5:52 Al-Maaida (The Table)

ولما نهى الله المؤمنين عن توليهم، أخبر أن ممن يدعي الإيمان طائفةً تواليهم، فقال: { فَتَرَى الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ ْ} أي: شك ونفاق، وضعف إيمان، يقولون: إن تولينا إياهم للحاجة، فإننا { نَخْشَى أَن تُصِيبَنَا دَائِرَةٌ ْ} أي: تكون الدائرة لليهود والنصارى، فإذا كانت الدائرة لهم، فإذا لنا معهم يد يكافؤننا عنها، وهذا سوء ظن منهم بالإسلام، قال تعالى -رادا لظنهم السيئ-: { فَعَسَى اللَّهُ أَن يَأْتِيَ بِالْفَتْحِ ْ} الذي يعز الله به الإسلام على اليهود والنصارى، ويقهرهم المسلمون { أَوْ أَمْرٍ مِنْ عِندِهِ ْ} ييأس به المنافقون من ظفر الكافرين من اليهود وغيرهم { فَيُصْبِحُوا عَلَى مَا أَسَرُّوا ْ} أي: أضمروا { فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ نَادِمِينَ ْ} على ما كان منهم وضرهم بلا نفع حصل لهم، فحصل الفتح الذي نصر الله به الإسلام والمسلمين، وأذل به الكفر والكافرين، فندموا وحصل لهم من الغم ما الله به عليم.

وقوله تعالى" فترى الذين في قلوبهم مرض " أي شك وريب ونفاق يسارعون فيهم أي يبادرون إلى مولاتهم ومودتهم في الباطن والظاهر يقولون نخشى أن تصيبنا دائرة أي يتأولون في مودتهم وموالاتهم أنهم يخشون أن يقع أمر من ظفر الكافرين بالمسلمين فتكون لهم أياد عند اليهود والنصارى فينفعهم ذلك عند ذلك قال الله تعالى" فعسى الله أن يأتي بالفتح " قال السدي يعني فتح مكة وقال غيره يعني القضاء والفصل أو أمر من عنده قال السدي يعني ضرب الجزية على اليهود والنصارى" فيصبحوا" يعني الذين والوا اليهود والنصارى من المنافقين على ما أسروا في أنفسهم من الموالاة نادمين أي على ما كان منهم مما لم يجد عنهم شيئا ولا دفع عنهم محذورا بل كان عين المفسدة فإنهم فضحوا وأظهر الله أمرهم في الدنيا لعباده المؤمنين بعد أن كانوا مستورين لا يدري كيف حالهم فلما انعقدت الأسباب الفاضحة لهم تبين أمرهم لعباده المؤمنين فتعجبوا منهم كيف كانوا يظهرون أنهم من المؤمنين ويحلفون على ذلك ويتأولون فبان كذبهم وافتراؤهم.

The Prohibition of Taking the Jews, Christians and Enemies of Islamas Friends

Allah forbids His believing servants from having Jews and Christians as friends, because they are the enemies of Islam and its people, may Allah curse them. Allah then states that they are friends of each other and He gives a warning threat to those who do this,

وَمَن يَتَوَلَّهُمْ مِّنكُمْ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْهُمْ

(And if any among you befriends them, then surely he is one of them.) Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `Umar ordered Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari to send him on one sheet of balance the count of what he took in and what he spent. Abu Musa then had a Christian scribe, and he was able to comply with `Umar's demand. `Umar liked what he saw and exclaimed, "This scribe is proficient. Would you read in the Masjid a letter that came to us from Ash-Sham" Abu Musa said, `He cannot." `Umar said, "Is he not pure" Abu Musa said, "No, but he is Christian." Abu Musa said, "So `Umar admonished me and poked my thigh (with his finger), saying, `Drive him out (from Al-Madinah).' He then recited,

يَـأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لاَ تَتَّخِذُواْ الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَـرَى أَوْلِيَآءَ

(O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as friends...)" Then he reported that `Abdullah bin `Utbah said, "Let one of you beware that he might be a Jew or a Christian, while unaware." The narrator of this statement said, "We thought that he was referring to the Ayah,

يَـأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لاَ تَتَّخِذُواْ الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَـرَى أَوْلِيَآءَ

(O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as friends, )" Allah said,

فَتَرَى الَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ

(And you see those in whose hearts there is a disease...) A disease of doubt, hesitation and hypocrisy.

