5. Surah Al-Maaida

المائدةThe Table · 120 ayahsتفہیم القرآن انگلش

Read Surah Al-Maaida in the Quran reader
Ayah 5:46

وَ قَفَّیْنَا عَلٰۤى اٰثَارِهِمْ بِعِیْسَى ابْنِ مَرْیَمَ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَیْنَ یَدَیْهِ مِنَ التَّوْرٰىةِ١۪ وَ اٰتَیْنٰهُ الْاِنْجِیْلَ فِیْهِ هُدًى وَّ نُوْرٌ١ۙ وَّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَیْنَ یَدَیْهِ مِنَ التَّوْرٰىةِ وَ هُدًى وَّ مَوْعِظَةً لِّلْمُتَّقِیْنَؕ Open ayah 5:46 in the Quran reader

And We sent Jesus, the son of Mary, after those Prophets, confirming the truth of whatever there still remained 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, 76 and a guidance and admonition for the God-fearing.

76.The Messiah did not expound a new religion. That very religion which had been the religion of all the Prophets was also his religion, and it is towards that religion that he called people. He believed in the true teachings of the Torah which were extant in his time, and the Gospels (Injil) confirm this (see, for example, Matthew 5: 17-18). The Qur'an repeatedly stresses the fundamental fact that none of the Prophets of God, no matter in which part of the world they appeared, denied the Prophets who had preceded them. On the contrary, each Prophet confirmed the message of his predecessors and sought to promote the mission which was the sacred legacy of them all. God did not reveal any of the Books in order to repudiate the previous ones; each confirmed and supported the preceding ones.
Ayah 5:47

وَ لْیَحْكُمْ اَهْلُ الْاِنْجِیْلِ بِمَاۤ اَنْزَلَ اللّٰهُ فِیْهِ١ؕ وَ مَنْ لَّمْ یَحْكُمْ بِمَاۤ اَنْزَلَ اللّٰهُ فَاُولٰٓئِكَ هُمُ الْفٰسِقُوْنَ Open ayah 5:47 in the Quran reader

Let the followers of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed therein, and those who do not judge by what Allah has revealed are the transgressors. 77

77. Here three judgements 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 one 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 guilty of three major offences. First, his act amounts to rejecting the commandment of God, and this rejection is equivalent to kufr (infidelity, unbelief). Second, his act is contrary to justice, for only the laws made by God are in complete accord with the dictates of justice. Any judgement in contravention of God's injunctions amounts, therefore, to committing injustice (zulm). Third, when he enforces either his own or anyone else's law in disregard of the Laws of his Lord he steps out of the fold of subjection and obedience, and this constitutes fisq (transgression). Kufr, zulm and fisq are essential elements in deviation from God's commandments. One finds them wherever there is deviation from the commandment of God. There is variation in the degree of deviation and hence in the degree of these three offences. Whoever passes judgement on something in opposition to an injunction of God, believing that injunction to be false, and holds either his own or anyone else's judgement to be sound, is an unbeliever (kafir), wrong-doer (zalim) and transgressor (fasiq). 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 remain 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. Some commentators have attempted to restrict the application of these verses to the People of the Book alone. The verses, however, hardly lend themselves to such a restrictive interpretation. The best answer to such a restrictive interpretation has been given by the Companion Hudhayfah. When someone told him that these verses related merely to the Israelites, meaning that the unbelievers, wrong-doers and transgressors were only the Jews who passed judgement contrary to the injunctions revealed by God, Hudhayfah remarked: 'What good brothers these Israelites are to you! Whatever is bitter goes to them; whatever is sweet comes to you. Nay, by God, you will follow their way, your steps following theirs.'
Ayah 5:48

وَ اَنْزَلْنَاۤ اِلَیْكَ الْكِتٰبَ بِالْحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَیْنَ یَدَیْهِ مِنَ الْكِتٰبِ وَ مُهَیْمِنًا عَلَیْهِ فَاحْكُمْ بَیْنَهُمْ بِمَاۤ اَنْزَلَ اللّٰهُ وَ لَا تَتَّبِعْ اَهْوَآءَهُمْ عَمَّا جَآءَكَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ١ؕ لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنْكُمْ شِرْعَةً وَّ مِنْهَاجًا١ؕ وَ لَوْ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ لَجَعَلَكُمْ اُمَّةً وَّاحِدَةً وَّ لٰكِنْ لِّیَبْلُوَكُمْ فِیْ مَاۤ اٰتٰىكُمْ فَاسْتَبِقُوا الْخَیْرٰتِ١ؕ اِلَى اللّٰهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِیْعًا فَیُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ فِیْهِ تَخْتَلِفُوْنَۙ Open ayah 5:48 in the Quran reader

Then We revealed the Book to you (O Muhammad!) with Truth, confirming whatever of the Book was revealed before, 78 and protecting and guarding over it. 79 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. 80 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, one with 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. 81

