that no one is given the like of what you, the community of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, have been given, “or that they should argue with you before your Lord.” That is: except that the Jews should dispute with you falsely, saying, “We are better than you.” Thus, His saying, “before your Lord,” means: concerning your Lord’s having favored you with this. This is the meaning given by Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, al-Hasan, al-Kalbi, and Muqatil.

Al-Farra’ said: aw may also mean “until,” as one says, “Hold on to him until he gives you your due”—that is, until he gives you your due. The meaning of the verse is: No one has been given the like of what you, the community of Muhammad, have been given in religion and proof, until they argue with you before your Lord.

Ibn Kathir recited it, a-an yu’ta, with a lengthened interrogative hamzah. According to this reading, there is an ellipsis, its implied sense being: “Is anyone given the like of what you, company of Jews, have been given of the Scripture and wisdom, such that you envy him and do not believe in him?” This was the view of Qatadah and al-Rabi‘. They said that this is Allah Most High’s statement: Say to them, O Muhammad, “Indeed, true guidance is Allah’s guidance”—for He has sent down a Scripture like your Scripture and raised up a prophet whom you envied and disbelieved in.

“Say, ‘Indeed, bounty is in Allah’s hand; He grants it to whom He wills. And Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing.’” According to this reading, His saying, “or that they should argue with you,” returns to the address to the believers. Here, aw has the sense of “if,” since both are particles of condition and consequence, and either may stand in place of the other. That is: If they argue with you, O company of believers, before your Lord, then say, O Muhammad, “Indeed, true guidance is Allah’s guidance, and we follow it.”

It is also possible that the entire passage is addressed to the believers. In that case, the arrangement of the verse is: “That anyone should be given the like of what you, company of believers, have been given”—they envy you—so say, “Indeed, bounty is in Allah’s hand”; and if they dispute with you, say, “Indeed, true guidance is Allah’s guidance.”

It is also possible that the report concerning the Jews ends with His saying, “so that perhaps they may turn back,” and that His saying, “And do not believe,” is Allah’s speech, by which He strengthens the believers’ hearts so that they will not doubt when the Jews confuse and falsify matters concerning their religion. He says: Do not credit, O company of believers, anyone except one who follows your religion; do not believe that anyone has been given the like of what you have been given of religion and bounty; and do not believe that they can dispute with you concerning your religion before your Lord, or are able to do so. For true guidance is Allah’s guidance, and “Indeed, bounty is in Allah’s hand; He grants it to whom He wills. And Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing.” Thus, the entire verse is Allah’s address to the believers amid the Jews’ attempts at deception, so that they may not fall into doubt.

“He singles out for His mercy whom He wills, and Allah is the Possessor of tremendous bounty. (74) And among the People of the Scripture are those who, if you entrust them with a great sum of wealth, will return it to you; and among them are those who, if you entrust them with a single dinar, will not return it to you unless you remain standing over them. That is because they say, ‘There is no blame upon us in dealing with the gentiles.’ They knowingly tell lies about Allah. (75)”

His saying, “He singles out for His mercy whom He wills,” means: with His prophethood. “And Allah is the Possessor of tremendous bounty.”

His saying, “And among the People of the Scripture are those who, if you entrust them with a great sum of wealth, will return it to you”: this verse was revealed concerning the Jews. Allah informed