from among those whom He has created; He forgives whom He pleases and chastises whom He pleases;” and Allah’s is the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, and to Him is the eventual return.
Certainly, they did not claim real sonship as the Christians claim for the Messiah. Neither the Jews nor the Christian put forward this claim in the literal sense. They called themselves sons of God metaphorically, as a mark of distinction. In their scriptures, a lot of people have been called sons of God, for example, Adam, Jacob, David, Ephraim, Jesus, and good doing believers.
What they meant with this claim was that their relationship with God was like that of sons with their father. They thought themselves like the sons of a King who had special status in comparison to the subjects. They were nearer to God and God was not supposed to treat them as His other subjects. In a way, they were exempted from the laws and regulations which were revealed for the general public, because they had very close connection with the King and as such, He would not punish them like His other subjects, nor will He keep them standing like common people on the Day of Resurrection. He would not humiliate them like others. All of this was the result of their relationship with God that was a relation of love and honor.
This sonship created a special relationship with God, which brought them very near to Him. The phrase: “His beloved ones” coming after the conjunction is an explicative apposition; it serves no real purpose. This claim of special relation and belovedness was meant to establish its inseparable attribute, that is, they can never be chastised and punished. They are assured of Divine favor and honor because if God were to punish them, it will go against the distinction and honor that He has reserved for them. The proof of the above interpretation is seen in the rebuttal of their claim where God says: He forgives whom He pleases and chastises whom He pleases. There was no reason to give this reply if they had not meant by their claim: “We are the sons of God and His beloved ones,” that they cannot be punished at all even if they did not accept the call of truth. Also, there would be no meaning to the statement: Nay you are men from among those whom He has created. In short, when they said: “‘We are the sons of God and His beloved ones’ ,” they wanted to say that they were the chosen people of God and His beloved ones and God was not going to give them punishment even if they did what they did or left what they left, because full security against every unpleasant result or situation was a concomitant of special relationship and love.
... Say: “Why does He then chastise you for your faults?”: God tells His Prophet to refute their claim by bringing two proofs against them:
By contradicting their claim, pointing to the chastisements that were inflicted on them; and (2) Bringing a proof, which would oppose their claim. The sentence under discussion contains the first proof: “Say: ‘Why does He chastise you for your faults?’” If you are right in your claim that you are the sons of God and His beloved ones, that you are safe from Divine punishment and in no way you can be chastised, then you should have been safe from every punishment of this world and the next. If so, then why are you constantly being punished for your sins and faults?
As for the Jews, they always committed major sins; they killed their prophets, they murdered their good people, they broke the Divine covenants which were taken from them, they altered the words from their places, they concealed the Divine communications and rejected them, they committed every type of transgression and contravention. Consequently, they always tasted the bitter results of their misdeeds; some were transformed into animals, others were thrown into disgrace and infelicity, unjust rulers were hoisted over them who killed them, disgraced them, and destroyed their towns and cities. Theirs is but a moribund life, they are neither alive nor dead.
As for the Christians, the sins and crimes that have taken root in their societies and nations are not less than those of the Jews; nor are the various types of chastisement meted out to them different from those of the Jews. Their condition was the same before coming of the Prophet, remained the same in his days and continues unchanged after him until now. History has recorded all this, even more than that; and the Qur’an also describes it to a certain extent, as may be seen in the chapters of “The Cow,” “The House of ʿImrān,” “Women,” “The Table” and “The Battlements,” etc.
They cannot say that these misfortunes, disasters and calamities that afflict them from time to time are in fact manifestations of Divine love towards them, which they do not emanate from Divine wrath and are not meant as punishment or chastisement. After all, similar misfortunes had come upon good servants of God, even His Prophets and Messengers like Abraham, Ishmael, Jacob, Joseph, Zachariah and John the Baptist and others like them; and you too, O Muslims! Have suffered such reversals of fortune as in the battle of Uhud and Mūtah, etc. How can you say that when these catastrophes come to us they are Divine punishment but when you are afflicted you count it as Divine favor?
Comment: There is no doubt that these physical troubles, worldly disasters and misfortunes afflict the believers and disbelievers alike, and they catch the good-doers and evil-doers in similar way. It is the Divine custom that covers all the servants of God since time immemorial. However, it is called with different names and brings about different effects depending on the goodness or wickedness of the men affected. In other words, we have to see what is the status of the servant vis-à-vis his Master.
