5. Surah Al-Ma'idah
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَإِذْ
أَوْحَيْتُ
إِلَى الْحَوَارِيِّينَ
أَنْ آمِنُواْ
بِي وَبِرَسُولِي...
5 : 111. "And behold! I inspired the Disciples to have faith in Me and My Messenger:
... قَالُوَاْ آمَنَّا وَاشْهَدْ بِأَنَّنَا مُسْلِمُونَ ﴿١١١﴾
they said, 'We have faith, and do thou bear witness that we bow to Allah as Muslims.'"
C823. "Thou" refers to Jesus, who is being addressed by his Disciples. Cf. 3:52.
C824. Before or after Muhammad's life on this earth, all who bowed to Allah's Will were Muslims, and their religion is Islam.
إِذْ
قَالَ الْحَوَارِيُّونَ
...
5 : 112. Behold! the disciples said:
... يَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ هَلْ يَسْتَطِيعُ رَبُّكَ أَن يُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنَا مَآئِدَةً مِّنَ السَّمَاء...
"O Jesus the son of Mary! can thy Lord send down to us a table set (with viands) from heaven?"
... قَالَ اتَّقُواْ اللّهَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ ﴿١١٢﴾
Said Jesus: "Fear Allah, if ye have faith."
C825. The request of the Disciples savors a little of
1. want of faith,
2. too much attention to physical food, and
3. a childish desire for miracles or Signs.
All these three can be proved from the Canonical Gospels.
1. Simon Peter, quite early in the story, asked Jesus to depart from him, as he (Simon) was a sinful man (Luke 5:8).
The same Peter afterwards denied his Master three times shamelessly when the Master was in the power of his enemies. And one of the Disciples (Judas) actually betrayed Jesus.
2. Even in the Canonical Gospels, so many of the miracles are concerned with food and drink, e.g.,
the turning of the water into wine (John, 2:1-11);
the conversion of five loaves and two small fishes into food for 5,000 men (John 6:5-13), this being the only miracle recorded in all the four Gospels;
the miraculous number of fishes caught for food (Luke 5:4-11);
the cursing of the fig tree because it had no fruit (Matt. 21:18-19);
the allegory of eating Christ's flesh and drinking his blood (John 6:53-57).
3. Because the Samaritans would not receive Jesus into their village, the Disciples James and John wanted a fire to come down from heaven and consume them (Luke 9:54).
قَالُواْ
نُرِيدُ أَن
نَّأْكُلَ
مِنْهَا وَتَطْمَئِنَّ
قُلُوبُنَا...
5 : 113. They said:
"We only wish to eat thereof and satisfy our hearts,
... وَنَعْلَمَ أَن قَدْ صَدَقْتَنَا وَنَكُونَ عَلَيْهَا مِنَ الشَّاهِدِينَ ﴿١١٣﴾
and to know that thou hast indeed told us the truth; and that we ourselves may be witnesses to the miracle."
قَالَ
عِيسَى ابْنُ
مَرْيَمَ ...
5 : 114. Said Jesus the son of Mary:
... اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا أَنزِلْ عَلَيْنَا مَآئِدَةً مِّنَ السَّمَاء...
"O Allah our Lord! send us from heaven a table set (with viands), that there may be for us --
C826. The words of the Prayer seem to suggest the Last Supper.
Cf. also the vision of Peter in "The Acts of the Apostles." 10:9-16.
... تَكُونُ لَنَا عِيداً لِّأَوَّلِنَا وَآخِرِنَا وَآيَةً مِّنكَ...
for the first and the last of us -- a solemn festival and a sign from Thee;
... وَارْزُقْنَا وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ ﴿١١٤﴾
and provide for our sustenance, for Thou art the best Sustainer (of our needs)."
C827. As in Islam, so in Christ's Prayer, sustenance should be taken for both physical and spiritual strength, especially the latter.
"Give us this day our daily bread" seems the rendering of a literalist whose attention was fixed too much on bread.
قَالَ
اللّهُ إِنِّي
مُنَزِّلُهَا
عَلَيْكُمْ
...
