Overview (Verses 49 - 50)

Fabricating Lies against God
 
As the Qur’ān directs the battle of the Muslim community against the Jews in Madinah, it wonders at those who claim that they are God’s chosen people. They further claim to be pure, yet they continue to distort God’s words and take an impudent attitude towards God and His Messenger, and believe in false deities. They, thus, assert false claims against God as they allege that they are close to Him regardless of the magnitude of their bad deeds. “Are you aware of those who consider themselves pure? It is indeed God who causes whom He wills to grow in purity. None shall be wronged by as much as a hair’s breadth. Behold how they fabricate lies against God. This is enough as an obvious sin [for anyone].” (Verses 49-50)
 
That the Jews are God’s chosen people is an age-old claim asserted by them. God has indeed chosen them to be the bearers of His message to the rest of mankind, giving them at the time a distinguished position above all other nations. He destroyed Pharaoh and his people for their sake and allowed them to take over the sacred land. They, however, deviated from the path God has chosen for them and spread much corruption in the land, perpetrating every evil. Their rabbis made lawful for them what God had forbidden and forbade them what God had made lawful. The people followed them making no objection to their effective claim to Godhead, which they were stating by virtue of their making such legislation. The rabbis changed God’s law in order to appease the people in power and to satisfy the desires of the masses. When they followed their rabbis, the people effectively considered them as lords, alongside God.
 
They also devoured usury, and weakened their relationship with God’s faith and the Scriptures He revealed to them. Despite all this and much more, they continued to claim that they were God’s children and beloved ones. They also claimed that they would not be touched by the fire of Hell except for a few days. They further claimed that none follows proper guidance and none may be well received by God except the Jews. They, thus, depicted the whole question as one of affinity to God and favouritism by Him. Far be it from God to do that! There is no blood relation or affinity between God and any of His creation. The only relationship He may have with them is that established by adopting the true faith, doing what is good and maintaining the system He approves of. Anyone who deviates from this incurs God’s displeasure. God is particularly displeased with people to whom He gives true guidance and who deliberately turn away from it.
 
The case of the Jews is the same as those who nowadays claim to be Muslims, of those who think that they belong to the nation of the followers of Muĥammad (peace be upon him) and believe that God will undoubtedly give them victory to liberate their land from the Jews. This, while they totally abandon the code of living God has given to them in the shape of religion. They banish it totally from their lives, giving God’s revelation no say in their legal, economic, and social systems, and denying it the right to set for them their moral values and traditions. They have nothing of Islam but their Muslim names and the fact that they have been born in a land which was once inhabited by Muslims who implemented Divine guidance and who followed the Islamic way of life. God invites His Messenger to wonder at those Jews who continuously claimed to be pure. The situation of contemporary Muslims is an even worse spectacle to wonder at.
 
It is not up to human beings to consider themselves pure and to testify to their own goodness and closeness to God. It is God who causes anyone He wills to grow in purity. He knows all hearts and intentions. He will never wrong anyone in any way, provided that they leave it up to Him to purify whom He wills while they themselves move to do what is required of them, not merely to supplicate. If they do such works quietly, maintaining humility and without any boastfulness, they will never be wronged by God. He does not forget anything they do. “Are you aware of those who consider themselves pure? It is indeed God who causes whom He wills to grow in purity. None shall be wronged by as much as a hair’s breadth.” (Verse 49)
 
God testifies that when the Jews claim purity for themselves and assert that God is pleased with them, they are actually fabricating lies against Him. He denounces what they do in no ambiguous terms: “Behold how they fabricate lies against God. This is enough as an obvious sin [for anyone].” (Verse 50)
 
When we claim to be Muslims simply because we have Muslim names and live in a land which was inhabited by Muslims, while at the same time we do not implement Islam in any aspect of our lives, we actually give a testimony against Islam. When we claim that God has chosen us because we are the nation of Muĥammad (peace be upon him) while at the same time we abandon Muĥammad’s faith and the system he has given us to implement in our lives, we are actually in the same position which God warns us against.
 
The faith given to us by God provides us with a complete way of life. To obey God is to implement this way of life. To draw closer to God can only be achieved through obeying Him. Let us now reflect on our position towards God and His faith. Let us then consider any similarity or dissimilarity between our situation and that of those Jews whom God denounces as fabricating lies against Him when they claim purity for themselves. The same rule applies to both communities, and the situations are particularly similar. No one may claim to have any blood or marriage relationship with God, and no one may claim to be given special favours by Him.

