(59–63) “Say, ‘O People of the Scripture, do you resent us for anything other than that we believe in Allah, in what has been sent down to us, and in what was sent down before, and that most of you are transgressors?’ Say, ‘Shall I inform you of those whose recompense from Allah is worse than that? Those whom Allah has cursed, with whom He is angry, some of whom He made apes and swine, and who worshiped the tāghūt (false object of worship). Such people are worse in position and farther astray from the right way.’ When they come to you, they say, ‘We believe,’ though they entered bearing disbelief and departed bearing it. Allah knows best what they were concealing. You see many of them hastening into sin and aggression and consuming illicit gain. Evil indeed is what they used to do. Why do the devout scholars and rabbis not forbid them from sinful speech and consuming illicit gain? Evil indeed is what they used to practice.”
That is: “Say,” O Messenger, “O People of the Scripture,” presenting them with a conclusive argument: Islam is the true religion, and their disparagement of it is disparagement of something that deserves praise. “Do you resent us for anything other than that we believe in Allah, in what has been sent down to us, and in what was sent down before, and that most of you are transgressors?” That is: Do you find any fault in us other than our belief in Allah, in His earlier and later Scriptures, in all His prophets, the earlier and the later, and our certainty that anyone who does not possess such faith is an unbeliever and a transgressor?
Do you resent us for this, when it is the most binding of all duties upon every legally responsible person?
Moreover, most of you are transgressors—that is, you have departed from obedience to Allah and boldly commit acts of disobedience against Him. It would therefore be more fitting for you transgressors to remain silent. Even if you had disparaged us while yourselves free of transgression—and far be that from reality—the evil would have been less serious than your disparaging us while you yourselves are transgressors.
Because their disparagement of the believers implied that they regarded them as being upon evil, Allah said: “Say” to them, informing them of the abhorrent condition in which they were: “Shall I inform you of those whose recompense is worse than that” for which you resented us—even conceding your premise for the sake of argument? “Those whom Allah has cursed,” meaning that He has banished them from His mercy; “with whom He is angry,” punishing them in this world and the Hereafter; “some of whom He made apes and swine, and who worshiped the tāghūt.” The tāghūt here is Satan, and anything worshiped besides Allah is a tāghūt. “Such people,” who possess these vile qualities, “are worse in position” than the believers, to whom Allah’s mercy is near, with whom He is pleased, and whom He rewards in this world and the Hereafter because they devote religion sincerely to Him.
This is an instance in which the comparative form is used outside its usual function. The same applies to His words, “and farther astray from the right way,” meaning farther removed from the straight course.
“When they come to you, they say, ‘We believe,’” out of hypocrisy and deceit, though “they entered” bearing disbelief “and departed bearing it.” Thus, both their entrance and departure were in disbelief, even as they claimed to be believers. Is anyone more evil or in a more abhorrent condition than they?
“Allah knows best what they were concealing,” and He will requite them for all their deeds, both good and evil.
Allah then continued enumerating their faults, in vindication of His believing servants against their disparagement, saying: “You see many of them”—that is, many of the Jews—“hastening into sin and aggression.” That is, they eagerly and swiftly commit sins concerning the rights of the Creator and acts of aggression against created beings.
“And consuming illicit gain”—that which is forbidden. Allah did not merely state that they did these things; He stated that they hastened into them. This demonstrates their vileness and wickedness and shows that their souls are predisposed to love sin and injustice, even while they claim lofty ranks for themselves. “Evil indeed is what they used to do.” This constitutes the utmost condemnation and disparagement of them.