﷽
*Surah Al-Baqara, Verse 75:*
أَفَتَطْمَعُونَ أَن يُؤْمِنُوا لَكُمْ وَقَدْ كَانَ فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُمْ يَسْمَعُونَ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُحَرِّفُونَهُ مِن بَعْدِ مَا عَقَلُوهُ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ
Do you (faithful believers) covet that they will believe in your religion in spite of the fact that a party of them (Jewish rabbis) used to hear the Word of Allāh [the Taurat (Torah)], then they used to change it knowingly after they understood it?
﷽
*Surah Al-Baqara, Verse 76:*
وَإِذَا لَقُوا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَا بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍ قَالُوا أَتُحَدِّثُونَهُم بِمَا فَتَحَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لِيُحَاجُّوكُم بِهِ عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
And when they (Jews) meet those who believe (Muslims), they say, "We believe", but when they meet one another in private, they say, "Shall you (Jews) tell them (Muslims) what Allāh has revealed to you [Jews, about the description and the qualities of Prophet Muhammad Peace be upon him, that which are written in the Taurat (Torah)], that they (Muslims) may argue with you (Jews) about it before your Lord?" Have you (Jews) then no understanding?
*COMMENTARY*
The immediate argument applies to the Jews of Madinah, but the more general argument applies to the people of Faith and the people without Faith, as we shall see below. If the Muslims of Madinah ever entertained the hope that the Jews in their city would as a body welcome Muhammad Al-Mustafā as the Prophet prophesied in their own books, they were mistaken. In The Book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament, chapter xviii, verse 18, they read: "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee." (i.e like unto Moses): which was interpreted by some of their doctors as referring to Muhammad (Blessings and Peace be upon him), and they came into Islam. The Arabs are a kindred branch of the Semitic family, and are correctly described in relation to the Jews as, "their brethren", and there is no question that there was not another Prophet "like unto Moses" until Muhammad (Blessings and Peace be upon him) came: in fact the postscript of the Book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament, which was written many centuries after Moses, says: "There arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord Knew face to face." But the Jews as a body were jealous of Muhammad (Blessings and Peace be upon him), and played a double part. When the Muslim community began to grow stronger they pretended to be of them, but really tried to keep back any knowledge of their own Scriptures from them, lest they should be beaten by their own arguments.
The more general interpretation holds good in all ages. Faith and Unfaith are pitted against each other. Faith has to struggle against power, position, organization, and privilege. When it gains ground, Unfaith comes forward insincerely and claims fellowship. But in its own mind it is jealous of the armoury of science and knowledge which Faith brings into the service of Allāh. But Allāh knows all, and if the people of Faith will only seek knowledge sincerely wherever they can find it, even as far afield as China, as Muhammad (Blessings and Peace be upon him) said, they can defeat Unfaith on its own ground. [Even though the directive that Muslims should derive knowledge regardless of its location is an acceptable proposition from the Islamic viewpoint, the transition to which the author refers here is not authentic].
*Surah Al-Baqara, Verse 75:*
أَفَتَطْمَعُونَ أَن يُؤْمِنُوا لَكُمْ وَقَدْ كَانَ فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُمْ يَسْمَعُونَ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُحَرِّفُونَهُ مِن بَعْدِ مَا عَقَلُوهُ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ
Do you (faithful believers) covet that they will believe in your religion in spite of the fact that a party of them (Jewish rabbis) used to hear the Word of Allāh [the Taurat (Torah)], then they used to change it knowingly after they understood it?
﷽
*Surah Al-Baqara, Verse 76:*
وَإِذَا لَقُوا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَا بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍ قَالُوا أَتُحَدِّثُونَهُم بِمَا فَتَحَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لِيُحَاجُّوكُم بِهِ عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
And when they (Jews) meet those who believe (Muslims), they say, "We believe", but when they meet one another in private, they say, "Shall you (Jews) tell them (Muslims) what Allāh has revealed to you [Jews, about the description and the qualities of Prophet Muhammad Peace be upon him, that which are written in the Taurat (Torah)], that they (Muslims) may argue with you (Jews) about it before your Lord?" Have you (Jews) then no understanding?
*COMMENTARY*
The immediate argument applies to the Jews of Madinah, but the more general argument applies to the people of Faith and the people without Faith, as we shall see below. If the Muslims of Madinah ever entertained the hope that the Jews in their city would as a body welcome Muhammad Al-Mustafā as the Prophet prophesied in their own books, they were mistaken. In The Book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament, chapter xviii, verse 18, they read: "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee." (i.e like unto Moses): which was interpreted by some of their doctors as referring to Muhammad (Blessings and Peace be upon him), and they came into Islam. The Arabs are a kindred branch of the Semitic family, and are correctly described in relation to the Jews as, "their brethren", and there is no question that there was not another Prophet "like unto Moses" until Muhammad (Blessings and Peace be upon him) came: in fact the postscript of the Book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament, which was written many centuries after Moses, says: "There arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord Knew face to face." But the Jews as a body were jealous of Muhammad (Blessings and Peace be upon him), and played a double part. When the Muslim community began to grow stronger they pretended to be of them, but really tried to keep back any knowledge of their own Scriptures from them, lest they should be beaten by their own arguments.
The more general interpretation holds good in all ages. Faith and Unfaith are pitted against each other. Faith has to struggle against power, position, organization, and privilege. When it gains ground, Unfaith comes forward insincerely and claims fellowship. But in its own mind it is jealous of the armoury of science and knowledge which Faith brings into the service of Allāh. But Allāh knows all, and if the people of Faith will only seek knowledge sincerely wherever they can find it, even as far afield as China, as Muhammad (Blessings and Peace be upon him) said, they can defeat Unfaith on its own ground. [Even though the directive that Muslims should derive knowledge regardless of its location is an acceptable proposition from the Islamic viewpoint, the transition to which the author refers here is not authentic].
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