⦗109, 110⦘ “On the Day Allah gathers the messengers and asks, ‘What response did you receive?’ they will say, ‘We have no knowledge. You alone are the All-Knower of the unseen.’ And when Allah says, ‘O Jesus son of Mary, remember My favor upon you and your mother: how I supported you with the Holy Spirit, so that you spoke to people in the cradle and in maturity; how I taught you Scripture and wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel; how, by My permission, you fashioned from clay the form of a bird, breathed into it, and it became a bird by My permission; how you healed the one born blind and the leper by My permission; how you brought the dead forth by My permission; and how I restrained the Children of Israel from harming you when you came to them with clear proofs, whereupon the disbelievers among them said, “This is nothing but manifest magic.”’”
The Most High informs us about the Day of Resurrection and the immense horrors it will contain. Allah will gather all the messengers and ask them, “What response did you receive?” That is: How did your nations respond to you?
“They will say, ‘We have no knowledge’”—knowledge belongs to You alone, our Lord, and You know better than we do. “You alone are the All-Knower of the unseen”; that is, You know all that is unseen and all that is present.
“And when Allah says, ‘O Jesus son of Mary, remember My favor upon you and your mother.’” That is, remember it with your heart and tongue, and fulfill its due by thanking your Lord, for He bestowed upon you favors that He bestowed upon no one else.
“How I supported you with the Holy Spirit”; that is, how He strengthened you with the Spirit and revelation, which purified and refined you and enabled you to uphold Allah’s command and call to His path. It has also been said that “the Holy Spirit” means Gabriel, peace be upon him, and that Allah aided Jesus through Gabriel’s constant companionship and his strengthening of him in difficult circumstances.
“So that you spoke to people in the cradle and in maturity.” Speaking here does not mean ordinary speech consisting merely of words. Rather, it means speech that benefits both the speaker and the listener—namely, calling people to Allah.
In this respect, Jesus, peace be upon him, was like his brethren among the messengers of firm resolve: in maturity, he addressed people by conveying the message, calling them to goodness, and forbidding evil. He was distinguished from them, however, by speaking to people in the cradle, when he said, “Indeed, I am a servant of Allah. He has given me Scripture and made me a prophet. He has made me blessed wherever I may be and has enjoined prayer and zakat upon me for as long as I live,” and the verses that follow.
“How I taught you Scripture and wisdom.” Scripture includes the earlier revealed books, particularly the Torah, for after Moses he was one of the prophets of the Children of Israel who knew it best. It also includes the Gospel that Allah revealed to him.
Wisdom is knowledge of the secrets, benefits, and underlying purposes of the Sacred Law; excellence in calling and teaching; and attending to what ought to be done in the manner it ought to be done.
“How, by My permission, you fashioned from clay the form of a bird”; that is, a bird-shaped figure without a soul. You then breathed into it, and it became a bird by Allah’s permission. “How you healed the one born blind”—one who had neither sight nor eyes—“and the leper by My permission; and how you brought the dead forth by My permission.” These were clear signs and dazzling miracles beyond the ability of physicians and all others. Through them Allah supported Jesus and strengthened his call.
“And how I restrained the Children of Israel from harming you when you came to them with clear proofs, whereupon the disbelievers among them said”—when the truth came to them, supported by clear proofs that required them to believe in it—“This is nothing but manifest magic.” They resolved to kill Jesus and strove to do so, but Allah restrained their hands from him, protected him from them, and kept him safe.
These are favors that Allah bestowed upon His servant and messenger Jesus son of Mary. He called upon him to show gratitude for them and fulfill their due, and Jesus, peace be upon him, did so in the fullest manner and remained steadfast just as his brethren among the messengers of firm resolve had remained steadfast.
⦗111–120⦘ “And when I inspired the disciples, saying, ‘Believe in Me and My Messenger,’ they said, ‘We believe.’”
To the end of the verses (1). That is: Remember My favor upon you when I facilitated followers and helpers for you. “I inspired the disciples”; that is, I inspired them and moved their hearts to believe in Me and My Messenger. Alternatively, it means that I conveyed revelation to them through you: you commanded them by the revelation that came to you from Allah. They responded, submitted, and said, “We believe in Allah, and bear witness that we are Muslims.” Thus, they combined outward Islam, submission through righteous deeds, and inward faith, which delivers a person from hypocrisy and weakness of faith.
The disciples are the helpers, as Allah Most High said, recounting what Jesus son of Mary (2) said to the disciples: “Who will be my helpers in Allah’s cause?” The disciples said, “We are Allah’s helpers.”
“When the disciples said, ‘O Jesus son of Mary, can your Lord send down to us from heaven a table spread with food?’” This means a table bearing food. Their question did not arise from any doubt regarding Allah’s power or His ability to do so; rather, it was a polite request.
Since demanding signs of one’s own choosing is contrary to submission to the truth, and since the disciples’ words might have suggested such a demand, Jesus, peace be upon him, admonished them, saying, ⦗249⦘ “Fear Allah, if you are believers.” The faith possessed by a believer leads him to adhere to piety, submit to Allah’s command, and refrain from asking for signs of his own choosing when he does not know what may follow them.
The disciples explained that this was not what they intended. Rather, they had sound objectives and needed the table. “They said, ‘We wish to eat from it,’” which indicates that they needed it, “and so that our hearts may be reassured” in faith when we see the signs with our own eyes. Faith would thus become (3) certainty through direct sight, whereas previously it had been certainty based on knowledge. Similarly, Abraham, Allah’s close friend, peace be upon him, asked his Lord to show him how He gives life to the dead. “He said, ‘Do you not believe?’ He replied, ‘Yes indeed, but so that my heart may be reassured.’” A servant always needs an increase in knowledge, certainty, and faith.
For this reason, they said, “And so that we may know that you have indeed told us the truth”; that is, so that we may know that what you have brought is true and genuine. “And so that we may be among its witnesses.” This would benefit those who come after us: we would bear witness to it for you, thereby establishing the proof and providing further evidence.