There is no doubt that when the good traits are entrenched in a servant’s psyche and the human excellence has fully covered his being (like the Prophets and their true followers), then the afflictions and worldly troubles which come to him, serve only to unveil his hidden virtues and merits which benefit not only him but even others. This type of afflictions, although they are disliked by human nature, are parts of spiritual training which God puts His good servants through; you may say that through these misfortunes God opens the way to raise their status and rank.
Then comes one whose felicity or infelicity has not taken root and after affliction with calamities and catastrophes, he did not find the way to felicity and happiness, then these trials and tribulations help in exposing his status of belief or disbelief, merit or demerit. The only name that can be given to such misfortunes is that they are tests and trials coming from God, which open the way for the man to the paradise or the hell.
Lastly come those whose life is a permanent tale of base desires; they are depraved and corrupt and are intent on making others depraved and corrupt; they are submerged in the currents of desire and anger; if they get a chance, they would choose depravity over virtue and arrogance before their Creator instead of submitting to Him; as the Qur’an narrates the end results of the unjust nations like the people of Noah, ʿÃd, Thamūd, Pharaoh, the inhabitants of Midian and the people of Lot. Their bad end was the result of their arrogance against God. The calamities that were poured on them and which annihilated their whole nations have to be counted as Divine punishment, chastisement, and the evil consequences of their deeds. They cannot be explained in any other way.
God has combined these three groups in His noble speech: ... and We bring these days to men by turns, and that Allah may know those who believe and take witnesses from among you; and Allah loves not the unjust. And that Allah may purge those who believe and eradicate the unbelievers (3:140–1).
The history of the Jews since the time Moses was raised amongst them until God raised Muḥammad, (more than 2000 years); and likewise, the history of the Christians since the day the Messiah was raised to heaven till the advent of Islam (nearly six centuries, as they say) are full of various types of sins they did and crimes they committed. There was hardly an evil they did not indulge in, they persisted in it and remained stubborn without any shame. In this back-drop, the only name that can be given to the calamities that afflicted them is chastisement, punishment, and retribution.
Of course, the Muslims too have suffered similar afflictions; those misfortunes (in their natural disposition) were such episodes, which the Divine management had brought on the Muslims. Such has been the course of God that has indeed run before: ... and you shall not find a change in Allah’s course (). We have to look at the position of the affected Muslims to decide about those misfortunes; if they were steadfast on the path of truth then the misfortune was a trial and test given to them by God, and if they had deviated from the straight path, then certainly it was punishment and chastisement. No one has any badge of honor against God, nor can anyone arbitrarily claim any right on God. The Qur’an has never said that the Muslims had any special honor before God nor has it called them sons of God and His beloved ones. In fact, Qur’an doesn’t care about the names and the titles, which people have taken for themselves.
God has addressed them in these words: Do you think that you will enter the Garden while Allah has not yet known those who strive hard from among you, and (He has not) known the patient ... And Muḥammad is no more than a Messenger, the messengers have already passed away before him; if then he dies or is killed, will you turn back upon your heels? And whoever turns back upon his heels, he will by no means do harm to Allah in the least; and Allah will reward the grateful (3:142–4). (This) shall not be in accordance with your vain desires nor in accordance with the vain desires of the People of the Book; whoever does evil, he shall be requited with it, and besides Allah he will find for himself neither a guardian nor a helper ().
The phrase, Why does He then chastise you for your faults? may be taken to refer to the chastisement of the next world. In that case, it would be translated as a future tense and not as a present imperfect tense. The People of the Book accept that they could be punished a little for their faults. The Qur’an has quoted the Jews’ claim that: “Fire shall not touch us but for a few days” (); and although the Christians say that Messiah sacrificed himself to atone his followers’ sins, but this claim in itself admits that they commit sins and that the resulting punishment was taken by Messiah upon himself in the form of crucifixion; in addition to that, the Gospels describe some sins like fornication, etc, and the Church in its turn was admitting it practically by issuing certificates of atonement. However, the earlier interpretation is more appropriate.
