4:44 An-Nisaa (The Women)

هذا ذم لمن { أُوتُوا نَصِيبًا مِنَ الْكِتَابِ } وفي ضمنه تحذير عباده عن الاغترار بهم، والوقوع في أشراكهم، فأخبر أنهم في أنفسهم { يَشْتَرُونَ الضَّلَالَةَ } أي: يحبونها محبة عظيمة ويؤثرونها إيثار من يبذل المال الكثير في طلب ما يحبه. فيؤثرون الضلال على الهدى، والكفر على الإيمان، والشقاء على السعادة، ومع هذا { يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ تَضِلُّوا السَّبِيلَ } . فهم حريصون على إضلالكم غاية الحرص، باذلون جهدهم في ذلك .ولكن لما كان الله ولي عباده المؤمنين وناصرهم، بيَّن لهم ما اشتملوا عليه من الضلال والإضلال، ولهذا قال: { وَكَفَى بِاللَّهِ وَلِيًّا } أي: يتولى أحوال عباده ويلطف بهم في جميع أمورهم، وييسر لهم ما به سعادتهم وفلاحهم. { وَكَفَى بِاللَّهِ نَصِيرًا } ينصرهم على أعدائهم ويبين لهم ما يحذرون منهم ويعينهم عليهم. فولايته تعالى فيها حصول الخير، ونصره فيه زوال الشر.

يخبر تعالى عن اليهود عليهم لعائن اللّه المتتابعة إلى يوم القيامة أنهم يشترون الضلالة بالهدي ويعرضون عما أنزل الله على رسوله صلى الله عليه وسلم ويتركون ما بأيديهم من العلم عن الأنبياء الأولين في صفة محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم ليشتروا به ثمنا قليلا من حطام الدنيا "ويريدون أن تضلوا السبيل" أي يودون لو تكفرون بما أنزل عليكم أيها المؤمنون وتتركون ما أنتم عليه من الهدى والعلم النافع.

Chastising the Jews for Choosing Misguidance, Altering Allah's Words, and Mocking Islam

Allah states that the Jews, may Allah's continued curse fall on them until the Day of Resurrection, have purchased the wrong path instead of guidance, and ignored what Allah sent down to His Messenger Muhammad . They also ignored the knowledge that they inherited from previous Prophets, about the description of Muhammad ﷺ, so that they may have a small amount of the delights of this life.

وَيُرِيدُونَ أَن تَضِلُّواْ السَّبِيلَ

(and wishing that you should go astray from the right path.) for they would like that you disbelieve in what was sent down to you, O believers, and that you abandon the guidance and beneficial knowledge that you have.

وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِأَعْدَائِكُمْ

(Allah has full knowledge of your enemies) meaning, Allah has better knowledge of your enemies, and He warns you against them.

وَكَفَى بِاللَّهِ وَلِيّاً وَكَفَى بِاللَّهِ نَصِيراً

(and Allah is sufficient as a Wali (Protector), and Allah is Sufficient as a Helper) He is a Sufficient Protector for those who seek refuge with Him and a Sufficient Supporter for those who seek His help. Allah then said,

يُحَرِّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ عَن مَّوَاضِعِهِ

(there are some who displace words from (their) right places) meaning, they intentionally and falsely alter the meanings of the Words of Allah and explain them in a different manner than what Allah meant,

وَيَقُولُونَ سَمِعْنَا وَعَصَيْنَا

(And say: "We hear your word and disobey) saying, "We hear what you say, O Muhammad, but we do not obey you in it," as Mujahid and Ibn Zayd explained. This is the implied meaning of the Ayah, and it demonstrates the Jews' disbelief, stubbornness and disregard for Allah's Book after they understood it, all the while aware of the sin and punishment that this behavior will earn for them. Allah's statement,

وَاسْمَعْ غَيْرَ مُسْمَعٍ

(And "Hear and let you hear nothing.") means, hear our words, may you never hear anything, as Ad-Dahhak reported from Ibn `Abbas. This is the Jews' way of mocking and jesting, may Allah's curse descend on them.

وَرَعِنَا لَيّاً بِأَلْسِنَتِهِمْ وَطَعْناً فِى الدِّينِ

(And Ra`ina, with a twist of their tongues and as a mockery of the religion.) meaning, they pretend to say, `Hear us,' when they say, Ra`ina (an insult in Hebrew, but in Arabic it means `Listen to us.').' Yet, their true aim is to curse the Prophet . We mentioned this subject when we explained Allah's statement,

يَـأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لاَ تَقُولُواْ رَعِنَا وَقُولُواْ انظُرْنَا

(O you who believe! Say not Ra`ina but say Unzurna (make us understand)). Therefore, Allah said about them, while they pretend to say other than what they truly mean,

لَيّاً بِأَلْسِنَتِهِمْ وَطَعْناً فِى الدِّينِ

(With a twist of their tongues and as a mockery of the religion) because of their cursing the Prophet . Allah then said,

وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ قَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا وَاسْمَعْ وَانْظُرْنَا لَكَانَ خَيْراً لَّهُمْ وَأَقْوَمَ وَلَكِن لَّعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِكُفْرِهِمْ فَلاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً

(And if only they had said: "We hear and obey", and "Do make us understand," it would have been better for them, and more proper; but Allah has cursed them for their disbelief, so they believe not except a few.) meaning, their hearts are cast away from the path of righteousness and therefore, no beneficial part of faith enters it. Earlier, when we explained,

فَقَلِيلاً مَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ

(so little is that which they believe) which means they do not have beneficial faith.

Have you not seen those who were given a share a portion of the Book namely the Jews purchasing error with guidance and desiring that you should err from the way? that you should stray from the path of truth and be like them.

The present verses take up the matter of dealings with enemies. It brings into sharp focus the wicked tricks, in word and deed, as practiced by the Jews, and then gives a view of what is true and correct. This last aspect is in a way an exhortation to Muslims that they should be careful in choosing the words they use to say what they have to say, for mincing words is not their style.

In the previous verse (46), there was a description of the Jewish stance against Islam which ranged from flat denial to laboured falsification, something born out of the desire to misrepresent, alter and ridicule. The present verse addresses them directly and commands them to believe in the final revelation and demonstrate their confirmation. Should they continue ignoring the warning and remain hostile, they should really be concerned with the chilling prospects of what their fate would be as a consequence of their ill choice.