Surah Maidah ayat 47 Tafsir Quran 5:47

﴿وَلْيَحْكُمْ أَهْلُ الْإِنجِيلِ بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ ۚ وَمَن لَّمْ يَحْكُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ﴾
[ المائدة: 47]

5:47 And let the People of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed therein. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed - then it is those who are the defiantly disobedient.

We said So let the People of the Gospel judge according to what God has revealed therein of rulings a variant reading of wa’l-yahkum ‘let them judge’ is wa-li-yahkuma making it a supplement to that which is governed by the previous verb ātaynāhu ‘We gave to him’. Whoever does not judge according to what God has revealed — those are the wicked.

Just as it was mandatory that the Jews would use AL-Tawrah as the standard of judgement, so would the Christians; they were commanded to use AL-Injil as the canon law by which to judge matters. He who does not use the standard of judgement as revealed by Allah, shall be wrongful of actions, and such persons are the wicked

Allah Mentions `Isa and Praises the Injil Allah said, وَقَفَّيْنَا ( and We sent... ) meaning, We sent عَلَى ءَاثَـرِهِمْ ( in their footsteps ) meaning the Prophets of the Children of Israel, بِعَيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ مُصَدِّقاً لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ التَوْرَاةِ ( `Isa, son of Maryam, confirming the Tawrah that had come before him, ) meaning, he believed in it and ruled by it. وَءَاتَيْنَـهُ الإِنجِيلَ فِيهِ هُدًى وَنُورٌ ( and We gave him the Injil, in which was guidance and light ) a guidance that directs to the truth and a light that removes the doubts and solves disputes, وَمُصَدِّقاً لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ ( and confirmation of the Tawrah that had come before it, ) meaning, he adhered to the Tawrah, except for the few instances that clarified the truth where the Children of Israel differed.
Allah states in another Ayah that `Isa said to the Children of Israel, وَلاٌّحِلَّ لَكُم بَعْضَ الَّذِي حُرِّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ ( .
..and to make lawful to you part of what was forbidden to you. ) So the scholars say that the Injil abrogated some of the rulings of the Tawrah.
Allah's statement, وَهُدًى وَمَوْعِظَةٌ لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ( a guidance and an admonition for those who have Taqwa. ) means, We made the Injil guidance and an admonition that prohibits committing sins and errors, for those who have Taqwa of Allah and fear His warning and torment.
Allah said next, وَلْيَحْكُمْ أَهْلُ الإِنجِيلِ بِمَآ أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ ( Let the people of the Injil judge by what Allah has revealed therein. ) meaning, so that He judges the people of the Injil by it in their time.
Or, the Ayah means, so that they believe in all that is in it and adhere to all its commands, including the good news about the coming of Muhammad and the command to believe in and follow him when he is sent.
Allah said in other Ayat, قُلْ يَـأَهْلَ الْكِتَـبِ لَسْتُمْ عَلَى شَىْءٍ حَتَّى تُقِيمُواْ التَّوْرَاةَ وَالإِنجِيلَ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ ( Say "O People of the Scripture! You have nothing (guidance ) until you act according to the Tawrah, the Injil, and what has been sent down to you from your Lord.") and, الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِىَّ الأُمِّىَّ الَّذِى يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِى التَّوْرَاةِ ( Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write whom they find written with them in the Tawrah... ) until, الْمُفْلِحُونَ ( ...successful. ) Here, Allah said, وَمَن لَّمْ يَحْكُم بِمَآ أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْفَـسِقُونَ ( And whosoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, such are the rebellious. ) meaning, the rebellious and disobedient of Allah who prefer falsehood and abandon truth.
We mentioned before that this Ayah was revealed about the Christians, and this is evident from the context of the Ayah.

(5:47) Let the followers of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed therein, and those who do not judge by what Allah has revealed are the transgressors. *77

And let the People of the Gospel meaning

*77).
Here three judgements are issued against those who do not judge in accordance with the Law revealed by God.
The first is that they are kafir ( unbelievers ); the second, that they are zalim ( wrong-doers ); and the third, that they are fasiq ( transgressors ).
This clearly means that one who, in disregard of God's commandments and of the Laws revealed by Him, pronounces judgements according to man-made laws ( whether made by himself or by others ) is guilty of three major offences.
First, his act amounts to rejecting the commandment of God, and this rejection is equivalent to kufr ( infidelity, unbelief ).
Second, his act is contrary to justice, for only the laws made by God are in complete accord with the dictates of justice.
Any judgement in contravention of God's injunctions amounts, therefore, to committing injustice ( zulm ).
Third, when he enforces either his own or anyone else's law in disregard of the Laws of his Lord he steps out of the fold of subjection and obedience, and this constitutes fisq ( transgression ).

