“Say, ‘O People of the Scripture, do not exceed the limits in your religion beyond the truth, and do not follow the desires of a people who had gone astray before, led many astray, and themselves strayed from the right way.’ (77) Those among the Children of Israel who disbelieved were cursed by the tongue of David and Jesus, son of Mary. That was because they disobeyed and persisted in transgression. (78)”

“Say, ‘O People of the Scripture, do not exceed the limits in your religion beyond the truth’”—that is, do not overstep the bounds. Both excess and deficiency are blameworthy in religion. His saying, “beyond the truth,” means: in your religion that is contrary to the truth. For they departed from the truth in their religion, then exceeded all bounds therein by persisting in it.

“And do not follow the desires of a people”—desires is the plural of desire, namely that to which the soul’s appetite calls one—“who had gone astray before”: that is, the leaders of misguidance among the two groups, the Jews and the Christians. Those living in the time of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, were addressed and forbidden from following their predecessors in the innovations they had introduced according to their desires. 110a “And led many astray”: that is, those who followed them (1) in their desires. “And themselves strayed from the right way”: from the straight course of the path—that is, by leading others astray. Thus, the first straying refers to their own misguidance, while the second refers to their leading astray those who followed them.

His saying, Exalted is He: “Those among the Children of Israel who disbelieved were cursed by the tongue of David”—referring to the people of Aylah, when they transgressed