78. 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 divine books 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 reveals 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. It is, therefore, not merely that these divine books support rather than contradict each other but that they are actually different editions of one and the same book - 'the Book'. 79. In Arabic, haymana, yuhayminu, hayamanah signify 'to protect, to witness, to keep trust, to back and to support'. The expression 'haymana al-rajul al-shay' means that the man protected and guarded the thing. Likewise, 'haymana al-ta'ir 'alafirdkhih' means that the bird took its young ones under the protection of its wings. Once 'Umar said to the people: 'Inni da'in fa hayminu' ('I am praying; support me by saying amen'). To say that the Qur'an is muhaymin of al-kitab means that it preserves all the true teachings of the earlier divine books; that it has secured them from loss. The Qur'an also confirms those Books in that the contents of the Qur'an testify to the truth of those parts which are indeed from God. The Qur'an is, further, a witness over those Books in the sense that, with its help, the elements which embody true revelations from God can be distinguished from the accretions which have corrupted them. Whatever in these Books accords with the Qur'an is from God, and whatever is not in conformity with it is from human beings. 80. This is a parenthetical phrase, the purpose of which is to elucidate a question which is likely to arise in the mind of the reader who has read the above section and might feel uneasy. The question is: Why do the religious laws propounded by the various Prophets differ in matters of detail even though the Prophets and their Books preach one and the same religion (din) and even confirm and support each other? Why is it that in regard to the prescribed forms of worship, the regulations concerning what is permitted and what is prohibited, and the detailed legal regulations governing the social and collective life, there is some disagreement among the various laws propounded by the different Prophets and the divine Books? 81. This constitutes a detailed answer to the above question (see n. 80). It consists of the following points: (1) It is a mistake to think that variations in religious laws result from a difference of source. It is God Himself Who altered the legal prescriptions to suit different nations at different times and in different circumstances. (2) It was indeed possible, by divising one legal code for all human beings, for all men to have been made into one nation (ummah). But one of the many benevolent considerations keeping the religious laws of various Prophets different from one another was that God wanted this difference to become a means of testing people. Those who understand true religion, who have grasped its spirit and essence, and who are aware of the true importance of the different legal prescriptions, always recognize the Truth and accept it whatever its form. They have no hesitation in accepting the new ordinances of God in place of the old ones, in contrast to those who are not conversant with the spirit of true religion and who seem to identify it with a specific body of legal minutiae. Such people have overlaid God-given principles with their own legal deductions, and have sub sequently fossilized this entire amalgam, seeking to preserve it in its entirety. They have grown so attached to it that, in order to preserve it, they spurn every directive which subsequently comes to them from God. In order to distinguish the people of the first category from those of the second God made the legal prescriptions of the various Prophets vary. (3) The real purpose of all the divine religious laws is the attainment of goodness and righteousness. This purpose can be achieved only when a man obeys whatever commandment he receives from God at a particular time. The proper mode of conduct for people who keep their eyes fixed on this true purpose is to strive for God's good pleasure rather than quarrel about differences in the legal prescriptions of the various Prophets. (4) The differences which have arisen because of the unjustified rigidity, prejudice, obduracy and erroneous attitudes of the human mind can be finally settled neither in the debating hall nor on the battlefield. The final judgement will be made by God Himself. Then the reality of everything will be fully uncovered, and it will be clear how much truth and falsehood underlay the squabbles which whole lives were wasted over.
Ayah 5:49

وَ اَنِ احْكُمْ بَیْنَهُمْ بِمَاۤ اَنْزَلَ اللّٰهُ وَ لَا تَتَّبِعْ اَهْوَآءَهُمْ وَ احْذَرْهُمْ اَنْ یَّفْتِنُوْكَ عَنْۢ بَعْضِ مَاۤ اَنْزَلَ اللّٰهُ اِلَیْكَ١ؕ فَاِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَاعْلَمْ اَنَّمَا یُرِیْدُ اللّٰهُ اَنْ یُّصِیْبَهُمْ بِبَعْضِ ذُنُوْبِهِمْ١ؕ وَ اِنَّ كَثِیْرًا مِّنَ النَّاسِ لَفٰسِقُوْنَ Open ayah 5:49 in the Quran reader

Therefore, judge between them (O Muhammad!) 82 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.

82. Following this parenthetical clause, the previous subject is resumed.
Ayahs 5:50–51

اَفَحُكْمَ الْجَاهِلِیَّةِ یَبْغُوْنَ١ؕ وَ مَنْ اَحْسَنُ مِنَ اللّٰهِ حُكْمًا لِّقَوْمٍ یُّوْقِنُوْنَ۠ Open ayah 5:50 in the Quran reader

(If they turn away from the Law of Allah) do they desire judgement according to the Law of Ignorance? 83 But for those who have certainty of belief whose judgement can be better than Allah's?

یٰۤاَیُّهَا الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الْیَهُوْدَ وَ النَّصٰرٰۤى اَوْلِیَآءَ١ؔۘ بَعْضُهُمْ اَوْلِیَآءُ بَعْضٍ١ؕ وَ مَنْ یَّتَوَلَّهُمْ مِّنْكُمْ فَاِنَّهٗ مِنْهُمْ١ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا یَهْدِی الْقَوْمَ الظّٰلِمِیْنَ Open ayah 5:51 in the Quran reader

Believers! Do not take the Jews and the 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.

83. The word jahiliyah (literally 'ignorance') is used as an antonym to Islam. Islam is the way of 'ilm (true knowledge), since it is God Himself Who has shown this way, and His knowledge embraces everything. In contrast is the way that diverges from Islam - the path of Ignorance (jahiliyah). The pre-Islamic period in Arabia is designated as jahiliyah because this was the era when human beings derived their norms from either superstitious beliefs, conjectures and imagination or from their desires. Whenever such an attitude is adopted, it is bound to be designated as Ignorance. The appellation 'jahiliyah' will apply to every aspect of life which is developed in disregard of the knowledge made available by God, based only on man's partial knowledge blended with imagination, superstitious fancies, conjectures and desires.
Ayah 5:52

فَتَرَى الَّذِیْنَ فِیْ قُلُوْبِهِمْ مَّرَضٌ یُّسَارِعُوْنَ فِیْهِمْ یَقُوْلُوْنَ نَخْشٰۤى اَنْ تُصِیْبَنَا دَآئِرَةٌ١ؕ فَعَسَى اللّٰهُ اَنْ یَّاْتِیَ بِالْفَتْحِ اَوْ اَمْرٍ مِّنْ عِنْدِهٖ فَیُصْبِحُوْا عَلٰى مَاۤ اَسَرُّوْا فِیْۤ اَنْفُسِهِمْ نٰدِمِیْنَؕ Open ayah 5:52 in the Quran reader

Indeed you see those afflicted with the disease of hypocrisy race towards them, saying: 'We fear lest some misfortune overtakes us. 84 And it may happen that Allah will either bring you a decisive victory or bring about something else from Himself? 85 and then they will feel remorseful at their hypocrisy which they have kept concealed in their breasts -