Kufr, zulm and fisq are essential elements in deviation from God's commandments.
One finds them wherever there is deviation from the commandment of God.
There is variation in the degree of deviation and hence in the degree of these three offences.
Whoever passes judgement on something in opposition to an injunction of God, believing that injunction to be false, and holds either his own or anyone else's judgement to be sound, is an unbeliever ( kafir ), wrong-doer ( zalim ) and transgressor ( fasiq ).
A man who is convinced that the injunctions of God are right but makes judgements contrary to them in practice is not an unbeliever in the sense that he ceases to remain a member of the Islamic community, but he is guilty of adulterating his faith by blending it with kufr, zulm and fisq.
In the same manner, those who deviate from the injunctions of God in all matters are unbelievers, wrong-doers and transgressors.
For those who are obedient in some respects and disobedient in others, the blending of faith and submission to God with the opposite attributes of unbelief, wrong-doing and transgression in their lives will be exactly in proportion to the mixture of their obedience to and their deviation from God's commands.

Some commentators have attempted to restrict the application of these verses to the People of the Book alone.
The verses, however, hardly lend themselves to such a restrictive interpretation.
The best answer to such a restrictive interpretation has been given by the Companion Hudhayfah.
When someone told him that these verses related merely to the Israelites, meaning that the unbelievers, wrong-doers and transgressors were only the Jews who passed judgement contrary to the injunctions revealed by God, Hudhayfah remarked: 'What good brothers these Israelites are to you! Whatever is bitter goes to them; whatever is sweet comes to you.
Nay, by God, you will follow their way, your steps following theirs.'
 

Allah Mentions `Isa and Praises the Injil Allah said, وَقَفَّيْنَا ( and We sent... ) meaning, We sent عَلَى ءَاثَـرِهِمْ ( in their footsteps ) meaning the Prophets of the Children of Israel, بِعَيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ مُصَدِّقاً لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ التَوْرَاةِ ( `Isa, son of Maryam, confirming the Tawrah that had come before him, ) meaning, he believed in it and ruled by it. وَءَاتَيْنَـهُ الإِنجِيلَ فِيهِ هُدًى وَنُورٌ ( and We gave him the Injil, in which was guidance and light ) a guidance that directs to the truth and a light that removes the doubts and solves disputes, وَمُصَدِّقاً لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ ( and confirmation of the Tawrah that had come before it, ) meaning, he adhered to the Tawrah, except for the few instances that clarified the truth where the Children of Israel differed.
Allah states in another Ayah that `Isa said to the Children of Israel, وَلاٌّحِلَّ لَكُم بَعْضَ الَّذِي حُرِّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ ( .
..and to make lawful to you part of what was forbidden to you. ) So the scholars say that the Injil abrogated some of the rulings of the Tawrah.
Allah's statement, وَهُدًى وَمَوْعِظَةٌ لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ( a guidance and an admonition for those who have Taqwa. ) means, We made the Injil guidance and an admonition that prohibits committing sins and errors, for those who have Taqwa of Allah and fear His warning and torment.
Allah said next, وَلْيَحْكُمْ أَهْلُ الإِنجِيلِ بِمَآ أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ ( Let the people of the Injil judge by what Allah has revealed therein. ) meaning, so that He judges the people of the Injil by it in their time.
Or, the Ayah means, so that they believe in all that is in it and adhere to all its commands, including the good news about the coming of Muhammad and the command to believe in and follow him when he is sent.
Allah said in other Ayat, قُلْ يَـأَهْلَ الْكِتَـبِ لَسْتُمْ عَلَى شَىْءٍ حَتَّى تُقِيمُواْ التَّوْرَاةَ وَالإِنجِيلَ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ ( Say "O People of the Scripture! You have nothing (guidance ) until you act according to the Tawrah, the Injil, and what has been sent down to you from your Lord.") and, الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِىَّ الأُمِّىَّ الَّذِى يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِى التَّوْرَاةِ ( Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write whom they find written with them in the Tawrah... ) until, الْمُفْلِحُونَ ( ...successful. ) Here, Allah said, وَمَن لَّمْ يَحْكُم بِمَآ أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْفَـسِقُونَ ( And whosoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, such are the rebellious. ) meaning, the rebellious and disobedient of Allah who prefer falsehood and abandon truth.
We mentioned before that this Ayah was revealed about the Christians, and this is evident from the context of the Ayah.

( Let the People of the Gospel judge ) such that the people of the Gospel elucidate ( by that which Allah hath revealed therein ) that which Allah has elucidated in the Gospel regarding the traits and description of Muhammad ( pbuh ) and the legal ruling of stoning. ( Whoso judgeth not by that which Allah hath revealed ) He says: whoever does not show that which Allah has elucidated in the Gospel; ( such are evil-doers ) transgressing disbelievers.

Let the people of the Injeel (Gospel) judge by what Allah has revealed therein. And whosoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed (then) such (people) are the Fasiqun (the rebellious i.e. disobedient (of a lesser degree) to Allah.

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