5-109 On the day when Allah will gather together the messengers and say: What was the response you received? They will say: We have no knowledge. Surely Thou art the great Knower of the unseen.a
يَوۡمَ يَجۡمَعُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلرُّسُلَ فَيَقُولُ مَاذَآ أُجِبۡتُمۡۖ قَالُواْ لَا عِلۡمَ لَنَآۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ عَلَّـٰمُ ٱلۡغُيُوبِ (١٠٩)
5-109a: مَاذَآ أُجِبۡتُمۡ – The meaning of اجبت is to accept, as in: أَجِيبُواْ دَاعِىَ ٱللَّهِ (accept the Inviter to Allah) (46:31). So the meaning here is: بای اجابة اجبتم (with what kind of acceptance were you accepted). The purport is not that there will be a reply otherwise instead of مَاذَآ the word used would have been بماذا .
The major purpose of this section is to narrate the complete absorption of Christians with worldly pleasures. The section however begins with a general statement that on the Day of Judgment all Messengers will be asked in what way did their disciples accept them, that is whether their intention was the pleasure of Allah or did they yearn for worldly things and abandoned the truth. In the next section, this question is directly addressed to Jesus. Even in this verse, the purpose of the statement is to draw attention to the condition of the Christians. As stated further on in the next section, the Christians accept Jesus and exaggerate his status to the point of elevating him from man to God, but their purpose in life is to obtain the world and its pleasures. The demand that the disciples make for food in this section is also meant to draw attention to this. This is the reason why the reply of the Messengers is that they have no knowledge of what their disciples did after they passed away and this information can only be in the knowledge of the Knower of the Unseen. The question poised in this verse is merely as an argument against the followers of the Messengers to show them the reason why the Messengers are sent and the path they are treading. The next section expands on this theme and verses 111 and 112 also manifest this theme.
5-110 When Allah will say: O Jesus, son of Mary, remember My favour to thee and to thy mother, when I strengthened thee with the Holy Spirit; thou spokest to people in the cradle and in old age, and when I taught thee the Book and the Wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel, and when thou didst determine out of dust (a thing) like the form of a bird by My permission, then thou didst breathe into it and it became a bird by My permission; and thou didst heal the blind and the leprous by My permission; and when thou didst raise the dead by My permission; and when I withheld the Children of Israel from thee when thou camest to them with clear arguments — but those of them who disbelieved said: This is nothing but clear enchantment.
إِذۡ قَالَ ٱللَّهُ يَـٰعِيسَى ٱبۡنَ مَرۡيَمَ ٱذۡڪُرۡ نِعۡمَتِى عَلَيۡكَ وَعَلَىٰ وَٲلِدَتِكَ إِذۡ أَيَّدتُّكَ بِرُوحِ ٱلۡقُدُسِ تُكَلِّمُ ٱلنَّاسَ فِى ٱلۡمَهۡدِ وَڪَهۡلاً۬ۖ وَإِذۡ عَلَّمۡتُكَ ٱلۡڪِتَـٰبَ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ وَٱلتَّوۡرَٮٰةَ وَٱلۡإِنجِيلَۖ وَإِذۡ تَخۡلُقُ مِنَ ٱلطِّينِ كَهَيۡـَٔةِ ٱلطَّيۡرِ بِإِذۡنِى فَتَنفُخُ فِيہَا فَتَكُونُ طَيۡرَۢا بِإِذۡنِىۖ وَتُبۡرِئُ ٱلۡأَڪۡمَهَ وَٱلۡأَبۡرَصَ بِإِذۡنِىۖ وَإِذۡ تُخۡرِجُ ٱلۡمَوۡتَىٰ بِإِذۡنِىۖ وَإِذۡ ڪَفَفۡتُ بَنِىٓ إِسۡرَٲٓءِيلَ عَنكَ إِذۡ جِئۡتَهُم بِٱلۡبَيِّنَـٰتِ فَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِنۡہُمۡ إِنۡ هَـٰذَآ إِلَّا سِحۡرٌ۬ مُّبِينٌ۬ (١١٠)
5-110a: ڪَفَفۡتُ – The literal meaning of کَفّ is to stop something with the hand (ڪَف) and then the word is genialized to mean to stop by whatever method (R). The use of this word is also cited as an argument to allege that Jesus was lifted to heaven because stopping the Israelites means that they were unable to catch Jesus or to touch him. This is a strange argument because all other prophets suffered afflictions at the hands of their enemies, but Jesus was a novel prophet that his enemies could not touch him. The purport of stopping the Bani Israel is only that they were not successful in carrying out the plan they had crafted against Jesus. Otherwise, the conditions of bearing extreme distress that other prophets suffered were faced by Jesus as well. Despite a promise given to the Holy Prophet in the Quran ٱللَّهُ يَعۡصِمُكَ مِنَ ٱلنَّاسِۗ (Allah will protect thee from men) (5:67), he was wounded and fell from his mount and an Israelite woman poisoned him. The argument therefore that ڪَفَفۡتُ precludes Jesus being caught and hanged from the Cross has no weight.
