62:6
Say, ‘O you Jews, if you claim that you are the friends of Allah to the
exclusion of other men, then long for death, if you are truthful.’
62:7
And they will never long for it because of what their hands have forwarded, and
Allah is All-Aware of the wrongdoers.
62:8
Say ‘Truly death, from which you flee, shall surely meet you, and then you
shall be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the seen, and He will tell
you what you used to do.
Relationship
with the Previous Part
The previous section affirms the
Oneness of Allah, Exalted be He, and that He sent Muhammad, who belongs to the
Arabs, to invite people to worship Allah alone. The Jews claim that Allah sent
Messenger Muhammad only to the Arabs. Allah refutes this claim and informs that
they have not complied with the teachings of the Torah. Had they adhered to its
teachings, they would have found that Allah gave the good news of the coming of
Messenger Muhammad in the Torah, and they would not have made such a claim.
The Jews’ refusal to benefit from the
teachings of the Torah and their failure to follow its commandments are likened
to a donkey carrying books containing beneficial knowledge without benefiting
from them; rather, it only suffers exhaustion from carrying them.
Moreover, Allah, Exalted be He, refutes
another claim of the Jews. They assert that they are the sons of Allah and His
beloved. To confirm such a claim, they are challenged to wish for death so that
they may meet Allah and proceed to the abode prepared for His friends. However,
they will never wish for death because of their evil deeds and the distortion
of the Torah that they committed.
Tafsir
62:5 The likeness of
those who were charged with the Torah and then they did not observe it, is as
the likeness of the ass carrying books. Evil is the likeness of the people who
deny the revelations of Allah. And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.
The likeness in this Ayah refers to
condition and attribute. Those who were charged with the Torah refers to the
Jews, whom Allah entrusted with complying with its teachings; however, they
failed to do so.
The condition of the Jews—who were
given the Torah to guide them to the path of guidance, yet did not benefit from
it—is like that of the ass carrying books containing beneficial knowledge but
unable to benefit from them because it does not understand them.
Allah, Exalted be He, has likened the
Jews, who do not benefit from the teachings and guidance of the Torah, to the ass
that carries beneficial books but cannot benefit from them because it does not
comprehend them.
Al-Zamakhshari said:
‘Allah, Exalted be He, has likened the Jews to the ass that carries great books
of knowledge but does not know what is in them, and it only suffers tiredness
and exhaustion from carrying them. This is because the Jews were commanded to
abide by the teachings of the Torah, but they failed to act according to its
guidance and did not benefit from its teachings. They did not believe in Messenger
Muhammad, though his attributes were mentioned in the Torah. Anyone who
possesses knowledge but does not act upon it is similar to the ass. Indeed, it
is the worst example of people, namely, the Jews, who disbelieve in the signs
denoting the truthfulness of Messenger Muhammad.’
Al-Qurtubi said:
‘Allah, Exalted be He, presents an example of the Jews when they failed to
comply with the teachings of the Torah and did not believe in Messenger Muhammad.
He likens them to the donkey that carries books but does not know what is in
them. This serves as a reminder to those who are entrusted with the teachings
of the divine books to understand and comply with them, lest they be criticized
like the Jews.’
Complying with the teachings of the
Torah was an incumbent trust placed upon the Jews, akin to a burden carried on
one’s back; however, they neglected it and followed their whims.
The Jews are likened to the donkey in
terms of its stupidity and foolishness, as a strong form of criticism for
neglecting to benefit from a valuable source—the Book of Allah—just as the
donkey cannot distinguish between beneficial and non-beneficial things.
Evil is the likeness
of the people who deny the revelations of Allah. And Allah does not guide the
wrongdoing people.
Evil indeed is the likeness of those
who deny the revelations of Allah, which affirm His Oneness, perfect ability,
and the truthfulness of His Prophets.
Allah does not guide the wrongdoing
people to the right path, as they wrong themselves by preferring the path of
misguidance over the path of guidance, and the darkness of disbelief over the
light of belief in the Oneness of Allah, Exalted be He.
62:6 Say, ‘O you
Jews, if you claim that you are the friends of Allah to the exclusion of other
men, then long for death, if you are truthful.’
In this Ayah, the Jews are challenged
in order to refute their claims, silence them, and expose their falsehood.
The Jews claim that they are the
friends of Allah and His chosen people to the exclusion of others; therefore,
they are commanded to long for death to confirm such a claim, if they are
truthful.
Al-Qurtubi said:
‘When the Jews claimed supremacy and said that they are the children of Allah,
Allah, Exalted be He, said, [62:6 Say, ‘O you Jews, if you claim that you are
the friends of Allah to the exclusion of other men, then long for death, if you
are truthful.’]. This is because the friends of Allah enjoy a high rank with
Him. However, [62:7 And they will never long for it because of what their hands
have forwarded, and Allah is All-Aware of the wrongdoers.]. The Jews will never
long for death because of the evil deeds they committed, such as disbelieving
in Prophet Muhammad. If they were to long for death, they would die.’
In other words, O noble Prophet Muhammad,
challenge the Jews and say to those who claim that they are the chosen children
of Allah and His friends to the exclusion of others: ‘If your claim is true,
then long for death so that you may attain the rank you assert after death and
move from the hardship of worldly life to the comfort and happiness of the
Hereafter.’
62:7 And they will
never long for it because of what their hands have forwarded, and Allah is
All-Aware of the wrongdoers.
This Ayah reveals the true condition of
the Jews.
They will never long for death because
of the evil deeds they have committed, including disbelief in Prophet Muhammad
and disobedience to the commands of Allah. Allah is fully aware of their deeds,
as nothing is hidden from His perfect knowledge. He will justly recompense the
wrongdoers for their sins and punish them severely.
62:8 Say ‘Truly
death, from which you flee, shall surely meet you, and then you shall be
returned to the Knower of the unseen and the seen, and He will tell you what
you used to do.
Allah, Exalted be He, instructs His
Prophet Muhammad to inform the Jews that they cannot escape death, regardless
of their efforts to flee from it.
O noble Prophet Muhammad, say to the
Jews: ‘Truly death, from which you flee, will surely come to you, and you will
die regardless of how you attempt to avoid it. Then you will be returned to
Allah, the Knower of the unseen and the seen, and He will inform you of what
you used to do in worldly life and recompense you justly for all your deeds.
Indeed, Allah knows all things, and nothing is hidden from His perfect
knowledge.’
In other words, no matter how intensely
they try to escape death, it will inevitably reach them. Thereafter, they will
be returned to Allah and recompensed for all their deeds.
The
Learned Lessons from Surah Al-Jumu’ah Ayah 5–8
- The condition of the Jews, when
they fail to comply with the teachings of the Torah and disbelieve in
Prophet Muhammad, is similar to that of a donkey carrying heavy books
without understanding or benefiting from their knowledge.
- The Jews are challenged to long
for death as a test of their claim that they are the chosen people and
friends of Allah, who will attain a high rank in the Hereafter.
- They will never long for death
because of the evil deeds they have committed. If they were to long for
it, they would die and be punished for their deeds.
- Death, from which they flee, will
inevitably come to them. They will be returned to Allah, the Knower of the
unseen and the seen, who will justly recompense them for all their deeds.
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