5. Surah Al-Ma'idah (The Repast)
Medina Period
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
لَتَجِدَنَّ
أَشَدَّ النَّاسِ
عَدَاوَةً
لِّلَّذِينَ
آمَنُواْ الْيَهُودَ
وَالَّذِينَ
أَشْرَكُواْ
...
5: 82. Strongest among men in enmity to the believers wilt thou find the Jews and Pagans;
... وَلَتَجِدَنَّ أَقْرَبَهُمْ مَّوَدَّةً لِّلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ الَّذِينَ قَالُوَاْ إِنَّا نَصَارَى...
and nearest among them in love to the believers wilt thou find those who say: "We are Christians:"
C789. The meaning is not that they merely call themselves Christians, but that they were such sincere Christians that they appreciated Muslim virtues, as did the Abyssinians to whom Muslim refugees went during the persecution in Makkah. (R).
... ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ مِنْهُمْ قِسِّيسِينَ وَرُهْبَانًا ...
because amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world,
C790. Qissis: I have translated as "devoted to learning," following the Commentators. it seems to be a foreign word, possibly Abyssinian rather than Syriac, as the reference seems to be to the Abyssinian Christians.
Their real devotion to learning and the renunciation of the world by the Monastic Orders are contrasted with the hypocrisy and arrogance of the Pharisees and Scribes.
... وَأَنَّهُمْ لاَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ ﴿٨٢﴾
and they are not arrogant.
5: 82
Asad You will surely find that, of all people, the most hostile to those who believe [in this divine writ] are the Jews as well as those who are bent on ascribing divinity to aught beside God; and you will surely find that, of all people, they who say, “Behold, we are Christians,” come closest to feeling affection for those who believe [in this divine writ]: this is so because there are priests and monks among them, and because these are not given to arrogance [note 97].
Pickthall Thou wilt find the most vehement of mankind in hostility to those who believe (to be) the Jews and the idolaters. And thou wilt find the nearest of them in affection to those who believe (to be) those who say: Lo! We are Christians. That is because there are among them priests and monks, and because they are not proud.
Transliteration Latajidanna asyaddan na_si'ada_watal lillazina a_manul yahu_da wallazina asyraku_, wa latajidanna aqrabahum mawaddatal lillazina a_manul lazina qa_lu_ inna_ nasa_ra_, za_lika bi anna minhum qissisina wa ruhba_naw wa annahum la_ yastakbiru_n(a).
[[Ali’s notes - 789 The meaning is not that they merely call themselves Christians, but that they were such sincere Christians that they appreciated Muslim virtues, as did the Abyssinians to whom Muslim refugees went during the persecution in Makkah. (5.82)
Qissis: I have translated as "devoted to learning," following the Commentators. it seems to be a foreign word, possibly Abyssinian rather than Syriac, as the reference seems to be to the Abyssinian Christians. Their real devotion to learning and the renunciation of the world by the Monastic Orders are contrasted with the hypocrisy and arrogance of the Pharisees and Scribes. (5.82)]]
[[ Asad’s note 97 – I.e., they do not believe, as do the Jews, that revelation is God’s exclusive gift to the children of Israel; and their “priests and monks” teach them that humility is the essence of all true faith – It is noteworthy that the Quran does not in this context include the Christians among “those who re bent on ascribing divinity to aught beside God” (alladhina ashraku – the element of intent being expressed in the use of the past tense, similar to alladhina kafaru, alladhina zalamu, etc.): for although, by their deification of Jesus, they are guilty of the sin of shirk (“the ascribing of divinity to anyone or anything beside God”), the Christians do not consciously worship a plurality of deities inasmuch as, theoretically, their theology postulates belief in the One God, who is conceived as manifesting Himself in a trinity of aspects, or “persons”, of whom Jesus is supposed to be one. However, repugnant this doctrine may be to the teachings of the Quran, their ‘shirk’ is not based on conscious intent, but rather flows from their “overstepping the bounds of truth” in their veneration of Jesus (see 4:171, 5:77), Cf. in this context Razi’s remarks mentioned in note 16 on 6:23. ]]
[[ Ruby’s note on 5:82 - This verse is of extreme importance in understanding some of the key issues in the Quran. Here the Quran is clearly ascribing the Christians as friends of the believers and that they are righteous people. This goes in direct contradiction of the verses where the Quran is clearly pointing them as ‘enemies’ and people who have given to ‘shirk’, the ‘shirk’ that cannot be forgiven.
The way these two contradictory ideas are resolved is the basis of understanding the Quran and also establishing the validity of the Quran. In similar ways the Quran is said to have contradicted itself at least in 145 places. And these seemed contradictions can be resolved only by applying the contexts and understanding the meaning through the contexts.]]