...“Nay, you are men from among those whom He has created; He forgives whom He pleases and chastises whom He pleases;” and Allah’s is the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, and to Him is the eventual return: It is the second argument against their claim. It tells them that if we look into your reality it will show the falsity of your claim that you are the sons of God and His beloved ones; you are merely mortal human beings from among the creatures of God; you have no superiority in this matter over other creatures of God; whoever is in the heavens and earth and what is between them, his only distinction is that he is one of the creatures placed in the heavens and earth and between them. He is a creature of God, and God is the King who rules over him and about him as well as over others and about others as He wishes and anyhow He wishes; and that creature like other things is to return to his Lord who is the King and ruler over him and the others. Accordingly, it is on God’s discretion to forgive whom He pleases or give punishment to whom He pleases; any distinction or nobility or other such things cannot stop God from forgiving him or punishing him as He wishes. Nothing can block God’s way and no shield can protect anyone from God’s will.
The clause: Nay, you are men from among those whom He has created, is one premise of the argument; the second is: and God’s is the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what is between them; and the end phrase: and to Him is the eventual return, is the third premise. The clause, He forgives whom He pleases and chastises whom He pleases, gives the result of the argument that refutes their claim that there was no way they could be punished.
يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولُنَا يُبَيِّنُ لَكُمْ عَلَىٰ فَتْرَةٍ مِنَ الرُّسُلِ أَنْ تَقُولُوا مَا جَاءَنَا مِنْ بَشِيرٍ وَلَا نَذِيرٍ ۖ فَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ بَشِيرٌ وَنَذِيرٌ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ١٩
(5:19) O People of the Book! Indeed Our Messenger has come to you explaining to you after a cessation of the Messengers, lest you say: “There came not to us a giver of good news or a warner,” so indeed there has come to you a giver of good news and a warner; and Allah has power over all things.
al-Rāghib has said:
“al-Futūr is tranquillity after heat, softness after hardness and weakness after strength. God has said: O People of the Book! Indeed Our Messenger has come to you explaining to you after a cessation of the Messengers, that is, tranquillity and quiet during which no messenger of God came.”
This verse is the second speech addressed to the People of the Book; and it completes the preceding speech. The first verse has explained to them that God has sent to them a Messenger who is supported by the manifest Book and he guides by God’s permission to every good and happiness. Now, this verse explains that this Divine explanation is meant for completing the proof over them, lest they say: “there came not to us a giver of good news or a warner.”
This description makes it clear that the clause related to the verb, “explaining to you”; in this verse is the same, which is mentioned, in the preceding verse. Thus, the full sentence will be: ‘explaining to you much of what you concealed of the Book.’ You should understand that this religion to which you are invited is exactly the same which you believed in; it confirms what is with you; if there is any difference it is because it makes clear those religious realities which the Divine Books had explained and you had kept them hidden. It means that the speech: “O People of the Book! Indeed Our Messenger has come to you explaining to you,” in a way repeats exactly the previous speech and the purpose is to add some more details which were not given before, and which are mentioned in the clause: “lest you say: ‘There came not to us a giver of good news or a warner’ .” Such repetition is allowed because there is a long gap between the two sentences and it is not unusual in literature.
There is another possibility that it is a completely new speech, and the related clauses of the verb: making clear to you are deleted. This deletion may allude to comprehensiveness that is, He makes clear to you all those things which require clarification. Or it may show eminence and magnificence of the matter, that is, makes clear to you a very important and great matter which you needed to know. The clause: “after a cessation of the Messengers” alludes to this need. The meaning then will be: makes clear to you all those things you needed to know because a long period has gone by without there being any messenger who could have explained to you. The words: “lest you say: ‘There came not to us a giver of good news or a warner’ ” is connected with the verb: indeed there has come to you, showing the reason of his coming.
The sentence: “and God has power over all things,” aims at replying to an unspoken objection. The Jews thought that no shariah was to come after the Torah because abrogation and al-badāʾ were not possible. God refutes their assumption by saying that such thinking goes against the comprehensiveness and generality of Divine Power. We have described in detail about abrogation while writing on the verse in the first volume of our book: Whatever signs We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring one better than it or like it.
Discourse
The discussions “The Way of Thinking to which the Qur’an Guides”; “A Historical Discussion” appear here in the printed volume. Read them in the Al-Mizan App.
Examining Narrations
- It is reported [by al-Suyūtī] under the verse: O People of the Book! Indeed has come to you Our Messenger making clear to you much of what you concealed of the Book ... Ibn al-Darīs, al-Nasāʾī, Ibn Jarīr, Ibn Abī Hātim and al-Hākim (who said that it was correct) have narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās that he said, “Whoever denies stoning, he denies the Qur’an from whence he thinks not. God has said: O People of the Book! Indeed has come to you Our Messenger making clear to you much of what you concealed of the Book. So, stoning was among what they had concealed.” (al-Durr al-manthūr)
Author’s comments: It points to what we shall write under the verse: O Messenger! Let not those grieve you who strive together ... () that how the Jews had concealed the commandment of stoning in the days of the Prophet, and how he exposed it.