يُسَـرِعُونَ فِيهِمْ

(they hurry to their friendship,) meaning, they rush to offer them their friendship and allegiances in secret and in public,

يَقُولُونَ نَخْشَى أَن تُصِيبَنَا دَآئِرَةٌ

(saying: "We fear lest some misfortune of a disaster may befall us.") They thus offer this excuse for their friendship and allegiances to the disbelievers, saying that they fear that the disbelievers might defeat the Muslims, so they want to be in favor with the Jews and Christians, to use this favor for their benefit in that eventuality! Allah replied,

فَعَسَى اللَّهُ أَن يَأْتِىَ بِالْفَتْحِ

(Perhaps Allah may bring a victory...) referring to the conquering of Makkah, according to As-Suddi.

أَوْ أَمْرٍ مِّنْ عِندِهِ

(or a decision according to His will) requiring the Jews and Christians to pay the Jizyah, as As-Suddi stated,

فَيُصْبِحُواْ

(Then they will become) meaning, the hypocrites who gave their friendship to the Jews and Christians, will become,

عَلَى مَآ أَسَرُّواْ فِى أَنفُسِهِمْ

(for what they have been keeping as a secret in themselves) of allegiances,

نَـدِمِينَ

(regretful,) for their friendship with the Jews and Christians which did not benefit them or protect them from any harm. Rather, it was nothing but harm, as Allah exposed their true reality to His faithful servants in this life, although they tried to conceal it. When the signs that exposed their hypocrisy were compiled against them, their matter became clear to Allah's faithful servants. So the believers were amazed at these hypocrites who pretended to be believers, swearing to their faithfulness, yet their claims were all lies and deceit. This is why Allah said, s

وَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ أَهُـؤُلاءِ الَّذِينَ أَقْسَمُواْ بِاللَّهِ جَهْدَ أَيْمَـنِهِمْ إِنَّهُمْ لَمَعَكُمْ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَـلُهُمْ فَأَصْبَحُواْ خَـسِرِينَ

(And those who believe will say, "Are these the men who swore their strongest oaths by Allah that they were with you" All that they did has been in vain, and they have become the losers.)

And you see those in whose hearts is sickness weakness of faith the like of ‘Abd Allāh b. Ubayy the hypocrite; vying with one another for them to affiliate with them saying as an excuse for this ‘We fear lest we suffer a turn of fortune’ which time will bring round against us such as drought or defeat and that if Muhammad’s affair should come to nothing they will cease to supply us with provisions. God exalted be He says But it may be that God will bring victory by assisting His Prophet and making His religion prevail; or some commandment from Him that will reveal the secrets of the hypocrites disgracing them; and then they will end up for what they kept secret within themselves in the way of doubt and affiliating with disbelievers remorseful.

فَتَرَ‌ى الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَ‌ضٌ يُسَارِ‌عُونَ فِيهِمْ يَقُولُونَ نَخْشَىٰ أَن تُصِيبَنَا دَائِرَ‌ةٌ

Now, you see those who have disease in their hearts race to-wards them saying, "We apprehend that some misfortune may overtake us."

It means that after hearing the religiously binding injunction of the abandonment of close friendships, people who have the disease of hypocricy in their hearts started racing towards their disbelieving friends saying that cutting off relationships with these people is dangerous for them.

Answering them, Almighty Allah said:

فَعَسَى اللَّـهُ أَن يَأْتِيَ بِالْفَتْحِ أَوْ أَمْرٍ‌ مِّنْ عِندِهِ فَيُصْبِحُوا عَلَىٰ مَا أَسَرُّ‌وا فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ نَادِمِي

So, it is likely that Allah may bring victory or a command from His own side, whereupon they become regretful over what they concealed in their hearts.

It means that these people are under the impression that the disbelievers and the Jews will overcome Muslims. But, Allah has decided that it will not happen. Rather, close is the conquest of Makkah. Or, even before the conquest of Makkah, Allah may, by exposing the hypocrisy of the hypocrites, put them to disgrace. Then, at that time, these people will regret thoughts they had concealed.