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Draft:Verse 51 of Sura al-Ma'ida

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Verse 51 of Sura al-Ma'ida
Verse's Information
SuraSura al-Ma'ida (Qur'an 5)
Verse51
Juz'6
Content Information
Cause of
Revelation		Yes
Place of
Revelation		Medina


Qur'an 5:51 forbids Muslims from friendship and alliance with Jews and Christians. This verse emphasizes that whoever among the Muslims enters into an alliance with Jews or Christians is, in fact, counted among them. Some exegetes attribute a part of this verse to the hypocrites who, despite the Qur'anic prohibition, maintained friendships with the disbelievers. al-Fadl b. al-Hasan al-Tabrisi believes that the intent of this verse is not only to forbid relations with Jews and Christians but also includes other disbelievers. Some exegetes have inferred from this verse that Muslims should not rely on these groups for political or military assistance, though commercial and social interactions with them are not prohibited.

Furthermore, it is mentioned in Shi'i narrations that whoever possesses love for and follows the Ahl al-Bayt (a) of the Prophet (s) is, in truth, considered among them.

The occasion of revelation of this verse has been associated with various events, such as the Battle of Badr and the Battle of Uhud, and as a reaction to threats from Jews and Christians against Muslims.

Introduction and Text of the Verse

Qur'an 5:51 warns that Muslims must not become friends or allies with Jews and Christians.[1] This verse states that if anyone among the Muslims chooses Jews or Christians as friends, they are in a way one of them and share their legal status.[2] Abdullah Jawadi Amuli believes that such an individual will not benefit from Allah's guidance.[3] Some exegetes, such as Shaykh al-Tabrisi, have pointed out that this verse also refers to the hypocrites who, despite the Qur'anic prohibition, continued their friendship with the disbelievers.[4] The end of the verse indicates that Allah will not guide those who have wronged themselves and the Muslims through friendship with the disbelievers.[5]

According to the interpretation of Shaykh al-Tabrisi, although this verse only mentions Jews and Christians, it shows that assistance cannot be sought from other disbelievers either.[6]

In Shi'i narrative exegeses, there is a narration from Imam al-Sadiq (a) stating that whoever loves and follows the Family of the Prophet (s) and prefers them over other people—from whatever nation or race they may be—is considered a member of the Prophet's (s) household due to that love and following.[7] This narration cites the part "and whoever among you takes them as allies, then he is indeed one of them" (wa man yatawallahum minkum fa-innahu minhum) in Qur'an 5:51.[8]

Meaning and Consequences of Alliance with Jews and Christians

In works addressing Qur'an 5:51, several meanings for alliance with Christians and Jews are mentioned:

  • Prohibition of any alliance with Jews and Christians who are enemies of the Prophet (s) and the believers.[9]
  • Do not take Jews and Christians as your rulers.[10]
  • Do not rely on Jews and Christians for seeking help.[11]
  • Disbelievers are allies of one another and are allied against Muslims.[12]
  • Whoever seeks help from Christians is, in truth, one of them and is not a true believer.[13]

According to Nasir Makarim Shirazi, the verse does not mean that Muslims should have no commercial or social relations with Jews and Christians; rather, the intent is that they should not become allies and should not rely on their friendship against their enemies; for as long as their own interests and those of their friends are at stake, they will never attend to the affairs of Muslims.[14] Furthermore, it has been inferred from this verse that alliance with disbelievers leads to resembling the disbelievers.[15]

Occasion of Revelation

There are several reports regarding the occasion of revelation of Qur'an 5:51. According to one report, after the Battle of Badr and following threats from a group of Jews against Muslims, 'Ubada b. Samit al-Khazraji (d. 34/654) went to the Prophet (s) and distanced himself from his Jewish friends; however, 'Abd Allah b. Ubayy (d. 9/631) did not do this because he feared he might need them in the future. Yet, at the Prophet's (s) request, he agreed to distance himself from them, and this verse was revealed.[16] According to another report, during the Battle of Uhud, a group of people wanted to take refuge with the Jews of Medina or the Christians of Syria, and this verse was revealed.[17]

According to another report, this verse was revealed when the Prophet (s) besieged the fortress of Banu Qurayza, a Jewish tribe living in Medina, after the Battle of the Trench. At the request of the Jews, the Prophet (s) sent one of his companions named Abu Lubaba al-Ansari to them. The Jews asked Abu Lubaba if they should surrender to the Prophet (s). He replied positively but signaled with his hand to his throat, indicating that if they surrendered, they would be killed, thus deterring them from surrendering.[18] However, 'Allama Tabataba'i has suggested that this verse, like many other verses of this sura, was revealed after 5/627; because according to historical documents, it was after this time that Muslims were forced into alliances with Jews and Christians or to find solutions against their conspiracies.[19]

