5-78 Those who disbelieved from among the Children of Israel were cursed by the tongue of David and Jesus, son of Mary. This was because they disobeyed and exceeded the limits.a
لُعِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ڪَفَرُواْ مِنۢ بَنِىٓ إِسۡرَٲٓءِيلَ عَلَىٰ لِسَانِ دَاوُ ۥدَ وَعِيسَى ٱبۡنِ مَرۡيَمَۚ ذَٲلِكَ بِمَا عَصَواْ وَّڪَانُواْ يَعۡتَدُونَ (٧٨)
5-78a: After Moses, the Bani Israel reached the pinnacle of their temporal glory under David and their spiritual greatness with Jesus. Both these prophets have greatly eulogized the Holy Prophet and made frequent reference to his coming. However, both saw that the Bani Israel were progressively becoming hard hearted and increasingly disobedient to the commands of God. Hence, they also mentioned the tribulations that were going to overtake them. This is what is meant by cursed, that is being far removed from the Mercy of Allah. After David, Bani Israel were defeated and enslaved by Nebuchadnezzar, and after Jesus they were destroyed by Titus. As a result of these defeats that were occasioned by their disobedience to God, the Bani Israel nation became debased. This is mentioned in Surah Bani Israel where it is stated: لَتُفۡسِدُنَّ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مَرَّتَيۡنِ (Certainly you will make mischief in the land twice) (17:4) and the punishment that was meted out to them is recorded in verses 17:5 and 17:7.
5-79 They forbade not one another the hateful things they did. Evil indeed was what they did.
ڪَانُواْ لَا يَتَنَاهَوۡنَ عَن مُّنڪَرٍ۬ فَعَلُوهُۚ لَبِئۡسَ مَا ڪَانُواْ يَفۡعَلُونَ (٧٩)
5-79a: A nation progresses as long as there are people within it that stop each other from doing bad things. Unfortunately, this shortcoming is widespread among the Muslims now. They see bad things going on around them, things that are patently against the commands of the Quran and Hadith, and even if they do not participate in them, they prefer to remain silent and say nothing. They keep social interaction with such perpetrators. If they have any sense of honor for their religion, they should socially boycott them and preferably should tell them to desist.
5-80 Thou seest many of them befriending those who disbelieve. Certainly evil is that which their souls send before for them, so that Allah is displeased with them, and in chastisement will they abide.
تَرَىٰ ڪَثِيرً۬ا مِّنۡهُمۡ يَتَوَلَّوۡنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ڪَفَرُواْۚ لَبِئۡسَ مَا قَدَّمَتۡ لَهُمۡ أَنفُسُہُمۡ أَن سَخِطَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَفِى ٱلۡعَذَابِ هُمۡ خَـٰلِدُونَ (٨٠)
5-81 And if they believed in Allah and the Prophet and that which is revealed to him, they would not take them for friends, but most of them are transgressors.
وَلَوۡ ڪَانُواْ يُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلنَّبِىِّ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيۡهِ مَا ٱتَّخَذُوهُمۡ أَوۡلِيَآءَ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ڪَثِيرً۬ا مِّنۡہُمۡ فَـٰسِقُونَ (٨١)
5-81a: The word ٱلنَّبِىِّ in the Quran is used for the Holy Prophet. However, some people have taken it here to mean Moses. The reading then becomes that if the Jews had believed in Moses, they would not have befriended the disbelievers. The real purport, however, is that the Jews are friends with disbelievers and polytheists as is stated in the last verse, but this friendliness is not because of neighborliness or being residents of Arabia for if the disbelievers and polytheists become Muslims the friendship will come to an end. In other words, the basis of friendship is mutual enmity of Islam.
5-82 Thou wilt certainly find the most violent of people in enmity against the believers to be the Jews and the idolators; and thou wilt find the nearest in friendship to the believers to be those who say, We are Christians. That is because there are priests and monks among them and because they are not proud.a
لَتَجِدَنَّ أَشَدَّ ٱلنَّاسِ عَدَٲوَةً۬ لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱلۡيَهُودَ وَٱلَّذِينَ أَشۡرَكُواْۖ وَلَتَجِدَنَّ أَقۡرَبَهُم مَّوَدَّةً۬ لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱلَّذِينَ قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّا نَصَـٰرَىٰۚ ذَٲلِكَ بِأَنَّ مِنۡهُمۡ قِسِّيسِينَ وَرُهۡبَانً۬ا وَأَنَّهُمۡ لَا يَسۡتَڪۡبِرُونَ (٨٢)
5-82a: قِسِّيسِ – The literal meaning of قِسۡ is to seek or strive for something at night and the learned Christian priests are called قِسِّيسِ because they were devout (R).
رُهۡبَانً۬ – It is the plural of راھب and the meaning of رُھب and رَھۡبَ is fear mixed with precaution and anxiety. رَھبانیة is that worship which is taken to excess because of fear (R) as in وَرَهۡبَانِيَّةً ٱبۡتَدَعُوهَا (And (as for) monkery, they innovated it) (57:27). راھب are those people who withdraw from worldly life and devote themselves only to worship and there were many such people in Christianity.