84. The outcome of the conflict in Arabia between Islam and unbelief (kufr) had not crystallized. Although Islam had become a formidable force owing to the daring, courage and sacrifices of its followers, the forces opposed to it were also tremendously powerful. To an objective observer it must have seemed that either party had an equal chance of success, and so the hypocrites, apparently an integral part of the Muslim body politic, sought to maintain good relations with the Jews and the. Christians as well. They expected refuge and protection from the Jews in case Islam was defeated. Moreover, the Jews and Christians held the greatest economic power in Arabia insofar as the banking system and the greenest and most fertile regions of Arabia were in their possession. For these reasons the hypocrites were keen to maintain good relations with them: they thought that to regard the conflict between Islam and unbelief as crucially important, and to sever their relations with all those currently in conflict with Islam, would be too great a risk both politically and economically. 85. They were looking for a conclusive victory, or at least something not far short of it, to inspire confidence that the conflict would end in favour of Islam.
Ayah 5:53

وَ یَقُوْلُ الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْۤا اَهٰۤؤُلَآءِ الَّذِیْنَ اَقْسَمُوْا بِاللّٰهِ جَهْدَ اَیْمَانِهِمْ١ۙ اِنَّهُمْ لَمَعَكُمْ١ؕ حَبِطَتْ اَعْمَالُهُمْ فَاَصْبَحُوْا خٰسِرِیْنَ Open ayah 5:53 in the Quran reader

while those who believe will exclaim: 'Are these the self-same people who solemnly swore by Allah that they were with you?' All their acts have gone to waste and now they are the losers. 86

86. However much they might profess to follow Islam - by performing Prayers, by observing Fasts, by paying Zakah, by taking part in wars in the cause of God - all was reduced to naught because they had not devoted themselves to the service of the One True God. In pursuit of their worldly ambitions they had split their souls into two, distributing half to God and half to those in rebellion against Him.
Ayahs 5:54–57

یٰۤاَیُّهَا الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا مَنْ یَّرْتَدَّ مِنْكُمْ عَنْ دِیْنِهٖ فَسَوْفَ یَاْتِی اللّٰهُ بِقَوْمٍ یُّحِبُّهُمْ وَ یُحِبُّوْنَهٗۤ١ۙ اَذِلَّةٍ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِیْنَ اَعِزَّةٍ عَلَى الْكٰفِرِیْنَ١٘ یُجَاهِدُوْنَ فِیْ سَبِیْلِ اللّٰهِ وَ لَا یَخَافُوْنَ لَوْمَةَ لَآئِمٍ١ؕ ذٰلِكَ فَضْلُ اللّٰهِ یُؤْتِیْهِ مَنْ یَّشَآءُ١ؕ وَ اللّٰهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِیْمٌ Open ayah 5:54 in the Quran reader

Believers! If any of you should ever turn away from your faith, remember that Allah will raise up a people whom He loves, and who love Him; a people humble towards the believers, and firm towards the unbelievers; 87 who will strive hard in the way of Allah and will not fear the reproach of the reproacher. 88 This is the favour of Allah which He grants to whom He wills. Allah is vast in resources, All-Knowing.

اِنَّمَا وَلِیُّكُمُ اللّٰهُ وَ رَسُوْلُهٗ وَ الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوا الَّذِیْنَ یُقِیْمُوْنَ الصَّلٰوةَ وَ یُؤْتُوْنَ الزَّكٰوةَ وَ هُمْ رٰكِعُوْنَ Open ayah 5:55 in the Quran reader

Only Allah, His Messenger, and those who believe and who establish Prayer, pay Zakah, and bow (before Allah) are your allies.

وَ مَنْ یَّتَوَلَّ اللّٰهَ وَ رَسُوْلَهٗ وَ الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا فَاِنَّ حِزْبَ اللّٰهِ هُمُ الْغٰلِبُوْنَ۠ Open ayah 5:56 in the Quran reader

All those who take Allah and His Messenger and those who believe as their allies, should remember that the party of Allah will be triumphant.

یٰۤاَیُّهَا الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الَّذِیْنَ اتَّخَذُوْا دِیْنَكُمْ هُزُوًا وَّ لَعِبًا مِّنَ الَّذِیْنَ اُوْتُوا الْكِتٰبَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ وَ الْكُفَّارَ اَوْلِیَآءَ١ۚ وَ اتَّقُوا اللّٰهَ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُّؤْمِنِیْنَ Open ayah 5:57 in the Quran reader

Believers! Do not take for your allies those who make a mockery and sport of your faith, be they those given the Book before you or other unbelievers. Fear Allah if you indeed believe.

87. To be 'humble towards believers' signifies that a person should never use his strength against the believers. His native intelligence, shrewdness, ability, influence, wealth, physical prowess should not be used for the purpose of either suppressing, persecuting or causing harm to the Muslims. Among themselves, the Muslims should always find him gentle, merciful, sympathetic and mild tempered. To be 'firm towards unbelievers', on the contrary, means that by virtue of the intensity of his faith, the sincerity of his conviction, his strict adherence to his principles, his strength of character and his insight and perspicacity born of faith, a man should be firm as a rock in his dealings with the opponents of Islam, so that they find it impossible to dislodge him. There should be no doubt in their minds that the believer would rather lay down his life than compromise his position by yielding to external pressures. 88.In following the religion of God, in implementing His injunctions, in judging things to be either right or wrong according to the criteria of the faith, the believer will be afraid of nothing. He will be impervious to opposition, reproach, denunciation, name-calling and scorn. Even when public opinion happens to be hostile, and his efforts to follow Islam single him out for the scorn of the whole world, the man of faith will still follow the way which he recognizes in his heart to be true.
Ayahs 5:58–59

وَ اِذَا نَادَیْتُمْ اِلَى الصَّلٰوةِ اتَّخَذُوْهَا هُزُوًا وَّ لَعِبًا١ؕ ذٰلِكَ بِاَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَّا یَعْقِلُوْنَ Open ayah 5:58 in the Quran reader

And when you call for Prayer, they take it for a mockery and sport. 89 That is because they are a people who do not understand. 90

قُلْ یٰۤاَهْلَ الْكِتٰبِ هَلْ تَنْقِمُوْنَ مِنَّاۤ اِلَّاۤ اَنْ اٰمَنَّا بِاللّٰهِ وَ مَاۤ اُنْزِلَ اِلَیْنَا وَ مَاۤ اُنْزِلَ مِنْ قَبْلُ١ۙ وَ اَنَّ اَكْثَرَكُمْ فٰسِقُوْنَ Open ayah 5:59 in the Quran reader

Say to them: 'People of the Book! Do you hate us for anything else except that we believe in Allah, and in the teaching which has been revealed to us and in the teaching which was revealed before? Indeed most of you are transgressors.'