Notes

  1. ↑ Riḍāyī Isfahānī, Tafsīr-i Qurʾān-i mihr, 1387 SH, vol. 5, p. 142; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1375 SH, vol. 4, p. 409.
  2. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Tafsīr jawāmiʿ al-jāmiʿ, 1412 AH, vol. 1, p. 335.
  3. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i tasnīm, 1390 SH, vol. 23, p. 34.
  4. ↑ Kāshānī, Tafsīr-i manhaj al-ṣādiqīn, 1336 SH, vol. 3, p. 254.
  5. ↑ Fayḍ Kāshānī, Tafsīr al-ṣāfī, 1373 SH, vol. 2, p. 41.
  6. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1408 AH, vol. 3, p. 319.
  7. ↑ Baḥrānī, al-Burhān, 1415 AH, vol. 2, p. 390; Ḥuwayzī, Tafsīr nūr al-thaqalayn, 1415 AH, vol. 1, p. 640.
  8. ↑ Baḥrānī, al-Burhān, 1415 AH, vol. 2, p. 390; Ḥuwayzī, Tafsīr nūr al-thaqalayn, 1415 AH, vol. 1, p. 640.
  9. ↑ Taqī-zāda Akbarī, Jihād dar āyina-yi Qurʾān, 1386 SH, vol. 1, p. 269.
  10. ↑ Hāshimī Rafsanjānī, Tafsīr-i rāhnamā, 1386 SH, vol. 4, p. 317.
  11. ↑ Taqī-zāda Akbarī, Jihād dar āyina-yi Qurʾān, 1386 SH, vol. 1, p. 269.
  12. ↑ Taqī-zāda Akbarī, Jihād dar āyina-yi Qurʾān, 1386 SH, vol. 1, p. 269.
  13. ↑ Taqī-zāda Akbarī, Jihād dar āyina-yi Qurʾān, 1386 SH, vol. 1, p. 269.
  14. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1375 SH, vol. 4, p. 410.
  15. ↑ Muʾminī, Barrasī-yi taḥlīlī-yi muwājaha-yi Qurʾān bā yahūd, 1390 SH, p. 141.
  16. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1408 AH, vol. 3, p. 318.
  17. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1408 AH, vol. 3, p. 318.
  18. ↑ Maʿrifat, al-Tafsīr al-atharī al-jāmiʿ, 1387 SH, vol. 14, p. 18.
  19. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, 1352 SH, vol. 5, p. 367.

References

  • Baḥrānī, Hāshim b. Sulaymān al-. al-Burhān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Qom, Muʾassasat al-Biʿtha, 1415 AH.
  • Fayḍ Kāshānī, Muḥammad Muḥsin al-. Tafsīr al-ṣāfī. Tehran, Maktabat al-Ṣadr, 1373 SH/1415 AH.
  • Hāshimī Rafsanjānī, Akbar. Tafsīr-i rāhnamā. Qom, Būstān-i Kitāb-i Qom, 1386 SH.
  • Ḥuwayzī, ʿAbd ʿAlī b. Jumʿa al-. Tafsīr nūr al-thaqalayn. Qom, Ismāʿīliyān, 1415 AH.
  • Jawādī Āmulī, ʿAbd Allāh. Tafsīr-i tasnīm. Vol. 23. Edited by a group of researchers. Qom, Nashr-i Isrāʾ, 1st edition, 1390 SH.
  • Kāshānī, Fatḥ Allāh b. Shukr Allāh. Tafsīr-i kabīr manhaj al-ṣādiqīn fī ilzām al-mukhālifīn. Tehran, Kitābfurūshī wa Chāpkhāna-yi Muḥammad Ḥasan ʿIlmī, 1336 SH.
  • Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Tehran, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 32nd edition, 1374 SH.
  • Maʿrifat, Muḥammad Hādī. al-Tafsīr al-atharī al-jāmiʿ. Qom, Muʾassasa-yi Farhangī Intishārātī al-Tamhīd, 1387 SH/1429 AH.
  • Muʾminī, ʿAlī Akbar. Barrasī-yi taḥlīlī-yi muwājaha-yi Qurʾān bā yahūd. Qom, Daftar-i Tablīghāt-i Islāmī-yi Ḥawza-yi ʿIlmiyya-yi Qom, 1390 SH.
  • Riḍāyī Isfahānī, Muḥammad ʿAlī et al. Tafsīr-i Qurʾān-i mihr. Qom, Pizhūhish-hā-yi Tafsīr wa ʿUlūm-i Qurʾān, 1387 SH.
  • Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn al-. al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut, Muʾassasat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1352 SH/1393 AH.
  • Ṭabrisī, al-Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan al-. Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut, Dār al-Maʿrifa, 1408 AH.
  • Ṭabrisī, al-Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan al-. Tafsīr jawāmiʿ al-jāmiʿ. Qom, Ḥawza-yi ʿIlmiyya-yi Qom, 1412 AH.
  • Taqī-zāda Akbarī, ʿAlī. Jihād dar āyina-yi Qurʾān. Qom, Zamzam-i Hidāyat, 1386 SH.
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