- al-Tafsīr of al-Qummī explains the words of God: after a cessation of the messengers, as ‘after discontinuation of the messengers’.
- [al-Kulaynī narrates] through his chains from Abū Hamzah Thābit b. Dīnār al-Thumālī and Abu al-Rabīʾ that he said, “We performed hajj with Abū Jaʾfar in the year when Hishām b. ʿAbd al-Malik too went for hajj; and there was with him Nāfiʾ mawlā (client) of ʿUmar b. al-Khattāb. He looked at Abū Jaʾfar in the rukn of the Kaʾbah and people had gathered around him. Nāfiʾ said, ‘O leader of the faithful! Who is it that people are pressing around him?’ [Hishām] said, ‘He is the prophet of the people of Kufah; he is Muḥammad b. ʿAlī.’ [Nāfiʾ] said, ‘I bear witness that I shall certainly go to him and ask him about problems which no one would give me their reply except a Prophet or successor of a Prophet.’ [Hishām] said, ‘Then go and ask him; perhaps you would put him to shame.’
“So Nāfiʾ came (near) until he leaned on people; then he was close to Abū Jaʾfar. Then he said, ‘O Muḥammad b. ʿAlī! I have read the Torah, the Gospel, the Zabūr and the Qur’an; and I have understood its lawful and its unlawful; and I have come to ask you about problems which no one would reply except a prophet or a successor of the prophet.’” [The narrator] said, “So Abū Jaʾfar raised his head and said, ‘Ask whatever you want to.’ [Nāfiʾ] said, ‘Tell me how many years (had passed) between Jesus and Muḥammad?’ [Abū Jaʾfar] said, ‘Should I inform you according to my view or your view?’ [Nāfiʾ] said, ‘Tell me according to both together.’ He [Abū Jaʾfar] said, ‘As according to my view, five-hundred years, and as according to your view, six-hundred years.’” (al-Kāfī)
Author’s comments: Various traditions are narrated concerning the reason of revelation of verses. For example, al-Tabarī has narrated from ʿIkrimah that the Jews had queried the Messenger of God about the law of stoning. So he asked who was the most knowledgeable of them; they pointed to Ibn Sūriyā. He [the Messenger of God] adjured him by God whether there was the commandment of stoning (the adulterer and adulteress) in their books. He said, “When it increased in our society, we flogged hundred (lashes) and shaved (their) heads.” The Prophet sentenced them to be stoned. Then God revealed: O People of the Book! Indeed has come to you Our Messenger making clear to you much of what you concealed ... and guides them to the straight path [].
- Also he has narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās that he said, “Ibn Ubayy, Bahrī b. ʿAmr and Shās b. ʿAdiyy came to the Messenger of God; he talked with them and they talked with him. He called them to God and warned them of His punishment. So they said, ‘What are you frightening us with O Muḥammad! We, by God! Are the sons of God and His beloved ones’—they used the words of the Christians. Then God revealed about them: And the Jews and the Christians say: ‘We are the sons of Allah and his beloved ones.’ Say: ‘Why does He then chastise you for your sins?’ ... []”
- He has also narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās that he said, “The Messenger of God invited the Jews to Islam; he excited their interest in Islam and frightened them, but they refused to listen. Then Maʾādh b. Jabal, Saʾd b. ʿUbādah and ʿUqbah b. Wahb said to them, ‘O group of Jews! Fear God, because, by God, you certainly know that he is the Messenger of God; you were telling us about him before his being sent, and describing to us his attributes.’ So Rāfiʾ b. Huraymalah and Wahb b. Yahūdā said, ‘We did not tell it to you; and God has not revealed any book after Moses, nor did he send any bringer of good news or any warner after him.’ Thereupon, God revealed: O People of the Book! Indeed Our Messenger has come to you explaining to you after a cessation of the messengers ... []”
- al-Suyūtī has narrated it in al-Durr al-manthur from Ibn ʿAbbās and others; and has narrated other stories too.
These traditions like most of the narratives giving theoretical reasons are, in fact, mere attempts to fit some occurrences on a verse, and then claiming that it was revealed for this reason. These are merely theoretical reasons; the verses most probably do have general connotation.