32 This refers to the Jews who went about telling the ignorant masses that they should follow the teachings of the Prophet (peace be on him) only if they conformed to Jewish teachings.
33 God’s will to put someone to the test means that God confronts him in whom He sees the growth of evil with opportunities to commit evils so that he might go through the struggle between good and evil within himself. If the person is not yet fully inclined towards evil, his latent potentialities to resist evil are revived. But if he has become excessively inclined towards evil, and goodness has been totally crushed from within his being, then every such test is bound to entangle him still more tightly in evil. His well-wisher will now be powerless to rescue him.
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Al-Ma’idah 5: 43–4
and were you to judge between them judge with justice. Surely Allah loves the just.34 (43) Yet how will they appoint you a judge when they have the Torah with them, wherein there is Allah’s judgement – and still they turn away from it? The fact is, they are not believers.
(44) Surely We revealed the Torah, wherein there is Guid- ance and Light. Thereby did Prophets – who had submitted themselves (to Allah) – judge for the Judaized folk; and so did the scholars and jurists.35 They judged by the Book of Allah for they had been en- trusted to keep it and bear witness to it. So, (O Jews), do not fear human beings but fear Me, and do not barter away My signs for a trivial gain. ▶
34 Until then the Jews had not become full-fledged subjects of the Islamic state. Their relations with that state were simply based on agreements. They were, therefore, not legally bound to submit their disputes either to the Prophet (peace be on him) for adjudication or to the judges appointed by him. But in cases where it seemed detrimental to their interests to have their disputes settled according to their own religious law they approached the Prophet (peace be on him) in the hope that the Prophet would give a different ruling and they would thereby escape the application of their own religious law.
35 Rabbani = religious scholars, theologians. Ahbar = religious jurists.
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Al-Ma’idah 5: 45–7
Those who do not judge by what Allah has revealed are indeed the unbelievers.
(45) And therein We had ordained for them: “A life for a life, and an eye for an eye, and a nose for a nose, and an ear for an ear, and a tooth for a tooth, and for all wounds, like for like. But whosoever foregoes it by way of charity, it will be for him an expiation.” Those who do not judge by what Allah has revealed are indeed the wrong-doers.
(46) And We sent Jesus, the son of Mary, after those Prophets, confirming the truth of whatever there still remain- ed of the Torah. And We gave him the Gospel wherein is Guidance and Light, and which confirms the truth of whatever there still remained of the Torah, and a Guidance and Admonition for the God- fearing. (47) Let the followers of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed therein, ▶
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Al-Ma’idah 5: 48
and those who do not judge by what Allah has revealed are the transgressors.36
(48) Then We revealed the Book to you, (O Muhammad), with Truth, confirming what- ever of the Book was revealed before, and protecting and guarding over it.37 ▶
36 Here three verdicts are issued against those who do not judge in accordance with the Law revealed by God. The first is that they are kafir (unbelievers); the second, that they are zalim (wrong-doers); and the third, that they are fasiq (transgressors). This clearly means that anyone who, in disregard of God’s commandments and of the laws revealed by Him, pronounces judgements according to man-made laws – whether made by himself or by others – is an unbeliever, a wrong-doer and a transgressor. A man who is convinced that the injunctions of God are right but makes judgements contrary to them in practice is not an unbeliever in the sense that he ceases to be a member of the Islamic community, but he is guilty of adulterating his faith by blending it with kufr, zulm and fisq. In the same manner, those who deviate from the injunctions of God in all matters are unbelievers, wrong-doers and transgressors. For those who are obedient in some respects and disobedient in others, the blending of faith and submission to God with the opposite attributes of unbelief, wrong-doing and transgression in their lives will be exactly in proportion to the mixture of their obedience to, and their deviation from, God’s commands.
37 This points to a fact of major significance. It could also have been said that the Qur’an confirms all those parts of the earlier Scriptures which are still extant in their true and original form. But the sense has been conveyed by employing the word “the Book” rather than “the previous Books”. This expression indicates that the Qur’an and all those Books sent down by God at various times and in different languages in reality constitute one and the same Book. Their Author is one and the same; their aim and purpose are the same; their teaching is the same; and the knowledge which they seek to impart to mankind is the same. The difference between these Books lies in their modes of expression, and this was necessarily so since they were addressed to different audiences. To say that the Qur’an is muhaymin on al-kitab means that it preserves all the true teachings of the earlier books of Divine provenance; that it has secured them from loss.
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Al-Ma’idah 5: 49
Judge, then, in the affairs of men in accordance with the Law that Allah has revealed, and do not follow their desires in disregard of the Truth which has come to you. For each of you We have appointed a Law and a way of life. And had Allah so willed, He would surely have made you one single community; instead, (He gave each of you a Law and a way of life) in order to test you by what He gave you. Vie, then, with one another in good works. Unto Allah is the return of all of you; and He will then make you understand the truth concerning the matters on which you disagreed. (49) Therefore, judge between them, (O Muhammad), by what Allah has revealed and do not follow their desires, and beware lest they tempt you away from anything of what Allah has revealed to you. And if they turn away, then know well that Allah has indeed decided to afflict them for some of their sins. For surely many of them are transgressors. ▶
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Al-Ma’idah 5: 50–2
(50) (If they turn away from the Law of Allah) do they desire judgement according to the Law of Ignorance?38 But whose judgement can be better than Allah’s for those who have certainty of belief?
(51) Believers! Do not take Jews and Christians for your allies. They are the allies of each other. And among you he who takes them for allies, shall be regarded as one of them. Allah does not guide the wrong-doers.
(52) Indeed you see that those afflicted with the disease of hypocrisy race towards them, saying: “We fear lest some misfortune overtakes us.” And it may happen that Allah will either bring you a decisive victory or bring about something else from Himself and then they will feel remorseful at their hypocrisy which they have kept con- cealed in their breasts, ▶
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