سِحۡرٌ – For the meaning of سِحۡرٌ see 2-102b. The unbelievers have always termed their prophets enchanters (ساحر ). It is stated about Moses يَـٰٓأَيُّهَ ٱلسَّاحِرُ (O enchanter) (43:49) and the Holy Prophet too was called an enchanter. Accordingly, it is stated in the beginning of Surah Younas: Is it a wonder to the people what We have revealed to a man from among themselves: Warn the people and give good news to those who believe that for them is advancement in excellence with their Lord. The disbelievers say: هَـٰذَا لَسَـٰحِرٌ۬ مُّبِينٌ (This is surely a manifest enchanter) (10:2). In explaining the meaning of سِحۡر Imam Raghib has written that some actions because of their beauty may be called سِحۡر as in: إِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ لَسِحْرًا (Some speech is as if magic) (Bukhari) and sometimes because of the fine way a thing acts, it may be called سِحۡر . For example, nutrition because of the fine and efficacious way it acts may be called سِحۡر . The teachings of prophets have the same two properties. On the one hand, their attractive and alluring nature inexorably drives people with the right disposition to them and their influence is very fine and efficacious. This is the reason why the unbelievers called the prophets enchanters, and this is the reason why the Jews called Jesus an enchanter.
All the other matters in this verse have previously been discussed in Surah Al Imran. They are repeated here because the real objective of Jesus was to give life to the spiritually dead, heal the spiritually sick and to elevate those who showed a ready and eager disposition from worldly thinking and to make them soar in the heights of spiritual realm, but those people even considered these spiritual affairs to be physical and bent towards the inferior things of life.
5-111 And when I revealed to the disciples, saying, Believe in Me and My messenger, they said: We believe and bear witness that we submit.a
وَإِذۡ أَوۡحَيۡتُ إِلَى ٱلۡحَوَارِيِّـۧنَ أَنۡ ءَامِنُواْ بِى وَبِرَسُولِى قَالُوٓاْ ءَامَنَّا وَٱشۡہَدۡ بِأَنَّنَا مُسۡلِمُونَ (١١١)
5-111a: وحی – For the meaning of وحی see 4-163a. Revelation to the disciples shows that revelation can be granted to non-prophets. To suggest that the disciples could be prophets is a self-evident contradiction because Jesus was sent for their reformation. Then their statement ahead to ask for food so that they may know that Jesus has spoken the truth shows clearly that they were not prophets. Their revelation was not prophetic revelation and despite the non-prophetic revelation that they received, they did not have complete faith in the truthfulness of Jesus.
5-112 When the disciples said: O Jesus, son of Mary, is thy Lord able to send down food to us from heaven? He said: Keep your duty to Allah if you are believers.a
إِذۡ قَالَ ٱلۡحَوَارِيُّونَ يَـٰعِيسَى ٱبۡنَ مَرۡيَمَ هَلۡ يَسۡتَطِيعُ رَبُّكَ أَن يُنَزِّلَ عَلَيۡنَا مَآٮِٕدَةً۬ مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِۖ قَالَ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ إِن ڪُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِينَ (١١٢)
5-112a: يَسۡتَطِيعُ – استطاعة means strength or ability but some lexicologists have taken يَسۡتَطِيعُ to mean یطیع or یجیب that is to accept.
مَآٮِٕدَة – It is derived from مید whose meaning include giving food as in مادنی اَطۡعَمَنِی (he gave me food) (R). مَآٮِٕدَة means both a table with food on it and food (R) but the meaning here is food as is obvious from عِيدً۬ا لِّأَوَّلِنَا وَءَاخِرِنَا (an ever-recurring happiness to the first of us and the last of us) (5-114). Some have said that by مَآٮِٕدَة is meant knowledge and knowledge has been called مَآٮِٕدَة because knowledge is food for the soul (R) but this idea has been born out of not keeping in view the concern of Jesus.
This verse turns the attention towards the real subject of the section. Despite the revelation received by the disciples to believe in the Messenger, the condition of the Jews at that time was so abject that they could not get rid of the thought of worldly ease. The disciples were from the ordinary class of people such as fishermen, toll collectors, and the like, and such people usually do not possess high ideals. Hence, they ask for food. Jesus gives them a very exquisite reply and tells them that they claim to be believers, and prophets come to make believers walk in the way of righteousness, and not for fulfilling physical desires. So, if they are believers, they should walk on the path of righteousness which is the purpose of his coming.
5-113 They said: We desire to eat of it, and that our hearts should be at rest, and that we may know that thou hast indeed spoken truth to us, and that we may be witnesses thereof.
