𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐡𝐥 𝐚𝐥-𝐊𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐚𝐛 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐥: 𝐓𝐚𝐟𝐬𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐥-𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐪𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐞
Mohamad Mostafa Nassar
Twitter:@NassarMohamadMR
Imam Muhammad al-Ameen al-Shinqitee wrote in his book of tafsir:
Quran (5:15)
قوله تعالى : يا أهل الكتاب قد جاءكم رسولنا يبين لكم كثيرا مما كنتم تخفون من الكتاب [ الآية [ 5 \ 15 ] ، لم يبين هنا شيئا من ذلك الكثير الذي يبينه لهم الرسول – صلى الله عليه وسلم – مما كانوا يخفون من الكتاب ، يعني التوراة والإنجيل ، وبين كثيرا منه في مواضع أخر . ـ
Allah’s statement:
يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولُنَا يُبَيِّنُ لَكُمْ كَثِيرًا مِّمَّا كُنتُمْ تُخْفُونَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَيَعْفُو عَن كَثِيرٍ ۚ قَدْ جَاءَكُم مِّنَ اللَّـهِ نُورٌ وَكِتَابٌ مُّبِينٌ
O People of the Scripture, there has come to you Our Messenger making clear to you much of what you used to conceal of the Scripture and overlooking much. There has come to you from Allah a light and a clear Book. [5:15]
Nothing was explained here of the many things things which were clarified to them by the Messenger (ﷺ) of what they used to conceal of their scripture, meaning the Tawrah and the Injeel, but He clarified much of it elsewhere.
فمما كانوا يخفون من أحكام التوراة رجم الزاني المحصن ، وبينه القرآن في قوله تعالى : ألم تر إلى الذين أوتوا نصيبا من الكتاب يدعون إلى كتاب الله ليحكم بينهم ثم يتولى فريق منهم وهم معرضون [ 3 \ 23 ] . ـ
So from the things which they used to conceal of the legislative rulings of the Tawrah was the stoning of the virgin fornicator, and the Qur’an clarified this in His statement:
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا نَصِيبًا مِّنَ الْكِتَابِ يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَىٰ كِتَابِ اللَّـهِ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ يَتَوَلَّىٰ فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُمْ وَهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ
Do you not consider, [O Muhammad], those who were given a portion of the Scripture? They are invited to the Scripture of Allah that it should arbitrate between them; then a party of them turns away, and they are refusing. [3:23]
ـ [ ص: 371 ] يعني يدعون إلى التوراة ليحكم بينهم في حد الزاني المحصن بالرجم ، وهم معرضون عن ذلك منكرون له ، ـ
Meaning, they were called to use the Tawrah to judge between them concerning the legislated corporal punishment of stoning for the virgin fornicator, and they were refusing that and denying it.*
ومن ذلك ، ما أخفوه من صفات الرسول – صلى الله عليه وسلم – في كتابهم ، وإنكارهم أنهم يعرفون أنه هو الرسول ، كما بينه تعالى بقوله : وكانوا من قبل يستفتحون على الذين كفروا فلما جاءهم ما عرفوا كفروا به فلعنة الله على الكافرين [ 2 \ 89 ] . ـ
And also, what they concealed of the descriptions of the Messenger (ﷺ) in their scripture, and their denying that they recognized that he was in fact the messenger, just as Allah clarified with His statement:
وَكَانُوا مِن قَبْلُ يَسْتَفْتِحُونَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُم مَّا عَرَفُوا كَفَرُوا بِهِ ۚ فَلَعْنَةُ اللَّـهِ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ
Before they used to pray for victory against those who disbelieved – but [then] when there came to them that which they recognized, they disbelieved in it; so the curse of Allah will be upon the disbelievers. [2:89]
ومن ذلك إنكارهم أن الله حرم عليهم بعض الطيبات بسبب ظلمهم ومعاصيهم ، كما قال تعالى : فبظلم من الذين هادوا حرمنا عليهم طيبات أحلت لهم [ 4 \ 160 ] ، وقوله : وعلى الذين هادوا حرمنا كل ذي ظفر ومن البقر والغنم حرمنا عليهم شحومهما إلا ما حملت ظهورهما أو الحوايا أو ما اختلط بعظم ذلك جزيناهم ببغيهم وإنا لصادقون [ 6 \ 146 ] . ـ
And also, their denial that Allah made some of the good [foods] forbidden for them because of their wrong-doing and disobedience, just as He said:
فَبِظُلْمٍ مِّنَ الَّذِينَ هَادُوا حَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ طَيِّبَاتٍ أُحِلَّتْ لَهُمْ
For wrongdoing on the part of the Jews, We made unlawful for them [certain] good foods which had been lawful to them [4:160]