Nearness of Christianity to Islam: The real purpose of this section is to convey that the Christians despite the exaggeration in their religion are actually close to Islam. So, after mentioning the animosity and hardheartedness of the Jews, the real topic is mentioned, namely that relatively Christians have more love for Muslims because their learned priests are devout, and they even have monks who have given up the world and are engaged in worship which makes the heart soft. The difference between the Jews and the Christians was stark at that time. The Jews were entirely devoted to worldly pursuits and their main focus was to earn wealth particularly through usurious dealings. This made them hardhearted. The Christians by comparison paid more attention to worship and that made them softhearted. Accordingly, in the time of the Holy Prophet, Negus the Emperor of Abyssinia accepted Islam. Heraclius wanted to accept Islam but was dissuaded by the opposition of his nation, and Muqawqis, the Emperor of Egypt, sent gifts to the Holy Prophet in response to his message. The Christian deputation of Najran was so impressed with the Prophet’s arguments that it decided not to have a mubahalah with him. In contrast to this, the Jews remained bitterly hostile. Although the words are general, but the reason given for the softheartedness of the Christians have rendered their meaning specific.
Current Christians and Islam: The early stage of Christianity was undoubtedly such that their scholarly priests were devout and there were among them those who gave up this world to pursue a devout life of worship. However, the later condition of Christianity described in Surah Al Kahf is one of devotion just to worldly life, as in: ٱلَّذِينَ ضَلَّ سَعۡيُہُمۡ فِى ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا (Those whose effort goes astray in this world’s life) (18:104). Instead of worshipping God, they started worshipping the deity of wealth and the devil of power and ruling. They, therefore, strayed from the truth and used all their power to oppose the truth. The words of this verse create a hope that these people will revert to Islam. Events too bear testimony to this. Even a small attempt at propagation was so successful that hundreds of educated and intellectual Christians joined Islam.
5-83 And when they hear that which has been revealed to the Messenger thou seest their eyes overflow with tears because of the truth they recognize. They say: Our Lord, we believe, so write us down with the witnesses.
وَإِذَا سَمِعُواْ مَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَى ٱلرَّسُولِ تَرَىٰٓ أَعۡيُنَهُمۡ تَفِيضُ مِنَ ٱلدَّمۡعِ مِمَّا عَرَفُواْ مِنَ ٱلۡحَقِّۖ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ ءَامَنَّا فَٱكۡتُبۡنَا مَعَ ٱلشَّـٰهِدِينَ (٨٣)
5-83a: Negus and Muslim refugees: Amongst the Christians favorably impressed by the Quran was Negus the Emperor of Abyssinia in whose country several Muslims had sought refuge from the persecution of the Quraish. A delegation of Quraish was sent after them to bring them back. They took gifts with them for the influential persons of the court and requested that the Muslims not be given refuge. Negus rejected their request but in a vile move, they submitted that the refugees did not just badmouth their religion but also the Christian religion of Negus. Whereupon Negus summoned the refugees to his court. Speaking on behalf of the refugees, Jaffer explained the real situation and narrated how they were misguided and steeped in ways of sin and how the Prophet had elevated them from this abject position. Negus then asked what they said about Jesus. Jaffer narrated the verses of Surah Maryam. Negus was so moved by these verses that tears streamed down his face, and he said that the status of Jesus was not a whit more than what the Quran has stated. Subsequently Negus converted and became a Muslim. Similarly, many people joined Islam, but it appears to be fated that it will only be after Christianity reaches its maximum strength that Islam will dominate. Many similar examples of conversion exist even today. A biography of Lord Stanley states that he used to weep profusely in Tahajjad prayer. There are many other European Christians whose heart melts when they read the Quran.
ٱلۡحَقِّ (The truth) which appears in this verse and also in the next seems to point towards the prophecy of Jesus which is in the fourteenth and sixteenth chapters of John where the Promised Prophet is referred to as the Spirit of Truth.
5-84 And what (reason) have we that we should not believe in Allah and in the Truth that has come to us, while we earnestly desire that our Lord should cause us to enter with the righteous people?
وَمَا لَنَا لَا نُؤۡمِنُ بِٱللَّهِ وَمَا جَآءَنَا مِنَ ٱلۡحَقِّ وَنَطۡمَعُ أَن يُدۡخِلَنَا رَبُّنَا مَعَ ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ (٨٤)
5-85 So Allah rewarded them for what they said, with Gardens wherein rivers flow to abide in them. And that is the reward of the doers of good.
فَأَثَـٰبَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِمَا قَالُواْ جَنَّـٰتٍ۬ تَجۡرِى مِن تَحۡتِهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيہَاۚ وَذَٲلِكَ جَزَآءُ ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِينَ (٨٥)
5-86 And those who disbelieve and reject Our messages, such are the companions of the flaming fire.
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَڪَذَّبُواْ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَآ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ أَصۡحَـٰبُ ٱلۡجَحِيمِ (٨٦)
Bayan-ul-Quran 