5 : 115. Allah said:
"I will send it down unto you:
... فَمَن يَكْفُرْ بَعْدُ مِنكُمْ فَإِنِّي أُعَذِّبُهُ عَذَابًا لاَّ أُعَذِّبُهُ أَحَدًا مِّنَ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿١١٥﴾
but if any of you after that resisteth faith, I will punish him with a penalty such as I have not inflicted on anyone among all the peoples."
C828. It is a wicked generation that asks for Signs and Miracles. Usually they are not vouchsafed. But where they are, the responsibility of those who ask for them is increased. If, after that, they reject faith, invent lies, and go after false gods or false ideals, their penalty will be worse than that of other people.
How this works out practically among those who call themselves Christians is exemplified in such books as the late Mr. W.T. Stead's "If Christ Came to Chicago?" (R).
وَإِذْ
قَالَ اللّهُ
يَا عِيسَى
ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ
...
5 : 116. And behold! Allah will say
"O Jesus the son of Mary!
... أَأَنتَ قُلتَ لِلنَّاسِ اتَّخِذُونِي وَأُمِّيَ إِلَـهَيْنِ مِن دُونِ اللّهِ...
didst thou say unto men, 'worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah'?"
... قَالَ سُبْحَانَكَ مَا يَكُونُ لِي أَنْ أَقُولَ مَا لَيْسَ لِي بِحَقٍّ...
He will say:
"Glory to Thee! never could I say what I had no right (to say).
... إِن كُنتُ قُلْتُهُ فَقَدْ عَلِمْتَهُ ...
Had I said such a thing, Thou wouldst indeed have known it.
... تَعْلَمُ مَا فِي نَفْسِي وَلاَ أَعْلَمُ مَا فِي نَفْسِكَ...
Thou knowest what is in my heart, though I know not what is in Thine.
... إِنَّكَ أَنتَ عَلاَّمُ الْغُيُوبِ ﴿١١٦﴾
For Thou knowest in full all that is hidden.
C829. Jesus disclaims here any knowledge of the sort of things that are attributed to him by those who take his name.
The worship of Mary, though repudiated by the Protestants, was widely spread in the earlier churches, both in the East and the West.
مَا
قُلْتُ لَهُمْ
إِلاَّ مَا
أَمَرْتَنِي
بِهِ أَنِ اعْبُدُواْ
اللّهَ رَبِّي
وَرَبَّكُمْ...
5 : 117. "Never said I to them aught except what Thou didst command me to say, to wit,
'Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord';
... وَكُنتُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا مَّا دُمْتُ فِيهِمْ...
and I was a witness over them whilst I dwelt amongst them;
... فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِي كُنتَ أَنتَ الرَّقِيبَ عَلَيْهِمْ ...
when Thou didst take me up, Thou wast the Watcher over them,
... وَأَنتَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ ﴿١١٧﴾
and Thou art a Witness to all things.
C831. Jesus here acknowledges that he was mortal, and that his knowledge was limited like that of a mortal.
إِن
تُعَذِّبْهُمْ
فَإِنَّهُمْ
عِبَادُكَ...
5 : 118. "If Thou dost punish them, they are Thy servants:
... وَإِن تَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ فَإِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ ﴿١١٨﴾
if Thou dost forgive them, Thou art the Exalted, the Wise."
C832. A Master can justly punish His servants for disobedience: no one can say Him nay, for He is high above all. But if He chooses to forgive. He in His wisdom sees things that we mortals cannot see.
This is the limit of intercession that men of God can make on behalf of sinners.
Other versions:
5: 111
Asad And [remember the time] when I inspired the white-garbed ones [note 136]: “Believe in Me and in My Apostle!” They answered: “We believe; and bear you witness that we have surrendered ourselves.”
Yusuf Ali "And behold! I inspired the Disciples to have faith in Me and Mine Apostle: they said `We have faith and do thou bear witness that we bow to Allah as Muslims'."
Pickthall And when I inspired the disciples, (saying): Believe in Me and in My messenger, they said: We believe. Bear witness that we have surrendered (unto Thee).
Transliteration Wa iz auhaitu ilal hawa_riyyina an a_minu_ bi wa birasu_li, qa_lu_ a_manna_ wasyhad bi annana_ muslimu_n(a).