And His statement:
وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ هَادُوا حَرَّمْنَا كُلَّ ذِي ظُفُرٍ ۖ وَمِنَ الْبَقَرِ وَالْغَنَمِ حَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ شُحُومَهُمَا إِلَّا مَا حَمَلَتْ ظُهُورُهُمَا أَوِ الْحَوَايَا أَوْ مَا اخْتَلَطَ بِعَظْمٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ جَزَيْنَاهُم بِبَغْيِهِمْ ۖ وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ
And to those who are Jews We prohibited every animal of uncloven hoof; and of the cattle and the sheep We prohibited to them their fat, except what adheres to their backs or the entrails or what is joined with bone. [By] that We repaid them for their injustice. And indeed, We are truthful. [6:146]
فإنهم أنكروا هذا ، وقالوا لم يحرم علينا إلا ما كان محرما على إسرائيل ، فكذبهم القرآن في ذلك ، في قوله تعالى : كل الطعام كان حلا لبني إسرائيل إلا ما حرم إسرائيل على نفسه من قبل أن تنزل التوراة قل فأتوا بالتوراة فاتلوها إن كنتم صادقين [ 3 \ 93 ] . ـ
So indeed they denied this, and they said that nothing was forbidden for them except what have been forbidden for Israa’eel (i.e. Prophet Ya’qub), so they denied the Qur’an in this respect concerning Allah’s statement:
كُلُّ الطَّعَامِ كَانَ حِلًّا لِّبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِلَّا مَا حَرَّمَ إِسْرَائِيلُ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ مِن قَبْلِ أَن تُنَزَّلَ التَّوْرَاةُ ۗ قُلْ فَأْتُوا بِالتَّوْرَاةِ فَاتْلُوهَا إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ
All food was lawful to the Children of Israa’eel except what Israel had made unlawful to himself before the Tawrah was revealed. Say, [O Muhammad], “So bring the Tawrah and recite it, if you should be truthful.” [3:93]
ومن ذلك كتم النصارى بشارة عيسى ابن مريم لهم بمحمد – صلى الله عليه وسلم – ، وقد بينها تعالى بقوله : وإذ قال عيسى ابن مريم يابني إسرائيل إني رسول الله إليكم مصدقا لما بين يدي من التوراة ومبشرا برسول يأتي من بعدي اسمه أحمد [ 61 \ 6 ] ، إلى غير ذلك من الآيات المبينة لما أخفوه من كتبهم . ـ
And also, the Christians’ concealing of ‘Eesaa ibn Maryam’s glad tidings to the of Muhammad (ﷺ), And Allah has clarified this with His statement:
وَإِذْ قَالَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّـهِ إِلَيْكُم مُّصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَمُبَشِّرًا بِرَسُولٍ يَأْتِي مِن بَعْدِي اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ
And [mention] when ‘Eesaa ibn Maryam, said, “O children of Israa’eel, indeed I am the messenger of Allah to you confirming what came before me of the Tawrah and bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad.” [61:6]
and elsewhere from the clarifying ayaat of what they concealed of their scriptures.
[Adwaa’ al-Bayaan 1/371-372]
*Translator’s Note: Imam al-Baghawi mentions the following in part of his tafsir of this ayah:
وروى الكلبي عن أبي صالح عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما أن رجلا وامرأة من أهل خيبر زنيا وكان في كتابهم الرجم ، فكرهوا رجمهما لشرفهما فيهم فرفعوا أمرهما إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ورجوا أن يكون عنده رخصة فحكم عليهما بالرجم فقال له النعمان بن أوفى وبحري بن عمرو : جرت عليهما يا محمد ليس عليهما الرجم ، فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ” بيني وبينكم التوراة ” … ـ
al-Kalbi narrated from Abu Saaleh who narrated from ibn ‘Abbaas that a man and a woman from the people of [the Jewish tribe of] Khaybar committed fornication, and in their scripture this entailed stoning. So [the people of Khaybar] disliked stoning them because of their noble statuses among them, so they referred the matter of these two to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and hoped that there would be a dispensationary ruling from him. But he ruled stoning for the two of them. So [the Jewish leaders] al-Nu’man ibn Awfi annd Bahri ibn ‘Amr said, “What occurred between them does not entail stoning, O Muhammad.” So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Between me and you is the Tawrah“…
[Tafsir al-Baghawi 2/23]
See also: Appropriate Miracles for Each People and Era: Ibn Kathir
See also: The two blindnesses and deafnesses of Banu Israa’eel: Imam al-Shinqitee