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Sunday, 20 August 2017
 

Surat Al-Maida -5- Medinian –Ayats 120 – Section – Seven – Verses 67-77

O’ Messenger (Muhammad PPBUH)! Proclaim the (Message) which has been sent down to you from your Lord. And if you not, then you have not conveyed His Message. And God will protect/ defend/safeguard you from mankind {who mean mischief}. Verily, God guides not those people who disbelief/reject Faith. (67)   

 

يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبِّكَ وَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ وَاللَّهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ (67)

Say: (O’ Muhammad PPBUH)”O’ people of the Book/Scripture (Jews and Christians)! You have no ground to stand upon unless you stand fast and act according to the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel), and all the revelation which has (now) sent down to you from your Lord (the Qur’an)”. Verily, the revelation that which has been sent down to you from your Lord increases in most of them their obstinate rebellion and blasphemy. So do not be sorrowful over the people who disbelief and are without faith. (68)   

قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لَسْتُمْ عَلَى شَيْءٍ حَتَّى تُقِيمُوا التَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنْجِيلَ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَلَيَزِيدَنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنْهُمْ مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبِّكَ طُغْيَانًا وَكُفْرًا فَلَا تَأْسَ عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ (68)

Surely, those who believe (in the Qur’an), and the Jews {those who follow the Jewish Scriptures}, and the Sabians, and the Christians; whoever believed in God and the Last Day, and worked righteousness, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. (69)

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا وَالَّذِينَ هَادُوا وَالصَّابِئُونَ وَالنَّصَارَى مَنْ آَمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآَخِرِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ (69)

Verily, We took the covenant of the Children of Israel, and sent them Messengers, whenever there came to them a Messenger with what they themselves desired not, some (of these) they called imposters/liars, and some they (go as far) to slay /kill. (70)

لَقَدْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ وَأَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْهِمْ رُسُلًا كُلَّمَا جَاءَهُمْ رَسُولٌ بِمَا لَا تَهْوَى أَنْفُسُهُمْ فَرِيقًا كَذَّبُوا وَفَرِيقًا يَقْتُلُونَ (70)

They thought there will be no trial and punishment so they became blind and deaf; yet God –in mercy- turned to them with forgiveness; yet again many of them became blind and deaf. And God is the All-Seer of what they do. (71)

وَحَسِبُوا أَلَّا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ فَعَمُوا وَصَمُّوا ثُمَّ تَابَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ ثُمَّ عَمُوا وَصَمُّوا كَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ وَاللَّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ (71)

Surely, they do blaspheme and disbelieved who say:”God is the Messiah/Christ the son of Maryam/Mary”. But the Messiah/Christ (Jesus) said:”O’ Children of Israel! Worship God, my Lord and your Lord.” Verily, whosoever sets up and join partners with God, then God has forbidden Paradise for him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the transgressors/wrongdoers there are no helpers. (72) 

لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ وَقَالَ الْمَسِيحُ يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ رَبِّي وَرَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ مَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَأْوَاهُ النَّارُ وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ أَنْصَارٍ (72)

Surely, they do blaspheme/infidel/disbelieve who say: God is one of three in a Trinity; but there is no God except One God. And if they do not desist from what they say {their word of blasphemy}; verily, a grievous and painful torment will befall the blasphemers/disbelievers among them. (73)    

لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ ثَالِثُ ثَلَاثَةٍ وَمَا مِنْ إِلَهٍ إِلَّا إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَنْتَهُوا عَمَّا يَقُولُونَ لَيَمَسَّنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ (73)

Will they not return to God in repentance and seek His Forgiveness? For God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (74)

أَفَلَا يَتُوبُونَ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَهُ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ (74)

The Messiah-Jesus, the son of Maryam (Mary), was no more than a Messenger; many were the Messengers that passed away before him. His mother was veracious. They both used to eat food. See how We make the Signs/Verses clear to them, yet see in what ways they are deluded away from the Truth. (75)   