[[ Asad’s note 136 – I.e., the disciples of Jesus (see surah 3, note 42).]]
[[ Alis notes - 823 "Thou" refers to Jesus, who is being addressed by his Disciples. Cf. iii. 52. (5.111)
824 Before or after Muhammad's life on this earth, all who bowed to Allah's Will were Muslims, and their religion is Islam. Cf. iii, 52, and n. 392. (5.111) ]]
5: 112
Asad [And] lo, the white-garbed ones: “O Jesus, son of Mary! Could your Sustainer send down unto us a repast from heaven?”
[Jesus] answered : “Be conscious of God, if you are [truly] believers!
Yusuf Ali Behold! the disciples said: "O Jesus the son of Mary! can thy Lord send down to us a table set (with viands) from heaven?" Said Jesus: "Fear Allah if ye have faith."
Pickthall When the disciples said: O Jesus, son of Mary! Is thy Lord able to send down for us a table spread with food from heaven? He said: Observe your duty to Allah, if ye are true believers.
Transliteration Iz qa_lal hawa_riyyu_na ya_'isabna maryama hal yastati'u rabbuka ay yunazzila 'alaina_ ma_'idatam minas sama_'(i), qa_lattaqulla_ha in kuntum mu'minin(a).
5: 113
Yusuf Ali They said: "We only wish to eat thereof and satisfy our hearts and to know that thou hast indeed told us the truth; and that we ourselves may be witnesses to the miracle.
Pickthall (They said:) We wish to eat thereof, that we may satisfy our hearts and know that thou hast spoken truth to us, and that thereof we may be witnesses.
Transliteration Qa_lu_ nuridu an na'kula minha_ wa tatma'inna qulu_buna_ wa na'lama an qad sadaqtana_ wa naku_na 'alaiha_ minasy sya_hidin(a).
5: 114
Yusuf Ali Said Jesus the son of Mary: "O Allah our Lord! send us from heaven a table set (with viands) that there may be for us for the first and the last of us a solemn festival and a sign from Thee; and provide for our sustenance for Thou art the best Sustainer (of our needs).
Pickthall Jesus, son of Mary, said: O Allah, Lord of us! Send down for us a table spread with food from heaven, that it may be a feast for Us, for the first of us and for the last of us, and a sign from Thee. Give us sustenance, for Thou art the Best of Sustainers.
Transliteration Qa_la 'isabnu maryamalla_humma rabbana_ anzil 'alaina_ ma_'idatam minas sama_'i taku_nu lana_'idal li'awwalina_ wa a_khirina_ wa a_yatam minka warzuqna_ wa anta khairur ra_ziqin(a).
5: 115
Asad ………will I inflict suffering the like of which I have never [yet] inflicted upon anyone in the world!”
Yusuf Ali Allah said: "I will send it down unto you: but if any of you after that resist faith I will punish him with a penalty such as I have not inflicted on anyone among all the peoples.
Pickthall Allah said: Lo! I send it down for you. And whoso disbelieve of you afterward, him surely will I punish with a punishment wherewith I have not punished any of (My) creatures.
Transliteration Qa_lalla_hu inni munazziluha_'alaikum, famay yakfur ba'du minkum fa inni u'azzibuhu_ aza_bal la_ u'azzibuhu_ ahadam minal'a_lamin(a).
[[ Ruby’s note - The reason why this severe punishment is because God has given enough evidence in the reality of His existence, in spite of that if one asks for more evidence – which is against the normal working of the reality – and if God provides that going out of the way as miracle, and then still if the person discards that as “magic” or illusion, the person deserves this kind of extreme harsh treatment. Miracles are taking place in our reality constantly and that is enough for our mind to see the truth if we are not arrogant, corrupt, blind and irrational due to our own obstinacy to status quo. See my writing on Miracle.]]
5: 116
Asad ……You know all that is within myself, whereas I know not what is in Yourself. Verily, it is You alone who fully know all the things that are beyond the reach of a created being’s perception.
Yusuf Ali And behold! Allah will say "O Jesus the son of Mary! didst thou say unto men `worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah"? He will say: "Glory to Thee! never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing You would indeed have known it. You know what is in my heart though I know not what is in Yours. For You know in full all that is hidden.
