3:23 Aal-i-Imraan (The Family of Imraan)

يخبر تعالى عن حال أهل الكتاب الذين أنعم الله عليهم بكتابه، فكان يجب أن يكونوا أقوم الناس به وأسرعهم انقيادا لأحكامه، فأخبر الله عنهم أنهم إذا دعوا إلى حكم الكتاب تولى فريق منهم وهم يعرضون، تولوا بأبدانهم، وأعرضوا بقلوبهم، وهذا غاية الذم، وفي ضمنها التحذير لنا أن نفعل كفعلهم، فيصيبنا من الذم والعقاب ما أصابهم، بل الواجب على كل أحد إذا دعي إلى كتاب الله أن يسمع ويطيع وينقاد، كما قال تعالى { إنما كان قول المؤمنين إذا دعوا إلى الله ورسوله ليحكم بينهم أن يقولوا سمعنا وأطعنا }

يقول تعالى منكرا على اليهود والنصارى المتمسكين فيما يزعمون بكتابيهم اللذين بأيديهم وهما التوراة والإنجيل وإذا دعوا إلى التحاكم إلى ما فيهما من طاعة الله فيما أمرهم به فيهما من اتباع محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم تولوا وهم معرضون عنهما وهذا في غاية ما يكون من ذمهم والتنويه بذكرهم بالمخالفة والعناد.

Chastising the People of the Book for Not Referring to the Book of Allah for Judgment

Allah criticizes the Jews and Christians who claim to follow their Books, the Tawrah and the Injil, because when they are called to refer to these Books where Allah commanded them to follow Muhammad , they turn away with aversion. This censure and criticism from Allah was all because of their defiance and rejection. Allah said next,

ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُواْ لَن تَمَسَّنَا النَّارُ إِلاَ أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَتٍ

(This is because they say: "The Fire shall not touch us but for a number of days.") meaning, what made them dare to challenge and defy the truth is their false claim that Allah will only punish them for seven days in the Fire, a day for every one thousand years in this life. We mentioned this subject in the Tafsir of Surat Al-Baqarah.

Allah then said,

وَغَرَّهُمْ فِى دِينِهِم مَّا كَانُواْ يَفْتَرُونَ

(And that which they used to invent regarding their religion has deceived them.) meaning, what caused them to remain on their false creed is that they deceived themselves, believing that the Fire will only touch them for a few days for their errors. However, it is they who have invented this notion, and Allah did not grant them authority to support this claim. Allah said, while threatening and warning them,

فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جَمَعْنَـهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ لاَّ رَيْبَ فِيهِ

(How (will it be) when We gather them together on the Day about which there is no doubt (i. e. the Day of Resurrection).) meaning, what will their condition be like after they have uttered this lie about Allah, rejected His Messengers and killed His Prophets and their scholars who enjoined righteousness and forbade evil Allah will ask them about all this and punish them for what they have done. This is why Allah said,

فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جَمَعْنَـهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ لاَّ رَيْبَ فِيهِ

(How (will it be) when We gather them together on the Day about which there is no doubt.) meaning, there is no doubt that this Day will come,

وَوُفِّيَتْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لاَ يُظْلَمُونَ

(And each person will be paid in full what he has earned And they will not be dealt with unjustly.).

Have you not seen those who were given a portion a share of the Book the Torah being called to the Book of God yud‘awna ‘being called’ is a circumstantial qualifier that it might decide between them and then a party of them turned away opposed? to the acceptance of its rulings. This was revealed concerning the Jews two of them fornicated and they the Jews asked the Prophet s to adjudicate the case. He ruled that they be stoned but they the Jews refused to do so. When the Torah was brought and consulted the same verdict was found and so the two were stoned but they the Jews became wrathful.

While dealing with the subject of Jews, as in verses 21-22, the text goes on to censure a particular claim of theirs in the present verse. The address is to the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the reference is to the Torah given to the Jews who would have found it enough for them if they were really looking forward to guidance. But they elect to be in-different because they say and believe that the fire of Hell will not touch them except for a few days, after which, according to their supposition, they would be forgiven. This, it has been said, is self-deception caused by what they have been forging for themselves like their belief that they were the progeny of prophets and therefore, they will escape punishment in the fire of Hell.

Jews contended that they had worshipped the calf for 40 days and so they will incur punishment, if any, for the same period only.

(Hast thou not seen how those who have received a portion of the Scripture�) [3:23]. There is a difference of opinion about this verse�s occasion of revelation. Al-Suddi said: �When the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, called the Jews to embrace Islam, al-Nu�man ibn Awfa said to him: �Come, O Muhammad, and let the rabbis judge between us�. He said: �Let the Scripture of Allah be judge between us�. They said: �No! Let the rabbis judge�. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse�. On the other hand, Sa�id ibn Jubayr and �Ikrimah reported that Ibn �Abbas said: �The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, entered in on a group of Jews in a Jewish place of study and called them to Allah. Nu�aym ibn �Amr and al-Harith ibn Zayd said to him: �O Muhammad, which religion are you on?� He said: �The religion of Abraham�. They said: �But Abraham was a Jew�. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: �In that case, let us go to the Torah and let it judge between us�. They refused. And Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse�. Said al-Kalbi: �This was revealed about those who committed fornication in Khaybar and the Jews who asked the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, about the legal punishment of fornication�. The elaboration on this will come in Surah al-Ma�idah, Allah, exalted is He, willing�.