The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 322
CH. 5 AL-MA'IDAH enmity and hatred among them till the Day of Resurrection. And Allah will soon let them know what they have been doing. 652 PT. 6 يَصْنَعُونَ يَاهْلَ الْكِتُبِ قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولُنَا يُبَيِّنُ O People of the Book! there. 16 has come to you Our Messenger لَكُمْ كَثِيرًا مِمَّا كُنْتُمْ تُخْفُونَ مِنَ الْكِتُبِ who unfolds to you much of وَيَعْفُوا عَنْ كَثِيرٍ قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ مِّنَ اللَّهِ what you had kept hidden of the نُورٌ وكِتُبُ مُّبِينٌ Book and passes over much. There has come to you indeed from Allah a Light and a clear Book. 653 652. Commentary: a5:20. After referring to the Jews in the preceding verses, the Quran here refers to the Christians, who had also fallen low owing to their ceasing to act on the commandments of God. The words, We have caused enmity and hatred among them, either refer to the Christians and the Jews spoken of in the preceding verse or they refer to the Christians alone as understood by the present verse. In any case they embody a great prophecy to the truth of which the whole world is a witness. Unappeasable animosity, hatred and rivalry exist not only between Christians and Jews but also between the different sections of Christians themselves. This enmity and discord are a natural result of their rejection of Islam. The Holy Prophet, who had universal mission, brought the Message of the oneness of all mankind. All nations of a 762 the world were invited to assemble under his banner and thus become welded into one nation and one people. But the People of the Book refused to accept him. So not only will Jews and Christians as well as to the sections thereof continue remain at loggerheads with each other, but the phantom of world- peace will also continue to elude humanity till men come to render allegiance to that Great and Noble Prophet whom God sent as "a mercy for all mankind". The Arabic word (have been doing) is generally used concerning works of art. The allusion is thus primarily to the works of art in which Christian nations were to excel and take pride. 653. Important Words: عفا passes over) is derived from) يعفو which gives a number of meanings