قَالُواْ نُرِيدُ أَن نَّأۡڪُلَ مِنۡہَا وَتَطۡمَٮِٕنَّ قُلُوبُنَا وَنَعۡلَمَ أَن قَدۡ صَدَقۡتَنَا وَنَكُونَ عَلَيۡہَا مِنَ ٱلشَّـٰهِدِينَ (١١٣)
5-113a: The spiritual condition of the disciples: These words enable us to gauge the real condition of the disciples and why Jesus repeatedly chided them. For example, in the Bible, Jesus tells them that they have no belief and if they had faith as a grain of mustard seed they could have done this or that, and he even called Peter, one of his closest disciples, Satan. This is not without reason. He saw that they were overcome by the desires of this world, and even if they tried to advance somewhat in the way of spirituality, they were unable to leave behind concerns for food and physical desires. The spiritual condition of the followers of both Moses and Jesus appears weak. In contrast, the spiritual perfection of the Companions of the Holy Prophet shines like the bright sun. It is strange that despite receiving revelation, Jesus’ disciples did not have a perfect belief that what Jesus said is the truth. There is also a lesson here for those who hold that Jesus physically pulled out the dead from their graves and gave them life and made birds with clay and made them into real birds because if these miracles had happened why would the disciples demand food to consider Jesus truthful. The coming out of the dead from the graves and converting clay birds into live birds are much greater miracles than receiving food from heaven. Those who saw the alleged miracles could not have been dependent upon receiving food to believe fully. In the very least, according to the Quran, the coming out of the dead from the graves and other miracles cannot be physical.
5-114 Jesus, son of Mary, said: O Allah, our Lord, send down to us food from heaven which should be to us an ever-recurring happiness to the first of us and the last of us, and a sign from Thee, and give us sustenance and Thou art the Best of the sustainers.a
قَالَ عِيسَى ٱبۡنُ مَرۡيَمَ ٱللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَآ أَنزِلۡ عَلَيۡنَا مَآٮِٕدَةً۬ مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ تَكُونُ لَنَا عِيدً۬ا لِّأَوَّلِنَا وَءَاخِرِنَا وَءَايَةً۬ مِّنكَۖ وَٱرۡزُقۡنَا وَأَنتَ خَيۡرُ ٱلرَّٲزِقِينَ (١١٤)
5-114a: عِيدً۬ا – It is derived from عود which means to come back or recur and عید is that which recurs. This word has specially become identified with happiness and in religious terminology is used specifically for یوم الفطر and یوم النحر (R).
Jesus’ prays for food: After counseling his disciples once, Jesus at last supplicates and fulfills the wishes of his disciples, just as Moses had bowed before the wish of his disciples: أَرِنَا ٱللَّهَ جَهۡرَةً۬ (Show us Allah manifestly) (4:153) and supplicated: رَبِّ أَرِنِىٓ أَنظُرۡ إِلَيۡكَ (My Lord, show me (Thyself)) (7:143). Instead of praying for food that will come just for his disciples, Jesus prays for food that will be an ever-recurring happiness for the first and last of his followers. The present conditions do not leave any doubt about the acceptance of his prayer. In the matter of food there is ever-recurring happiness among the Christians. The difference between the first and last of them is that the first had some concern for the Hereafter along with food but now what is left is just a race for physical needs.
Holy Prophet’s concern for the spirituality of his followers: But is this an envious condition? The prayer that the Holy Prophet made for the pious people of his Ummah is: O Lord make the sustenance of the followers of Muhammad sufficient, that is, that their absorption in worldly affairs should not be so great that they forget the Hereafter. The Holy Prophet is the real spiritual teacher for the world who has concern for the souls of his followers – a concern for that which elevates humans from animals. There is no reflection in this about Jesus. He supplicated in accordance with the inclination of his nation and that period was also such that the necessary perfection of spirituality had not been achieved. Hence the prophets taught in accordance with the conditions of their nations. There is also a great mention of food in the miracles of Jesus, as for example Jesus feeds a multitude of people starting with a few loaves of bread (John 6: 1-14) and in another instance Jesus converted six jars of water to wine sufficient for guests at a wedding to drink until they got drunk (John 2:1-11). The impact of this miracle is still prominent in Europe. If they pray, the prayer that takes precedence is: Give us today our daily bread (Mathew 6:11). So the Christians got both bread and wine. The purpose of a Muslim’s life, however, is to be a teacher of morality and piety. God does provide bread but the truth is that the objective of life is not to eat and drink but ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ إِن ڪُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِينَ (to keep your duty to Allah if you are believers).
5-115 Allah said: Surely I will send it down to you, but whoever disbelieves afterwards from among you, I will chastise him with a chastisement with which I will not chastise anyone among the nations.a
قَالَ ٱللَّهُ إِنِّى مُنَزِّلُهَا عَلَيۡكُمۡۖ فَمَن يَكۡفُرۡ بَعۡدُ مِنكُمۡ فَإِنِّىٓ أُعَذِّبُهُ ۥ عَذَابً۬ا لَّآ أُعَذِّبُهُ ۥۤ أَحَدً۬ا مِّنَ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ (١١٥)
5-115a: The worldly goods are promised but the punishment for being unthankful is equally severe. The Christian nations have accumulated large stores of wealth and goods of worldly pleasure, but the history of the world is a witness that after a period of great ease begins a period of great distress.
Bayan-ul-Quran 