89. When they hear the call to Prayer the unbelievers make fun of it by mimicry, pervert its words to ridicule it, and utter disparaging and taunting remarks about it. 90. These are merely acts of stupidity on the part of unbelievers. Had they not been ignorant and foolish they would not have stooped to such base tactics, despite their significant differences with the Muslims on religious questions. After all, can any reasonable person be happy to see the people who call to the worship of God be ridiculed and mocked?
Ayahs 5:60–63

قُلْ هَلْ اُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِشَرٍّ مِّنْ ذٰلِكَ مَثُوْبَةً عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ١ؕ مَنْ لَّعَنَهُ اللّٰهُ وَ غَضِبَ عَلَیْهِ وَ جَعَلَ مِنْهُمُ الْقِرَدَةَ وَ الْخَنَازِیْرَ وَ عَبَدَ الطَّاغُوْتَ١ؕ اُولٰٓئِكَ شَرٌّ مَّكَانًا وَّ اَضَلُّ عَنْ سَوَآءِ السَّبِیْلِ Open ayah 5:60 in the Quran reader

Then say to them: 'Shall I tell you about those whose retribution with Allah is even worse? They are the ones whom Allah has cursed, and who incurred His wrath and some of whom were changed into apes and swine, and who served the false deities. Such have an even worse rank and have strayed farther away from the right path. 91

وَ اِذَا جَآءُوْكُمْ قَالُوْۤا اٰمَنَّا وَ قَدْ دَّخَلُوْا بِالْكُفْرِ وَ هُمْ قَدْ خَرَجُوْا بِهٖ١ؕ وَ اللّٰهُ اَعْلَمُ بِمَا كَانُوْا یَكْتُمُوْنَ Open ayah 5:61 in the Quran reader

Whenever they come to you they say: 'We believe,' whereas, in fact, they come disbelieving, and go away disbelieving, and Allah knows all that they hide.

وَ تَرٰى كَثِیْرًا مِّنْهُمْ یُسَارِعُوْنَ فِی الْاِثْمِ وَ الْعُدْوَانِ وَ اَكْلِهِمُ السُّحْتَ١ؕ لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُوْا یَعْمَلُوْنَ Open ayah 5:62 in the Quran reader

You will see many of them hastening towards sin and transgression and devouring unlawful earnings. Indeed what they do is evil.

لَوْ لَا یَنْهٰىهُمُ الرَّبّٰنِیُّوْنَ وَ الْاَحْبَارُ عَنْ قَوْلِهِمُ الْاِثْمَ وَ اَكْلِهِمُ السُّحْتَ١ؕ لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُوْا یَصْنَعُوْنَ Open ayah 5:63 in the Quran reader

Why is it that their scholars and jurists do not forbid them from sinful utterances and devouring unlawful earnings? Indeed they have been contriving evil.

91. This alludes to the Jews whose history shows that they were subjected, over and over again, to the wrath and scourge of God. When they desecrated the law of the Sabbath the faces of many of them were distorted, and subsequently their degeneration reached such a low point that they took to worshipping Satan quite openly. The purpose of saying all this is to draw attention to their criminal boldness while they had sunk to the lowest level of evil, transgression and moral decadence, they vigorously opposed all those who, thanks to their faith, lived a truly pious and righteous life.
Ayahs 5:64–65

وَ قَالَتِ الْیَهُوْدُ یَدُ اللّٰهِ مَغْلُوْلَةٌ١ؕ غُلَّتْ اَیْدِیْهِمْ وَ لُعِنُوْا بِمَا قَالُوْا١ۘ بَلْ یَدٰهُ مَبْسُوْطَتٰنِ١ۙ یُنْفِقُ كَیْفَ یَشَآءُ١ؕ وَ لَیَزِیْدَنَّ كَثِیْرًا مِّنْهُمْ مَّاۤ اُنْزِلَ اِلَیْكَ مِنْ رَّبِّكَ طُغْیَانًا وَّ كُفْرًا١ؕ وَ اَلْقَیْنَا بَیْنَهُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَ الْبَغْضَآءَ اِلٰى یَوْمِ الْقِیٰمَةِ١ؕ كُلَّمَاۤ اَوْقَدُوْا نَارًا لِّلْحَرْبِ اَطْفَاَهَا اللّٰهُ١ۙ وَ یَسْعَوْنَ فِی الْاَرْضِ فَسَادًا١ؕ وَ اللّٰهُ لَا یُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِیْنَ Open ayah 5:64 in the Quran reader

The Jews say: 'The Hand of Allah is fettered. 92It is their own hands which are fettered, 93 and they stand cursed for the evil they have uttered. 94 No! His Hands are outspread; He spends as He wills. Surely the message that has been revealed to you from your Lord has increased many of them in their in-surgence and unbelief, 95 and so We have cast enmity and spite among them until the Day of Resurrection. And as often as they kindle the fire of war, Allah extinguishes it; and they go about trying to spread mischief on earth, whereas Allah does not love those who spread mischief.