Overview (Verses 49 - 50)

Fabricating Lies against God
 
As the Qur’ān directs the battle of the Muslim community against the Jews in Madinah, it wonders at those who claim that they are God’s chosen people. They further claim to be pure, yet they continue to distort God’s words and take an impudent attitude towards God and His Messenger, and believe in false deities. They, thus, assert false claims against God as they allege that they are close to Him regardless of the magnitude of their bad deeds. “Are you aware of those who consider themselves pure? It is indeed God who causes whom He wills to grow in purity. None shall be wronged by as much as a hair’s breadth. Behold how they fabricate lies against God. This is enough as an obvious sin [for anyone].” (Verses 49-50)
 
That the Jews are God’s chosen people is an age-old claim asserted by them. God has indeed chosen them to be the bearers of His message to the rest of mankind, giving them at the time a distinguished position above all other nations. He destroyed Pharaoh and his people for their sake and allowed them to take over the sacred land. They, however, deviated from the path God has chosen for them and spread much corruption in the land, perpetrating every evil. Their rabbis made lawful for them what God had forbidden and forbade them what God had made lawful. The people followed them making no objection to their effective claim to Godhead, which they were stating by virtue of their making such legislation. The rabbis changed God’s law in order to appease the people in power and to satisfy the desires of the masses. When they followed their rabbis, the people effectively considered them as lords, alongside God.
 
They also devoured usury, and weakened their relationship with God’s faith and the Scriptures He revealed to them. Despite all this and much more, they continued to claim that they were God’s children and beloved ones. They also claimed that they would not be touched by the fire of Hell except for a few days. They further claimed that none follows proper guidance and none may be well received by God except the Jews. They, thus, depicted the whole question as one of affinity to God and favouritism by Him. Far be it from God to do that! There is no blood relation or affinity between God and any of His creation. The only relationship He may have with them is that established by adopting the true faith, doing what is good and maintaining the system He approves of. Anyone who deviates from this incurs God’s displeasure. God is particularly displeased with people to whom He gives true guidance and who deliberately turn away from it.
 
The case of the Jews is the same as those who nowadays claim to be Muslims, of those who think that they belong to the nation of the followers of Muĥammad (peace be upon him) and believe that God will undoubtedly give them victory to liberate their land from the Jews. This, while they totally abandon the code of living God has given to them in the shape of religion. They banish it totally from their lives, giving God’s revelation no say in their legal, economic, and social systems, and denying it the right to set for them their moral values and traditions. They have nothing of Islam but their Muslim names and the fact that they have been born in a land which was once inhabited by Muslims who implemented Divine guidance and who followed the Islamic way of life. God invites His Messenger to wonder at those Jews who continuously claimed to be pure. The situation of contemporary Muslims is an even worse spectacle to wonder at.
 
It is not up to human beings to consider themselves pure and to testify to their own goodness and closeness to God. It is God who causes anyone He wills to grow in purity. He knows all hearts and intentions. He will never wrong anyone in any way, provided that they leave it up to Him to purify whom He wills while they themselves move to do what is required of them, not merely to supplicate. If they do such works quietly, maintaining humility and without any boastfulness, they will never be wronged by God. He does not forget anything they do. “Are you aware of those who consider themselves pure? It is indeed God who causes whom He wills to grow in purity. None shall be wronged by as much as a hair’s breadth.” (Verse 49)
 
God testifies that when the Jews claim purity for themselves and assert that God is pleased with them, they are actually fabricating lies against Him. He denounces what they do in no ambiguous terms: “Behold how they fabricate lies against God. This is enough as an obvious sin [for anyone].” (Verse 50)
 
When we claim to be Muslims simply because we have Muslim names and live in a land which was inhabited by Muslims, while at the same time we do not implement Islam in any aspect of our lives, we actually give a testimony against Islam. When we claim that God has chosen us because we are the nation of Muĥammad (peace be upon him) while at the same time we abandon Muĥammad’s faith and the system he has given us to implement in our lives, we are actually in the same position which God warns us against.
 
The faith given to us by God provides us with a complete way of life. To obey God is to implement this way of life. To draw closer to God can only be achieved through obeying Him. Let us now reflect on our position towards God and His faith. Let us then consider any similarity or dissimilarity between our situation and that of those Jews whom God denounces as fabricating lies against Him when they claim purity for themselves. The same rule applies to both communities, and the situations are particularly similar. No one may claim to have any blood or marriage relationship with God, and no one may claim to be given special favours by Him.