مَا الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ وَأُمُّهُ صِدِّيقَةٌ كَانَا يَأْكُلَانِ الطَّعَامَ انْظُرْ كَيْفَ نُبَيِّنُ لَهُمُ الْآَيَاتِ ثُمَّ انْظُرْ أَنَّى يُؤْفَكُونَ (75)

Say (O’ Muhammad PPBUH):”Do you worship besides God, something which has no power, either to harm or benefit you? But it is God who is the All-Hearer, All-Knower. (76)

قُلْ أَتَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَمْلِكُ لَكُمْ ضَرًّا وَلَا نَفْعًا وَاللَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ (76)

Say (O’ Muhammad PBUH):”O’ People of the Book /Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in your religion the bounds of what is proper, trespassing beyond the truth, nor follow the vain desires of people who went wrong in times gone by, who misled many, and strayed themselves from the Right Path/Way”. (77)

قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لَا تَغْلُوا فِي دِينِكُمْ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا أَهْوَاءَ قَوْمٍ قَدْ ضَلُّوا مِنْ قَبْلُ وَأَضَلُّوا كَثِيرًا وَضَلُّوا عَنْ سَوَاءِ السَّبِيلِ (77)

(Verse 74: Narrated Anas bin Malik: Allah’s Messenger [PPBUH] said:”Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His slave than any one of you is pleased with finding his camel which he had lost in the desert”.
COMMENTARY:
(Verse 67)- Muhammad Al-Mustafa [PPBUH] had many difficulties to contend with, many enemies and dangers to avoid. This is to ensure that his Message was true and from God. His Mission must be fulfilled. And he must –as he did- go forward and proclaim that Message and fulfill his Mission, trusting to God for protection, and unconcerned if people who had lost all sense of right rejected it or threatened him.
(Verse 68)- In verse 26 Moses was told not to sorrow over a rebellious people. Here Muhammad [PPBUH] is told not to sorrow over people without Faith. The second situation is even more trying than the first. Rebellion may be a passing phase. Want of Faith is an attitude of mind that is well-nigh hopeless. Yet the Apostle patiently reasoned with them and bore their taunts and insults. If the argument runs, you do not believe in anything, even in things that you may be expected to believe in, how can you receive in Faith God’s Message that has come in another form? In fact your jealousy adds to your obstinacy and unbelief.
(Verse 69)- See Surat Al-Bagara 2 verse 62. As God’s Message is one, Islam recognizes true faith in other forms, provided that it is sincere, supported by reason, and backed up by righteous conduct. The Sabians are explained in verse 62 from Surat Al-Bagara 2.
(Verse 70)- See Surat Al-Bagara 2 – verse 87.
(Verse 71)- That is, they turned away their eyes from God’s Signs and they turned a deaf ear to God’s Message.
(Verses 72-73-74)- See Matt. iv- 10, where Christ rebukes Satan for desiring the worship of other than God; John xx- 17, where Christ says to Mary Magdalene:”Go to my brethren, and say to them I ascend to my Father and your Father; and to my God and your God”, see also Luke xvii 19, where Christ rebukes a certain ruler for calling him Good Master: “why do you call me good? Only God is good-None is good save one that is God”. In Mark xii 25, Jesus Says:” The first of all the commandments is: Hear, O’ Israel; the Lord our God is One Lord”.
(Verses 75-76)- (a) She never claimed that she was a mother of God, or that her son was God. She was a pious virtuous woman. (b) Note how logically the argument has led up from Jewish back-sliding and want of faith, to blasphemes associated with the names of Jesus and Mary, and in the following verses to the worship of senseless stocks and stones. God is One; His Message is one; yet how people’s perversity transforms truth into falsehood, religion into superstition. 
(Verse 77)- Excess, as opposed to moderation and reason, is the simplest test by which a hypocrite or a selfish man, who “trades” on religion, is known from a sincere, pious, and truly religious man. Excess means  that truth is sometimes concealed or trampled upon, that the fashions of ancestors or contemporaries are copied or overdone, and God’s name is dishonored by blasphemies or the setting up of false gods or fetishes, or that good (or even bad) men are deified and exalted and worshipped. The true path is the even path, the path of rectitude. See Suart Al-Bagara 2 verses 13 and 108.