وَ لَوْ اَنَّ اَهْلَ الْكِتٰبِ اٰمَنُوْا وَ اتَّقَوْا لَكَفَّرْنَا عَنْهُمْ سَیِّاٰتِهِمْ وَ لَاَدْخَلْنٰهُمْ جَنّٰتِ النَّعِیْمِ Open ayah 5:65 in the Quran reader

Had the People of the Book only believed and been God-fearing, We should surely have effaced from them their evil deeds, and caused them to enter Gardens of Bliss.

92. To say that someone's hands are tied, in Arabic usage, is to say that he is niggardly, that something prevents him from being generous and bountiful. Thus the Jewish observation does not mean that God's Hand is literally tied but that He is niggardly and miserly. For centuries the Jews had lived in humiliation and misery. Their past greatness had become legend, seemingly too remote ever to be restored, and so they would blasphemously lament that God had become a miser and that as the door to His treasury was now permanently locked, that He had nothing to offer them except suffering and calamity. This attitude, however, is not confined to the Jews. When confronted with trials and tribulations foolish people of other nations, too, are prone to utter such blasphemies rather than turn to God with humble prayer and supplication. 93. They accused God of the miserliness from which they themselves had suffered and had become notorious for. 94. If they entertained the hope that by such insolent and taunting expressions they might evoke God's munificence, and that His bounties would begin to shower upon them, they were dreaming of the impossible. Indeed, such insolence was bound to have the opposite effect - to alienate them further from God's bounty, to cast them even further from His mercy. 95. Instead of learning any lessons from the Book of God, instead of recognizing their own mistakes and wrongs and then trying to make amends for them, instead of probing their miserable situation and then turning to reform, they reacted by launching a violent campaign of opposition to truth and righteousness. Rather than take to the right way as a result of being reminded of the forgotten lesson of righteousness, they attempted to suppress the voice which sought to remind them and others of such things.
Ayahs 5:66–67

وَ لَوْ اَنَّهُمْ اَقَامُوا التَّوْرٰىةَ وَ الْاِنْجِیْلَ وَ مَاۤ اُنْزِلَ اِلَیْهِمْ مِّنْ رَّبِّهِمْ لَاَكَلُوْا مِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ وَ مِنْ تَحْتِ اَرْجُلِهِمْ١ؕ مِنْهُمْ اُمَّةٌ مُّقْتَصِدَةٌ١ؕ وَ كَثِیْرٌ مِّنْهُمْ سَآءَ مَا یَعْمَلُوْنَ۠ Open ayah 5:66 in the Quran reader

Had the People of the Book observed the Torah and the Gospel, and all that had been revealed to them from their Lord, sustenance would have been showered over them from above and risen from beneath their feet. 96 Some among them certainly keep to the right path; but many of them do things which are evil.

یٰۤاَیُّهَا الرَّسُوْلُ بَلِّغْ مَاۤ اُنْزِلَ اِلَیْكَ مِنْ رَّبِّكَ١ؕ وَ اِنْ لَّمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهٗ١ؕ وَ اللّٰهُ یَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ١ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا یَهْدِی الْقَوْمَ الْكٰفِرِیْنَ Open ayah 5:67 in the Quran reader

O Messenger! Deliver what has been revealed to you from your Lord, for if you fail to do that, you have not fulfilled the task of His messengership. Allah will certainly protect you from the evil of men. Surely Allah will not guide the unbelievers (to succeed against you).

96 In the Old Testament, Leviticus (chapter 26) and Deuteronomy (chapter 28) record a sermon of Moses in which he impresses upon Israel, in great detail, the bounties and blessings of God with which they would be endowed if they obeyed His commandments, and the afflictions, scourges and devastations that would descend upon them if they disobeyed Him and rejected the Book of God. That sermon of Moses is the best explanation of this verse of the Qur'an.
Ayah 5:68

قُلْ یٰۤاَهْلَ الْكِتٰبِ لَسْتُمْ عَلٰى شَیْءٍ حَتّٰى تُقِیْمُوا التَّوْرٰىةَ وَ الْاِنْجِیْلَ وَ مَاۤ اُنْزِلَ اِلَیْكُمْ مِّنْ رَّبِّكُمْ١ؕ وَ لَیَزِیْدَنَّ كَثِیْرًا مِّنْهُمْ مَّاۤ اُنْزِلَ اِلَیْكَ مِنْ رَّبِّكَ طُغْیَانًا وَّ كُفْرًا١ۚ فَلَا تَاْسَ عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكٰفِرِیْنَ Open ayah 5:68 in the Quran reader

Say to them: 'People of the Book! You have no solid ground to stand on unless you establish the Torah and the Gospel and all that had been revealed to you from your Lord. 97 Indeed the message revealed to you from your Lord will aggravate insurgence and unbelief in many of them. 98 So do not grieve for those who disbelieve.

97. By 'establishing the Torah and the Gospel' is meant observing them honestly and making them the law of life. It should be noted here that the Scriptures which comprise the Bible consist of two kinds of writings. One was composed by the Jewish and Christian authors themselves. The second consists of those portions which have been recorded as either the injunctions of God or as the utterances of Moses, Jesus and other Prophets. Such portions are those in which it has been categorically stated that God said so and so, or that a particular Prophet said so and so. If we were to exclude the portions belonging to the first category and carefully study those belonging to the second we would notice that their teachings are not perceptibly different from those of the Qur'an. It is true that the second category has not altogether escaped the tamperings of translators, scribes and exegetes, and the errors of oral transmitters. Nevertheless, one cannot help feeling that the teachings embodied in the second category call man to the same pure monotheism as the Qur'an, that they propound those very beliefs propounded by the Qur'an and that they direct man to the same way of life as that to which the Qur'an seeks to direct him. Hence, had the Jews and the Christians adhered to the teaching attributed in their Scriptures to God and the Prophets they would certainly have become a truth-loving and truth-oriented group of people and would have been able to see in the Qur'an that very light which illuminates the earlier divine Scriptures. There would then have been no question of their abandoning their religion in order to follow the Prophet (peace be on him). To follow him would have caused neither break nor discontinuity; they would simply have gone one stage further along the same road. 98. Instead of reflecting on this seriously and dispassionately, they were seized by a fit of intransigence which intensified their opposition.
Ayahs 5:69–74

