Tafseer of The Table · Al-Maaida · 5:81
And if they had believed in Allah and the Prophet and in what was revealed to him, they would not have taken them as allies; but many of them are defiantly disobedient.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The discourse on the explanation of His statement: وَلَوْ كَانُوا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالنَّبِيِّ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مَا اتَّخَذُوهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ وَلَكِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ (5:81) (And had they believed in Allah and the Prophet and in what was sent down to him, they would not have taken them as protectors (awliyāʾ); but many of them are transgressors (fāsiqūn). (81))
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: And had these who took the disbelievers from among the Children of Israel as protectors instead "believed in Allah and the Prophet" — He says: held Allah to be true, acknowledged Him, and professed His oneness, and held His prophet Muhammad ﷺ to be truthful in the fact that he is for Allah a sent prophet and a dispatched messenger — "and in what was sent down to him," He says: and acknowledged what was sent down to Muhammad ﷺ from Allah of the signs of the Criterion (al-furqān) —
"they would not have taken them as protectors," He says: they would not have taken them as companions and helpers instead of the believers — "but many of them are transgressors (fāsiqūn)," He says: but many of them are people who depart from obedience to Allah into disobedience to Him, and people who deem permissible what Allah has forbidden them in word and deed.
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Mujāhid used to say concerning this what follows:
12314 - Muhammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His statement: "And had they believed in Allah and the Prophet and in what was sent down to him, they would not have taken them as protectors," he said: The hypocrites (al-munāfiqūn).
