The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 80
CH. 3 ĀL-E-‘IMRĀN PT. 3 ط يَخْتَصُّ بِرَحْمَتِهِ مَنْ يَّشَاءُ وَاللهُ He chooses for His mercy. 75 ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ whomsoever He pleases. And Allah is Lord of exceeding bounty. '363 وَمِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتُبِ مَنْ اِنْ تَأْمَنْهُ Among the People of the. 76 Book there is he who, if thou بِقِنْطَارٍ يُؤَدِّمَ إِلَيْكَ وَمِنْهُمْ مَّنْ إِنْ trust him with a treasure, will تَأْمَنْهُ بِدِينَارٍ لا يُؤَدِّهِ إِلَيْكَ إِلَّا مَا دُمْتَ return it to thee; and among them there is he who, if thou trust him with a dīnār, will not return it to thee, unless thou keep standing over him. That is because they say, 'We are not liable to blame in the matter of the unlearned;' and they utter a lie against Allah knowingly. 364 "2:106. dispute with you before your Lord", signifying that, as true guidance is the guidance contained in the Quran, so either the Jews should accept it or they and Muslims should place their case before God for decision, i. e. they should have a dlo (Mubahalah), i. e. a prayer contest with them and pray to God to help the righteous and destroy the wicked as already explained in 3:62. 363. Commentary: The word "bounty" here refers to the gift of revelation. The People of the Book are told that if God is pleased to grant prophethood to a people other than themselves, they can have no cause to grumble nor any ground for complaint. The word 520 عَلَيْهِ قَابِمَا ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا لَيْسَ عَلَيْنَا فِي الْأُمِّيْنَ سَبِيلٌ وَ يَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللهِ الْكَذِبَ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ ) "exceeding" (lit. great) hints that since God is "Lord of exceeding bounty," it is in the fitness of things that His gifts and favours should descend on all peoples, at one time on this people and at another on that. The word also hints that God being "Lord of exceeding bounty", the time has now come for one universal dispensation for all mankind. 364. Commentary: The words, We are not liable to blame in the matter of the unlearned, refer to a notion prevalent among Jews in the time of the Holy Prophet that it was no sin to rob the gentile Arabs of their possessions, because the latter followed a false religion. The Jews believed that they were at