Pickthall And when Allah saith: O Jesus, son of Mary! Didst thou say unto mankind: Take me and my mother for two gods beside Allah? he saith: Be glorified! It was not mine to utter that to which I had no right. If I used to say it, then Thou knewest it. Thou knowest what is in my mind, and I know not what is in Thy mind. Lo! Thou, only Thou art the Knower of Things Hidden.
Transliteration Wa iz qa_lalla_hu ya_ 'isabna maryama a'anta qulta lin na_sittakhizu_ni wa ummi ila_haini min du_nilla_h(i), qa_la subha_naka ma_ yaku_nu li an aqu_la ma_ laisa li bi haqq(in), in kuntu qultuhu_faqad 'alimtah(u_), ta'lamu ma_ fi nafsi wa la_ a'lamu ma_ fi nafsik(a), innaka anta'alla_mul guyu_b(i).
5: 117
Asad ………….You alone has been their keeper [note 140]; for You are witness unto everything.
Yusuf Ali "Never said I to them aught except what You did command me to say to wit `Worship Allah my Lord and your Lord'; and I was a witness over them whilst I dwelt amongst them; when You did take me up thou wast the Watcher over them and Thou art a Witness to all things.
Pickthall I spake unto them only that which Thou commandedst me, (saying) : Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. I was a witness of them while I dwelt among them, and when Thou tookest me Thou wast the Watcher over them. Thou art Witness over all things.
Transliteration Ma_ qultu lahum illa_ ma_ amartani bihi ani'budulla_ha rabbi wa rabbakum, wa kuntu'alaihim syahidam ma_ dumtu fihim, falamma_ tawaffaitani kunta antar raqiba'alaihim, wa anta 'ala_ kulli syai'in syahid(un).
[[ Asad’s note 140 – The definite article in ‘anta’r-raqib’ expresses God’s exclusiveness in His function as ‘raqib’ (“keeper”)…..]]
5: 118
Yusuf Ali "If You do punish them they are Your servants: if You do forgive them You are the Exalted the Wise.
Pickthall If Thou punish them, lo! they are Thy slaves, and if Thou forgive them (lo! they are Thy slaves). Lo! Thou, only Thou art the Mighty, the Wise.
Transliteration In tu'azzibhum fa innahum'iba_duk(a), wa in tagfir lahum fa innaka antal 'azizul hakim(u).
[[ Ali’s notes - 825 The request of the Disciples savours a little of (1) want of faith, (2) too much attention to physical food, and (3) a childish desire for miracles or Signs. All these three can be proved from the Canonical Gospels. (1) Simon Peter, quite early in the story, asked Jesus to depart from him, as he (Simon) was a sinful man (Luke v. 8). The same Peter afterwards denied his Master three times shamelessly when the Master was in the power of his enemies. And one of the Disciples (Judas) actually betrayed Jesus. (2) Even in the Canonical Gospels, so many of the miracles are concerned with food and drink, e.g., the turning of the water into wine (John, ii, 1-11); the conversion of five loaves and two small fishes into food for 5,000 men (John vi. 5-13), this being the only miracle recorded in all the four Gospels; the miraculous number of fishes caught for food (Luke V. 4-11); the cursing of the fig tree because it had no fruit (Matt. xxi. 18-19); the allegory of eating Christ's flesh and drinking his blood (John vi. 53-57). (3) Because the Samaritans would not receive Jesus into their village, the Disciples James and John wanted a fire to come down from heaven and consume them (Luke ix. 54). (5.112)
826 The words of the Prayer seem to suggest the Last Supper. Cf. also the vision of Peter in "The Acts of the Apostles." x. 9-16. (5.114)
827 As in Islam, so in Christ's Prayer, sustenance should be taken for both physical and spiritual strength, especially the latter. "Give us this day our daily bread" seems the rendering of a literalist whose attention was fixed too much on bread. (5.114)
828 It is a wicked generation that asks for Signs and Miracles. Usually they are not vouchsafed. But where they are, the responsibility of those who ask for them is increased. If, after that, they reject faith, invent lies, and go after false gods or false ideals, their penalty will be worse than that of other people. How this works out practically among those who call themselves Christians is exemplified in such books as the late Mr. W.T. Stead's "If Christ Came to Chicago?" (5.115)
829 Jesus disclaims here any knowledge of the sort of things that are attributed to him by those who take his name. The worship of Mary, though repudiated by the Protestants, was widely spread in the earlier churches, both in the East and the West. (5.116)
831 Jesus here acknowledges that he was mortal, and that his knowledge was limited like that of a mortal. (5.117)
832 A Master can justly punish His servants for disobedience: no one can say Him nay, for He is high above all. But if He chooses to forgive. He in His wisdom sees things that we mortals cannot see. This is the limit of intercession that men of God can make on behalf of sinners. (5.118) ]]
