62. Surah Al-Jumu'ah (The Congregation)
Medina Period [110]
Ali’s version and the Arabic text
قُلْ
يَا أَيُّهَا
الَّذِينَ
هَادُوا ...
62: 6. Say: "O ye that stand on Judaism!
C5458. Standing on Judaism is a very different thing from following the Law and Will of Allah. An arrogant claim to be a chosen people, to be the exclusive possessors of divine teaching, to be exempt from any punishment for breaches of the divine law, (cf. 2:88), is presumptuous blasphemy. It may be Judaism, but it is not in the spirit of Moses.
... إِن زَعَمْتُمْ أَنَّكُمْ أَوْلِيَاء لِلَّهِ مِن دُونِ النَّاسِ فَتَمَنَّوُا الْمَوْتَ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ ﴿٦﴾
if ye think that ye are friends to Allah, to the exclusion of (other) men, then express your desire for Death, if ye are truthful!"
C5459. Cf. 2:94-96.
If they claimed to be special friends of Allah, why do they not eagerly desire death, which would bring them nearer to Allah?
But of all people they are the most tenacious of this life and the good things of this life! And they know that their grasping selfish lives have run up a score of sin against them, which will meet its recompense.
وَلَا
يَتَمَنَّوْنَهُ
أَبَدًا بِمَا
قَدَّمَتْ
أَيْدِيهِمْ
وَاللَّهُ
عَلِيمٌ
بِالظَّالِمِينَ ﴿٧﴾
62: 7. But never will they express their desire (for Death), because of the (deeds) their hands have sent on before them!
And Allah knows well those that do wrong!
قُلْ إِنَّ
الْمَوْتَ
الَّذِي تَفِرُّونَ
مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ
مُلَاقِيكُمْ ...
62: 8. Say:
"The Death from which ye flee will truly overtake you:
ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَى عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ﴿٨﴾
then will ye be sent back to the Knower of things secret and open: and He will tell you (the truth of) the things that ye did!"
C5460. Before Allah's Judgment-Seat, when Judgment is established, we shall see the full inwardness of all deeds in this world. The veil of illusion and delusion will be torn off. All our secret motives will be laid bare. The results of all our little plots and plans and their reactions on our eternal welfare will be clearly visible to us. All make-believe will disappear.
Asad’s version
62:6 Say: "O you who follow the Jewish faith! 5 If you claim that you [alone] are close to God, to the exclusion of all other people, then you should be longing for death - if what you say is true!" 6
(62:7) But never will they long for it, because [they are aware] of what their hands have wrought in this world; 7 and God has full knowledge of evildoers.
62:8 Say: "Behold, the death from which you are fleeing 8 is bound to overtake you - and then you will be brought back unto Him who knows all that is beyond the reach of a created being's perception as well as all that can be witnessed by a creature's senses or mind, 9 whereupon He will make you truly understand all that you were doing [in life].
[[ Asad’s notes - 5 I.e., in its present form, estranged from the original purport of the Torah.
6 For this and the next verse, cf 2:94-95.
7 Lit., "of what their hands have sent ahead".
8 An allusion to what is said in 2:96.
9 See surah 6, note 65. ]]