اِنَّ الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَ الَّذِیْنَ هَادُوْا وَ الصّٰبِئُوْنَ وَ النَّصٰرٰى مَنْ اٰمَنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَ الْیَوْمِ الْاٰخِرِ وَ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَیْهِمْ وَ لَا هُمْ یَحْزَنُوْنَ Open ayah 5:69 in the Quran reader

(Know well, none has an exclusive claim to the Truth.) For all those who believe in Allah and in the Last Day and do good deeds - be they either believers, Jews, Sabaeans or Christians - neither fear shall fall upon them, nor shall they have any reason to grieve. 99

لَقَدْ اَخَذْنَا مِیْثَاقَ بَنِیْۤ اِسْرَآءِیْلَ وَ اَرْسَلْنَاۤ اِلَیْهِمْ رُسُلًا١ؕ كُلَّمَا جَآءَهُمْ رَسُوْلٌۢ بِمَا لَا تَهْوٰۤى اَنْفُسُهُمْ١ۙ فَرِیْقًا كَذَّبُوْا وَ فَرِیْقًا یَّقْتُلُوْنَۗ Open ayah 5:70 in the Quran reader

And We took a covenant from the Children of Israel and sent to them many Messengers. But whenever any Messenger brought to them something that did not suit their desires, they gave the lie to some of them and killed the others,

وَ حَسِبُوْۤا اَلَّا تَكُوْنَ فِتْنَةٌ فَعَمُوْا وَ صَمُّوْا ثُمَّ تَابَ اللّٰهُ عَلَیْهِمْ ثُمَّ عَمُوْا وَ صَمُّوْا كَثِیْرٌ مِّنْهُمْ١ؕ وَ اللّٰهُ بَصِیْرٌۢ بِمَا یَعْمَلُوْنَ Open ayah 5:71 in the Quran reader

thinking that no harm would come from it. Thus they became blind and deaf (to the Truth). Thereafter Allah turned towards them in gracious forgiveness; but many of them became even more deaf and blind (to the Truth). Allah sees all that they do.

لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِیْنَ قَالُوْۤا اِنَّ اللّٰهَ هُوَ الْمَسِیْحُ ابْنُ مَرْیَمَ١ؕ وَ قَالَ الْمَسِیْحُ یٰبَنِیْۤ اِسْرَآءِیْلَ اعْبُدُوا اللّٰهَ رَبِّیْ وَ رَبَّكُمْ١ؕ اِنَّهٗ مَنْ یُّشْرِكْ بِاللّٰهِ فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللّٰهُ عَلَیْهِ الْجَنَّةَ وَ مَاْوٰىهُ النَّارُ١ؕ وَ مَا لِلظّٰلِمِیْنَ مِنْ اَنْصَارٍ Open ayah 5:72 in the Quran reader

And surely they disbelieved when they said: 'Christ, the son of Mary, is indeed God'; whereas Christ had said: 'Children of Israel! Serve Allah, Who is your Lord and my Lord.' Allah has forbidden Paradise to those who associate anything with Him in His divinity and their refuge shall be the Fire. No one will be able to help such wrong-doers.

لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِیْنَ قَالُوْۤا اِنَّ اللّٰهَ ثَالِثُ ثَلٰثَةٍ١ۘ وَ مَا مِنْ اِلٰهٍ اِلَّاۤ اِلٰهٌ وَّاحِدٌ١ؕ وَ اِنْ لَّمْ یَنْتَهُوْا عَمَّا یَقُوْلُوْنَ لَیَمَسَّنَّ الَّذِیْنَ كَفَرُوْا مِنْهُمْ عَذَابٌ اَلِیْمٌ Open ayah 5:73 in the Quran reader

Those who said: 'Allah is one of the Three', certainly they disbelieved, for there is no god save the One God. And if they do not give up this claim, all who have disbelieved among them shall be subjected to painful chastisement.

اَفَلَا یَتُوْبُوْنَ اِلَى اللّٰهِ وَ یَسْتَغْفِرُوْنَهٗ١ؕ وَ اللّٰهُ غَفُوْرٌ رَّحِیْمٌ Open ayah 5:74 in the Quran reader

Will they not, then, turn to Allah in repentance, and ask for His forgiveness? Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate.

99. See Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. I, Surah 2, verse 62, and n 80.
Ayahs 5:75–76

مَا الْمَسِیْحُ ابْنُ مَرْیَمَ اِلَّا رَسُوْلٌ١ۚ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ١ؕ وَ اُمُّهٗ صِدِّیْقَةٌ١ؕ كَانَا یَاْكُلٰنِ الطَّعَامَ١ؕ اُنْظُرْ كَیْفَ نُبَیِّنُ لَهُمُ الْاٰیٰتِ ثُمَّ انْظُرْ اَنّٰى یُؤْفَكُوْنَ Open ayah 5:75 in the Quran reader

The Messiah, son of Mary, was no more than a Messenger before whom many Messengers have passed away; and his mother adhered wholly to truthfulness, and they both ate food (as other mortals do). See how We make Our signs clear to them; and see where they are turning away! 100

قُلْ اَتَعْبُدُوْنَ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰهِ مَا لَا یَمْلِكُ لَكُمْ ضَرًّا وَّ لَا نَفْعًا١ؕ وَ اللّٰهُ هُوَ السَّمِیْعُ الْعَلِیْمُ Open ayah 5:76 in the Quran reader

Say: 'Do you serve, beside Allah, that which has no power either to harm or benefit you, whereas Allah alone is All-Hearing, All-Knowing?'

