“How can they seek your judgment when they have the Torah, containing Allah’s judgment? Yet even after that, they turn away. Such people are not believers. Indeed, We sent down the Torah, containing guidance and light, by which the prophets who submitted themselves to Allah judged the Jews, as did the devoted scholars and rabbis, by what they were entrusted to preserve of Allah’s Book; and they were witnesses to it. So do not fear people; fear Me. And do not trade My revelations for a small price. Whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed—it is they who are the disbelievers.”

Allah the Exalted’s saying, “How can they seek your judgment when they have the Torah?” is an expression of wonder addressed to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. It is elliptical in wording: How can they make you judge between them and be satisfied with your judgment when they possess the Torah, “containing Allah’s judgment,” namely, stoning? “Yet even after that, they turn away. Such people are not believers,” that is, they do not affirm the truth of your message.

Allah the Glorified’s saying, “Indeed, We sent down the Torah, containing guidance and light, by which the prophets who submitted themselves to Allah judged”: that is, they submitted and yielded to Allah the Exalted’s command (1), as He relates concerning Abraham, peace be upon him: “When his Lord said to him, ‘Submit,’ he replied, ‘I have submitted myself to the Lord of all worlds.’” (Surah al-Baqarah, 131) And as He says: “To Him submits whatever is in the heavens and the earth.” (Surah Al ‘Imran, 83)

What is meant are the prophets sent after Moses, peace be upon him, to judge according to what was in the Torah. They submitted to the ruling of the Torah and judged by it. Some prophets, however, were not commanded to rule by the Torah, among them Jesus, peace be upon him. Allah the Exalted says: “For each of you We have ordained a law and a clear way.” (Surah al-Ma’idah, 48)

Al-Hasan and al-Suddi said that what is meant is Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who judged the Jews by stoning. He was mentioned in the plural form, just as Allah says: “Indeed, Abraham was a community, devoutly obedient.” (Surah al-Nahl, 120)

Allah the Exalted’s saying, “for the Jews,” involves an inversion in word order. Its meaning is: the Torah contains guidance and light for the Jews. Then He says: “By which the prophets who submitted themselves to Allah, and the devoted scholars, judged.” Another view is that the phrase remains in its original position, meaning: the prophets who submitted themselves to Allah judged the Jews by it. This is like His saying: “And if you do evil, it is against it,” meaning, against yourselves; and His saying: “They will have the curse,” meaning, upon them. It has also been said that there is an omission, as though He had said: for the Jews and over the Jews, with one of the two expressions omitted for brevity.