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Ayah
Word by Word
وَلَتَجِدَنَّهُمۡ
And surely you will find them
أَحۡرَصَ
(the) most greedy
ٱلنَّاسِ
(of) [the] mankind
عَلَىٰ
for
حَيَوٰةٖ
life
وَمِنَ
and (greedier) than
ٱلَّذِينَ
those who
أَشۡرَكُواْۚ
associate[d] partners (with Allah)
يَوَدُّ
Loves
أَحَدُهُمۡ
(each) one of them
لَوۡ
if
يُعَمَّرُ
he could be granted a life
أَلۡفَ
(of) a thousand
سَنَةٖ
year(s)
وَمَا
But not
هُوَ
it
بِمُزَحۡزِحِهِۦ
(will) remove him
مِنَ
from
ٱلۡعَذَابِ
the punishment
أَن
that
يُعَمَّرَۗ
he should be granted life
وَٱللَّهُ
And Allah
بَصِيرُۢ
(is) All-Seer
بِمَا
of what
يَعۡمَلُونَ
they do
وَلَتَجِدَنَّهُمۡ
And surely you will find them
أَحۡرَصَ
(the) most greedy
ٱلنَّاسِ
(of) [the] mankind
عَلَىٰ
for
حَيَوٰةٖ
life
وَمِنَ
and (greedier) than
ٱلَّذِينَ
those who
أَشۡرَكُواْۚ
associate[d] partners (with Allah)
يَوَدُّ
Loves
أَحَدُهُمۡ
(each) one of them
لَوۡ
if
يُعَمَّرُ
he could be granted a life
أَلۡفَ
(of) a thousand
سَنَةٖ
year(s)
وَمَا
But not
هُوَ
it
بِمُزَحۡزِحِهِۦ
(will) remove him
مِنَ
from
ٱلۡعَذَابِ
the punishment
أَن
that
يُعَمَّرَۗ
he should be granted life
وَٱللَّهُ
And Allah
بَصِيرُۢ
(is) All-Seer
بِمَا
of what
يَعۡمَلُونَ
they do
Translation
And you will surely find them the most greedy of people for life - [even] more than those who associate others with Allāh. One of them wishes that he could be granted life a thousand years, but it would not remove him in the least from the [coming] punishment that he should be granted life. And Allāh is Seeing of what they do.
Tafsir
And you shall find them (the laam of la-tajidannahum is for oaths) the people most covetous of life, and, more covetous of it than, the idolaters, who reject the [idea of the] Resurrection, for the former know that their journey's end will be the Hellfire, while the idolaters do not believe even in this; any one of them would love, wishes, that he might be given life for a thousand years (law yu'ammar, '[if only] he might be given life': the particle law, 'if only', relates to the verbal noun and functions with the sense of an, 'that', and together with its relative clause explains the [implicit] verbal noun in the object of the verb yawaddu, 'he would love'); yet, any one of them, his being given life (an yu'ammara, 'that he should be given life', constitutes the subject of the verb muzahzihihi, 'that it should budge him' [this verb comes later], as though it were ta'meeruhu, 'the giving of life to him') shall not budge, remove, him from the chastisement, of the Hellfire. God sees what they do (ya'maloona may be alternatively read ta'maloona, 'you do'), and will requite them. ['Abd Allaah] Ibn Sooryaa asked the Prophet may peace and salutation be upon him, or 'Umar [ibn al-Khattaab], about which angel brings down the revelation, and he replied that it was Gabriel; he [Ibn Sooryaa] then said, 'He is our enemy, because he brings chastisement with him; had it been Michael, we would have believed in him, because he brings fertility and security.' Then, the following was revealed:
"Calling the Jews to invoke Allah to destroy the Unjust Party
Muhammad bin Ishaq narrated that Ibn Abbas said,
""Allah said to His Prophet,
قُلْ إِن كَانَتْ لَكُمُ الدَّارُ الَاخِرَةُ عِندَ اللّهِ خَالِصَةً مِّن دُونِ النَّاسِ فَتَمَنَّوُاْ الْمَوْتَ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ
Say to (them):""If the home of the Hereafter with Allah is indeed for you especially and not for others, of mankind, then long for death if you are truthful.""
meaning, `Invoke Allah to bring death to the lying camp among the two (Muslims and Jews).'
