5. Surah Al-Ma'idah (The Repast)

Medina Period

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

فَبِمَا نَقْضِهِم مِّيثَاقَهُمْ لَعنَّاهُمْ وَجَعَلْنَا قُلُوبَهُمْ قَاسِيَةً ...

5:13. But because of their breach of their Covenant, We cursed them, and made their hearts grow hard:

C712. Cursed them: that means that because of the breach of their Covenant, Allah withdrew His overflowing Grace from them.

The withdrawal of Grace made their hearts grow hard in two ways:

1. they were no longer protected from the assaults of evil, and

2. they became impervious even to the message of forgiveness and mercy which is open to all Allah's creatures.

... يُحَرِّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ عَن مَّوَاضِعِهِ وَنَسُواْ حَظًّا مِّمَّا ذُكِّرُواْ بِهِ...

they change the words from their (right) places and forget a good part of the Message that was sent them,

... وَلاَ تَزَالُ تَطَّلِعُ عَلَىَ خَآئِنَةٍ مِّنْهُمْ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً مِّنْهُمُ ...

nor wilt thou cease to find them, barring a few, ever bent on (new) deceits:

C713. Israel, when it lost Allah's grace as above, began to sin against truth and religion in three ways:

1. they began to misuse Scripture itself, by either taking words out of their right meaning, or applying them to things for which they were never meant;

2. in doing so, they conveniently forgot a part of the Message and purpose of Allah: and

3. they invented new deceits to support the old ones.

... فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاصْفَحْ ...

but forgive them and overlook (their misdeeds):

C714. Cf. 2:109 and n. 110, where I have explained the different shades of meaning in the words for "forgiveness."

... إِنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿١٣﴾

for Allah loveth those who are kind.

Asad’s Version:

5:13 Then, for having broken their solemn pledge,²⁴ We rejected them and caused their hearts to harden - [so that now] they distort the meaning of the [revealed] words, taking them out of their context;²⁵ and they have forgotten much of what they had been told to bear in mind; and from all but a few of them thou wilt always experience treachery.

But pardon them, and forbear: verily, God loves the doers of good.