100. In these few words the Christian doctrine of the divinity of Christ is repudiated. The nature of the Messiah is clear from the indications given here; he was merely a human being. He was one born from the womb of a woman, who had a known genealogy, who possessed a physical body, who was subject to all the limitations of a human being and who had all the attributes characteristic of human beings. He slept, ate, felt the discomfort of heat and cold and was so human that he was even put to the test by Satan. How could any reasonable person believe that such a being was either God or a partner or associate of God in His godhead? But the Christians continue to insist on the divinity of the Messiah, whose life has been portrayed in their own Scriptures as that of a human. The fact of the matter is that they do not believe at all in the historical Messiah. They have woven a Messiah out of their imagination and have deified that imaginary being.
Ayahs 5:77–78

قُلْ یٰۤاَهْلَ الْكِتٰبِ لَا تَغْلُوْا فِیْ دِیْنِكُمْ غَیْرَ الْحَقِّ وَ لَا تَتَّبِعُوْۤا اَهْوَآءَ قَوْمٍ قَدْ ضَلُّوْا مِنْ قَبْلُ وَ اَضَلُّوْا كَثِیْرًا وَّ ضَلُّوْا عَنْ سَوَآءِ السَّبِیْلِ۠ Open ayah 5:77 in the Quran reader

Say: 'People of the Book! Do not go beyond bounds in your religion at the cost of truth, and do not follow the caprices of the people who fell into error before, and caused others to go astray, and strayed far away from the right path. 101

لُعِنَ الَّذِیْنَ كَفَرُوْا مِنْۢ بَنِیْۤ اِسْرَآءِیْلَ عَلٰى لِسَانِ دَاوٗدَ وَ عِیْسَى ابْنِ مَرْیَمَ١ؕ ذٰلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوْا وَّ كَانُوْا یَعْتَدُوْنَ Open ayah 5:78 in the Quran reader

Those of the Children of Israel who took to unbelief have been cursed by the tongue of David and Jesus, son of Mary, for they rebelled and exceeded the bounds of right.

