The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 291
CH. 4 فَبِظُلْمٍ مِّنَ الَّذِينَ هَادُوا حَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ the PT. 6 AN-NISA' 161. So, because of transgression of the Jews, "We had been allowed to them, and طَيِّبتٍ أُحِلَّتْ لَهُمْ وَبِصَدِّهِمْ عَنْ سَبِيلِ forbade them pure things which اللهِ كَثِيرًات also because of their hindering وَأَخْذِهِمُ الرَّبُوا وَقَدْ نُهُوا عَنْهُ وَأَكْلِهِمْ And because of their. 162 b اَمْوَالَ النَّاسِ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَاَعْتَدْنَا had been forbidden it, and لِلْكَفِرِينَ مِنْهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا many men from Allah's way, 624 b taking interest, although they because of their devouring people's wealth wrongfully. And ª6:147. b2:276, 277; 3:131; 30:40. 9:34. (referred to in the preceding verses) that Jesus met his death on the cross. So the verse signifies that both Jews and Christians will continue to believe in the supposed crucifixion of Jesus till the time of their death, when the veil will be lifted and everything will become clear. They are indeed bound to believe in the alleged death of Jesus on the cross. If the Jews do not do SO, his truth becomes established and their whole position becomes indefensible. Similarly, if the Christians do not believe in it, the doctrine of Atonement becomes untenable and the entire fabric of Christianity crashes to pieces. So both these peoples go on sticking to this absurd and unfounded belief in the face of all reason and all established facts of history. The attempts to make the words (will believe in it before his death) mean "will believe in him (Jesus) before his (Jesus') death" is simply ridiculous. The context spurns 731 the idea, as does the second reading of the expression (his death) viz. (their death) reported by Ubayy (Jarir, vi. 13). 624. Commentary: The expression, We forbade them pure things which had been allowed to them, refers to the blessings and favours of God of which the Jews had become deprived by reason of their transgressions. The verse does not refer to any material thing which was forbidden to them after being allowed before, because no Law-giving Prophet appeared among the Israelites after Moses to forbid them things that had been allowed to them by the Torah. It was also to the spiritual blessings which the Jews had lost that Jesus referred when he said, (I come) to allow you some of that which had been forbidden to you (3:51), i. e. I come to restore to you some of the divine blessings of which you have been deprived on account of your misdeeds.