His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "And if you turn away from them, they will not harm you at all. And if you judge, judge between them with justice. Indeed, Allah loves the just." [Al-Ma'idah: 42] "And how will they make you a judge while they have the Torah in which is the judgment of Allah? Then they turn away after that, and those are not believers." "Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in which is guidance and light. The prophets who have submitted (to Allah) judge by it for those who are Jews, and the rabbis and the scholars, by what they were entrusted from the Book of Allah, and they were witnesses over it. So do not fear the people, and fear Me. And do not exchange My verses for a small price. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, then those are the disbelievers." Allah, the Exalted, protected His Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - from their harm if he turns away from them; and He belittled their status in this matter. The meaning is: you are supported; the matter is evident in every case; and this is similar to His saying to the believers: "They will not harm you." [Al-Imran: 111] Then He, the Exalted, said: "And if you judge" [Al-Ma'idah: 42]; meaning: if you choose to judge between them in a particular matter; "then judge between them with justice" [Al-Ma'idah: 42]; meaning: with fairness. It is said: the man was just if he was fair and judged with the truth; and he was unjust if he was unfair. From this is His saying: "And as for the unjust, they will be fuel for Hell." [Al-Jinn: 15] And Allah's love for the just is what is evident upon them from His blessings. Then Allah, the Exalted, mentioned after their judging the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - their sincerity; and He clarifies by correct reasoning that they do not judge him except out of a desire for him to incline towards their whims; and their degradation in their desires. This is because He said: "And how will they make you a judge?" with a sincere intention while they have contradicted the judgment of the Book which they believe in; and the prophethood of the one who brought it; and they turned away from the judgment of Allah in it? So you are the one they do not believe in; nor do they affirm you; it is more likely that they would contradict your judgment. And His saying: "after that"; meaning: after the judgment of Allah in the Torah regarding stoning; and similar matters in which they contradicted the command of Allah, the Exalted; and His saying: "And those are not believers"; meaning: in the Torah and in Moses; and this is a binding for them; for whoever contradicts the judgment of the Book of Allah, then his claim of faith in it is shaky. And this verse strengthens that His saying at the beginning of the verse: "from those who said, 'We have believed' with their mouths, but their hearts have not believed" [Al-Ma'idah: 41]; that it is intended by it the Jews.

And His saying, the Most High: "Indeed, We have sent down the Torah"; the verse; Qatadah said: It has been mentioned to us that the Messenger of Allah - blessings and peace be upon him - used to say - when this verse was revealed -: "Today we judge the Jews; and those other than them from the people of the religions"; and guidance: is the direction in belief; and the laws; and light: what is illuminated by its commands and prohibitions; and the prophets who submitted are those who were sent from the side of Musa ibn Imran until the time of Muhammad - blessings and peace be upon him -; these are the two ends of this group mentioned in this verse; and "submitted"; its meaning is: they dedicated their faces and intentions to Allah, the Most High; and His saying, the Most High: "For those who have become Jews"; is related to "judge"; meaning: "they judge according to the Torah for the Children of Israel; and upon them"; and His saying, the Most High: "the Rabbaniyyun"; is connected to "the prophets"; meaning: and they judge by it the Rabbaniyyun; and they are the scholars; and in Al-Bukhari it is said: the Rabbaniyyun: is the one who nurtures the people with the small knowledge; before the great knowledge; and it is said: the Rabbaniyyun: is attributed to "the Lord"; meaning: he has knowledge of Him and of his religion; and the noon was added in "Rabbaniyyun"; as an exaggeration; as they said: "Manzharaniyyun"; and "Makbahraniyyun"; and in the great neck: "Raqbaniyyun"; and the scholars also: are the scholars; one of them is "Hibr"; with a kasra on the ح; and it is said with a fathah; and the use of the fathah in it has become frequent; to distinguish it from the ink used for writing; and Al-Suddi said: what is meant here by the Rabbaniyyun and the scholars who judge by the Torah: are the two sons of Suriyya; one of them was a Rabbaniyyun; and the other a Hibr; and they had given the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - a covenant that he would not ask them about anything from the matter of the Torah except that they would inform him about it; so he asked them about the verse of stoning and they informed him about it directly; so the verse was revealed indicating them.

Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And in this there is consideration; and the authentic narration is that the two sons of Suriyya and others denied the matter of stoning; and they were exposed in it by Abdullah ibn Salam; and the wording is general for every upright scholar in what has passed from the time; and as for in the time of Muhammad - blessings and peace be upon him - if it had existed, it would have submitted; and he was not called "Hibr"; nor "Rabbaniyyun."

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿because of what they were entrusted﴾; means: because of Allah's entrusting them with the matter of the Torah; and His taking the covenant from them to act upon it; and to speak of it; and He made them aware of what is in it; so they became witnesses against it; and these people neglected what they were entrusted with until the Torah was altered; and the Qur'an is different from this; due to His saying, exalted is He: ﴿And indeed, We will preserve it﴾ [Al-Hijr: 9]; and all praise is due to Allah; and His saying, exalted is He: ﴿So do not fear the people, but fear Me﴾; is a narration of what was said to the scholars of the Children of Israel; and His saying: ﴿And do not exchange My verses for a small price﴾; is a prohibition against all illicit gains through knowledge; and the manipulation of religion for worldly gain; and this meaning applies equally to the scholars of this nation; and its rulers; and it is possible that His saying, exalted is He: ﴿So do not fear the people﴾; until the end of the verse is addressed to the nation of Muhammad - blessings and peace be upon him.

And the scholars differed regarding the meaning of His saying, exalted is He: ﴿And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, then those are the disbelievers﴾.

(p-176) A group said: the intended meaning is the Jews by