[[ Asad’s notes -
136 I.e. the disciples of Jesus (see surah 3, note 42).
137 The relevant words, in the generally accepted reading of the Qur'an, are hal yastafi' rabbuka, meaning "can thy Sustainer", or "could thy Sustainer", or "is thy Sustainer able". Inasmuch as, on the face of it, this reading would imply a fundamental doubt in God's power to do anything that He wills (an imputation which does not agree with the characterization, in the Qur'an, of Jesus' disciples as firm believers), most of the commentators see in the query of the disciples something similar to one person's asking another, "Could you go with me?" - that is to say, not implying a doubt as to the other's ability to go but, rather, an uncertainty as to his willingness to do it (cf. in this respect, Tabari, Baghawi, Razi, Raghib; also Manar VII, 250 ff.). We have, however, positive evidence of the fact that several of the most outstanding Companions of the Prophet -'Ali, Ibn 'Abbas, 'A'ishah and Mu'dah ibn Jabal - read the words in question in the spelling hal yastafi 'rabbuka, which might be rendered as "Couldst thou prevail upon thy Sustainer?" (Tabari, Zamakhshari, Baghawi, Razi, Ibn Kathir): a reading which implies the disciples' uncertainty as to Jesus' ability (in the spiritual
sense of this word) to make the above request of God. Thus, A'ishah, refusing to accept the more common reading hal yastafi' rabbuka ("can" or "could thy Sustainer"), is reported to have said: "The disciples of Jesus knew better than to ask whether God is able to do anything: they merely asked [of Jesus], 'Art thou able to request thy Sustainer?' - (Razi). Moreover, according to an authentic Tradition quoted in the Mustadrak. Mu'adh ibn Jabal stated unequivocally that the Prophet himself had imparted to him the reading hal tastafi 'rabbaka ("Couldst thou prevail upon thy Sustainer?"). To my mind, the weight of evidence points to this second alternative; but in view of the more general reading, I have rendered the phrase as above. As regards the disciples' request - and Jesus' subsequent prayer - for a heavenly "repast" (ma'idah, the word which gave the title to this surah), it might possibly be an echo of the request for daily bread contained in the Lord's Prayer (cf. Matthew vi, 11), since, in religious terminology, every benefit that accrues to man is "sent down from heaven" - that is, by God - even if it comes into being through man's own efforts. But, on the other hand, the manner in which the disciples are said to have asked for the "repast" - and particularly their explanation given in the next verse - rather seems to point to a request for a miracle which would assure them of God's "acceptance" of their faith. (See also next note.)
138 The grammatical form munazzil in the phrase inni munazziluha (lit., "I am sending it down") implies a continued recurrence of bestowal - a continuity which I have expressed by interpolating the word "always" between brackets. This stress on God's ever-recurrent provision of sustenance, both physical and spiritual, explains the extreme severity of His condemnation of all who - in their arrogant presumption that man is self-sufficient and independent - deny this obvious truth; and, in addition, it implies a condemnation of any demand for a miracle as a "proof" of God's existence.
139 Sc, "after Jesus' death": this is fully evident from Jesus' subsequent reference, in the past tense, to his own death ("since Thou hast caused me to die") in verse 117. On the other hand, the verb qala (lit., "He said") can also have the meaning of "He will say" (see note 141 below).
140 The definite article in anta'r-raqib expresses God's exclusiveness in His function as raqib ("keeper"), and can only be rendered by an interpolation of the (elliptically implied) word "alone". Similar expressions relating to God are very often met with in the Qur'an - e.g., at the end of the next verse. ]]