“[They were condemned] for breaking their covenant, rejecting Allah’s signs, killing the prophets unjustly, and saying, ‘Our hearts are wrapped.’ Rather, Allah has sealed their hearts because of their disbelief, so only a few of them believe. * And for their disbelief and their monstrous slander against Mary. * And for saying, ‘We killed the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, the messenger of Allah.’ Yet they neither killed nor crucified him; rather, it was made to appear so to them. Those who differ concerning him are certainly in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it and follow nothing but conjecture. They certainly did not kill him. * Rather, Allah raised him up to Himself. Allah is Almighty, All-Wise. * There is not one of the People of the Book but will surely believe in him before his death, and on the Day of Resurrection he will be a witness against them. * Because of wrongdoing on the part of the Jews, We forbade them wholesome things that had previously been lawful to them, and because they repeatedly barred others from Allah’s path. * And because they took usury, though they had been forbidden to do so, and consumed people’s wealth unlawfully. We have prepared a painful punishment for the disbelievers among them.”

They disbelieved in Allah’s signs and killed His messengers unjustly. Among their claims was that they had killed and crucified the Messiah, Jesus, when in fact they had neither killed nor crucified him. Rather, another man was made to resemble him, and it was that other man whom they killed and crucified.

They also claimed that their hearts were enclosed, unable to comprehend or understand what was said to them. They barred people from Allah’s path, turning them away from the truth and calling them to the error and waywardness they themselves followed. They also took illicit gains and usury despite Allah’s prohibition and stern warning concerning them.

It is hardly surprising that people who committed such deeds should ask the Messenger Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to bring down a book from heaven for them. This is one of the finest ways to argue against an advocate of falsehood: when he advances a baseless objection and makes it a specious argument, for himself and others, by which to reject the truth, one should expose enough of his vile character and abhorrent conduct—among the ugliest things he has done—for everyone to know that this objection issues from the same ignoble source and is of a piece with his earlier conduct.

Likewise, every objection they raise against the prophethood of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) can be answered by showing that an equivalent—or an even stronger—objection applies to the prophethood of those in whom they claim to believe. This is enough to ward off their evil and crush their falsehood. Every line of reasoning they use to establish the prophethood of one in whom they believe ⦗214⦘, along with its equivalent and even stronger evidence, demonstrates and establishes the prophethood of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

Since Allah’s purpose in enumerating these shameful deeds was to make this comparison, He did not discuss them at length here. Rather, He alluded to them and referred to the passages where they are addressed, having explained them fully elsewhere in the places appropriate for doing so.

Regarding His words, “There is not one of the People of the Book but will surely believe in him before his death,” it is possible that the pronoun in “before his death” refers to the individual from among the People of the Book. On this interpretation, when death comes to every such person and he sees the reality with his own eyes, he believes in Jesus (peace be upon him). Yet this is a compelled faith that brings no benefit. The verse therefore contains a threat and warning to them not to persist in this condition, which they will regret before they die. What, then, will their condition be on the day they are assembled and raised?

It is also possible that the pronoun in “before his death” refers to Jesus (peace be upon him). The meaning would then be that every one of the People of the Book will surely believe in the Messiah (peace be upon him) before the Messiah’s death. This will take place as the Hour approaches and its major signs appear.

Numerous authentic hadiths report that he (peace be upon him) will descend near the end of this community’s time. He will kill the Antichrist, abolish the jizya, and the People of the Book will believe in him together with the believers. On the Day of Resurrection, Jesus will be a witness against them, testifying concerning their deeds and whether or not they conformed to Allah’s law.

His testimony will then establish the falsity of everything they follow that conflicts with the law of the Quran and with what Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) called them to. We know this because we know the perfect integrity and truthfulness of the Messiah (peace be upon him), and that he testifies only to the truth: what Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) brought is the truth, while everything contrary to it is error and falsehood.

Allah Most High then states that He forbade the People of the Book many wholesome things that had previously been lawful to them. This was a punitive prohibition imposed because of their wrongdoing and transgression, their barring people from Allah’s path, their preventing them from receiving guidance, and their taking usury despite having been forbidden to do so. They denied equitable treatment to needy people with whom they transacted, so Allah punished them in a manner corresponding to their own conduct: He denied them many wholesome things that would otherwise have been lawful to them precisely because they were wholesome. By contrast, the prohibitions imposed upon this community are intended to keep them free from impure things that would harm them in their religion and their worldly lives.