101. This refers to those misguided nations from whom the Christians derived their false beliefs and ways, particularly to the Hellenistic philosophers under the spell of whose ideas the Christians had veered from the straight way they had originally followed. The beliefs of the early followers of the Messiah were mainly in conformity with the reality they had witnessed, and conformed to the teachings they had received from their guide and mentor. But they later resorted to an exaggerated veneration of Jesus, and interpreted their own beliefs in the light of the philosophical doctrines and superstitious ideas of the neighbouring nations. Thus they invented an altogether new religion not even remotely related to the original teachings of the Messiah. In this connection the observations of a Christian theologian, the Reverend Charles Anderson Scott are significant. In a lengthy article entitled 'Jesus' Christ', published in the fourteenth edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica, he writes: . . . there is nothing in these three Gospels to suggest that their writers thought of Jesus as other than human, a human being specially endowed with the Spirit of God and standing in an unbroken relation to God which justified His being spoken of as the 'Son of God'. Even Matthew refers to Him as the carpenter's son and records that after Peter had acknowleged Him as Messiah he 'took Him aside and began to rebuke Him' (Matthew, xvi. 22). And in Luke the two disciples on the way to Emmaus can still speak of Him as 'a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people' (Luke, xxiv. 19). It is very singular that in spite of the fact that before Mark was composed 'the Lord' had become the description of Jesus common among Christians, He is never so described in the second Gospel (nor yet in the first, though the word is freely used to refer to God). All three relate the Passion of Jesus with a fullness and emphasis of its great significance; but except the 'ransom' passage (Mark, x. 45) and certain words at the Last Supper there is no indication of the meaning which was afterwards attached to it. It is not even suggested that the death of Jesus had any relation to sin or forgiveness. A little further on he writes: That He ranked Himself as a prophet appears from a few passages such as 'It cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem'. He frequently referred to Himself as the Son of Man; but while this must be maintained in face of influential opinions to the contrary, the result for our purpose is less important than we might expect, for the possible meanings of the phrase are as numerous as the sources from which it may possibly have been derived. They range from simple 'man' through 'man in his human weakness' and the representative 'Man' to the supernatural man from heaven foreshadowed in Daniel. If we had to postulate one source and one meaning for the phrase as used by Jesus of Himself, it would probably be found in Psalm Ixxx., where the poignant appeal to God for the redemption of Israel runs out on the hope of a 'son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself. The same author adds: Certain words of Peter spoken at the time of Pentecost, 'A man approved of God', described Jesus as He was known and regarded by His contemporaries. He was 'found in fashion as a man', that is, in all particulars which presented themselves to outward observation He Appeared and behaved as one of the human race. He 'was made man'. The Gospels leave no room for doubt as to the completeness with which these statements are to be accepted. From them we learn that Jesus passed through the natural stages of development, physical and mental, that He hungered, thirsted, was weary and slept, that He could be surprised and require information, that He suffered pain and died. He not only made no claim to omniscience, He distinctly waived it. This is not to deny that He had insight such as no other ever had, into human nature, into the hearts of men and the purposes and methods of God. But there is no reason to suppose that He thought of the earth as other than the centre of the solar system, of any other than David as the author of the Psalms, or did not share the belief of His age that demons were the cause of disease. Indeed, any claim to omniscience would be not only inconsistent with the whole impression created by the Gospels, it could not be reconciled with the cardinal experiences of the Temptation, of Gethsemane and of Calvary. Unless such experiences were to be utterly unreal, Jesus must have entered into them and passed through them under the ordinary limitations of human knowledge, subject only to such modifications of human knowledge as might be due to prophetic insight or the sure vision of God. There is still less reason to predicate omnipotence of Jesus. There is no indication that He ever acted independently of God, or as an independent God. Rather does He acknowledge dependence upon God, by His habit of prayer and in such words as 'this kind goeth not forth save by prayer'. He even repudiates the ascription to Himself of goodness in the absolute sense in which it belongs to God alone. It is a remarkable testimony to the truly historical character of these Gospels that though they were not finally set down until the Christian Church had begun to look up to the risen Christ as to a Divine Being, the records on the one hand preserve all the evidence of His true humanity and on the other nowhere suggest that He thought of Himself as God. The same author also observes that: He proclaimed that at and through the Resurrection Jesus had been publicly installed as Son of God with power; and if the phrase has not wholly lost its official Messianic connotation, it certainly includes a reference to the personal Sonship, which Paul elsewhere makes clear by speaking of Him as God's 'own Son' . . . It may not be possible to decide whether it was the primitive community or Paul himself who first put full religious content into the title 'Lord' as used of Christ. Probably it was the former. But the Apostle undoubtedly adopted the title in its full meaning, and did much to make that meaning clear by transferring to 'the Lord Jesus Christ' many of the ideas and phrases which in the Old Testament had been specifically assigned to the Lord Jehovah. God 'gave unto Him that name that is above every name - the name of "Lord"'. At the same time by equating Christ with the Wisdom of God and with the Glory of God, as well as ascribing to Him Sonship in an absolute sense, Paul claimed for Jesus Christ a relation to God which was inherent and unique, ethical and personal, eternal. While, however, Paul in many ways and in many aspects, equated Christ with God, he definitely stopped short of speaking of him as 'God'. In another article in Encyclopaedia Britannica (xiv edition), under the title 'Christianity', the Reverend George William Knox writes as follows about the fundamental beliefs of the Church: Its moulds of thought are those of Greek philosophy, and into these were run the Jewish teachings. We have thus a peculiar combination - the religious doctrines of the Bible, as culminating in the person of Jesus, run through the forms of an alien philosophy. The Doctrine of the Trinity. The Jewish sources furnished the terms Father, Son and Spirit. Jesus seldom employed the last term and Paul's use of it is not altogether clear. Already in Jewish literature it had been all but personified (Cf. the Wisdom of Solomon). Thus the material is Jewish, though already doubtless modified by Greek influence: but the problem is Greek; it is not primarily ethical nor even religious, but it is metaphysical. What is the ontological relationship between these three factors? The answer of the Church is given in the Nicene formula, which is characteristically Greek, . . . Also significant in this connection are the following passages of another article in Encyclopaedia Britannica (xiv edition), entitled 'Church History': The recognition of Christ as the incarnation of the Logos was practically universal before the close of the 3rd century, but His deity was still widely denied, and the Arian controversy which distracted the Church of the 4th century concerned the latter question. At the Council of Nicaea in 325 the deity of Christ received official sanction and was given formulation in the original Nicene Creed. Controversy continued for some time, but finally the Nicene decision was recognised both in East and West as the only orthodox faith. The deity of the Son was believed to carry with it that of the Spirit, who was associated with Father and Son in the baptismal formula and in the current symbols, and so the victory of the Nicene Christology meant the recognition of the doctrine of Trinity as part of the orthodox faith. The assertion of the deity of the Son incarnate in Christ raised another problem which constituted the subject of dispute in the Christological controversies of the 4th and following centuries. What is the relation of the divine and human natures in Christ? At the Council of Chalcedon in 451 it was declared that in the person of Christ are united two complete natures, divine and human, which retain after the union all their properties unchanged. This was supplemented at the 3rd Council of Constantinople in 680 by the statement that each of the natures contains a will, so that Christ possesses two wills. The Western Church accepted the decisions of Nicaea, Chalcedon and Constantinople, and so the doctrines of the Trinity and of the two natures in Christ were handed down as orthodox dogma in West as well as East. Meanwhile in the Western Church the subject of sin and grace, and the relation of divine and human activity in salvation, received special attention; and finally, at the 2nd Council of Orange in 529, after both Pelagianism and semi-Pelagianism had been epudiated, a moderate form of Augustinianism was adopted, involving the theory that every man as a result of the Fall is in such a condition that he can take no steps in the direction of salvation until he has been renewed by the divine grace given in baptism, and that he cannot continue in the good thus begun except by the constant assistance of that grace, which is mediated only by the Catholic Church. It is evident from these statements of Christian scholars that it was exaggerated love and veneration of Christ which led the early Christians astray. This exaggeration and the use of expressions such as 'Lord' and 'Son of God' led to Jesus being invested with divine attributes and to the peculiar Christian notion of redemption, even though these could not be accommodated into the body of the teachings of Christ. When the Christians came to be infected with philosophical doctrines, they did not abandon the original error into which they had fallen, but tried to accommodate the errors of their predecessors through apologetics and rational explanations. Thus, instead of returning to the true teachings of Christ, they used logic and philosophy to fabricate one false doctrine after another. It is to this error that the Qur'an calls the Christians' attention in these verses.
Ayahs 5:79–80

كَانُوْا لَا یَتَنَاهَوْنَ عَنْ مُّنْكَرٍ فَعَلُوْهُ١ؕ لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُوْا یَفْعَلُوْنَ Open ayah 5:79 in the Quran reader

They did not forbid each other from committing the abominable deeds they committed. 102 Indeed what they did was evil.

تَرٰى كَثِیْرًا مِّنْهُمْ یَتَوَلَّوْنَ الَّذِیْنَ كَفَرُوْا١ؕ لَبِئْسَ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لَهُمْ اَنْفُسُهُمْ اَنْ سَخِطَ اللّٰهُ عَلَیْهِمْ وَ فِی الْعَذَابِ هُمْ خٰلِدُوْنَ Open ayah 5:80 in the Quran reader

And now you can see many of them taking the unbelievers (instead of the believers) for their allies. Indeed they have prepared evil for themselves. Allah is angry with them, and they shall abide in chastisement.

102. The corruption of any nation begins with that of a few individuals. If the collective conscience of that nation is alive, the pressure of public opinion keeps those persons in check and prevents the nation as a whole from becoming corrupted. But if instead of censuring such individuals, the nation leaves them free to behave corruptly, the corruption originally confined to a few continues to spread till it engulfs the whole nation. It was this which ultimately caused the degeneration of Israel. (For the curse against Israel in the words of David and Jesus see Psalms 10, 50 and Matthew 23.)