The Jews declined this offer by the Messenger of Allah.""
وَلَن يَتَمَنَّوْهُ أَبَدًا بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَاللّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالظَّالِمينَ
But they will never long for it because of what their hands have sent before them (i.e. what they have done). And Allah is Aware of the Zalimin (polytheists and wrongdoers).
meaning, ""Since they know that they recognize you, and yet disbelieve in you.""
Had they wished death that day, no Jew would have remained alive on the face of the earth.
Moreover, Ad-Dahhak said that Ibn Abbas said that,
فَتَمَنَّوُاْ الْمَوْتَ
(Then long for death), means,
""Invoke (Allah) for death.""
Also, Abdur-Razzaq narrated that Ikrimah said that Ibn Abbas commented,
فَتَمَنَّوُاْ الْمَوْتَ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ
(Then long for death if you are truthful),
""Had the Jews invoked Allah for death, they would have perished.""
Also, Ibn Abi Hatim recorded Sa`id bin Jubayr saying that Ibn Abbas said,
""Had the Jews asked for death, one of them would have choked on his own saliva.""
These statements have authentic chains of narration up to Ibn Abbas.
Further, Ibn Jarir said in his Tafsir,
""We were told that the Prophet said,
لَوْ أَنَّ الْيَهُودَ تَمَنَّوُا الْمَوْتَ لَمَاتُوا وَلَرَأَوْا مَقَاعِدَهُمْ مِنَ النَّارِ وَلَوْ خَرَجَ الَّذِينَ يُبَاهِلُونَ رَسُولَ اللهِصلى الله عليه وسلّم لَرَجَعُوا لَا يَجِدُونَ أَهْلً وَلَا مَالاً
Had the Jews wished for death, they would have died and seen their seats in the Fire. And, those who invoked such curse against Allah's Messenger would have found no families or property had they returned to their homes.""
Similar to this Ayah is Allah's statement in Surah Al-Jumuah,
قُلْ يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ هَادُواْ إِن زَعمْتُمْ أَنَّكُمْ أَوْلِيَأءُ لِلَّهِ مِن دُونِ النَّاسِ فَتَمَنَّوُاْ الْمَوْتَ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـدِقِينَ
وَلَا يَتَمَنَّونَهُ أَبَداً بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْديهِمْ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالظَّـلِمِينَ
قُلْ إِنَّ الْمَوْتَ الَّذِى تَفِرُّونَ مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مُلَـقِيكُمْ ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَى عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَـدَةِ فَيُنَبِّيُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
(Say (O Muhammad ):""O you Jews! If you pretend that you are friends of Allah, to the exclusion of (all) other mankind, then long for death if you are truthful. ""But they will never long for it (death), because of what (deeds) their hands have sent before them! And Allah knows well the Zalimin.
Say (to them):""Verily, the death from which you flee will surely meet you, then you will be sent back to (Allah) the Knower of the unseen and the seen, and He will tell you what you used to do."" (62:6-8)
So they claimed that they are Allah's sons and loved ones and said, ""Only those who are Christian or Jews shall enter Paradise.""
Therefore, they were called to invoke Allah to destroy the lying group, be it them or the Muslims. When the Jews declined, every one was sure of their wrong, for had they been sure of their claims, then they would have accepted the proposal. Their lies were thus exposed after they declined the offer to invoke the curse.
Similarly, the Messenger of Allah called a delegation of Najran's Christians to curse after he refuted them in a debate in which they demonstrated stubbornness and defiance.
Allah said,
فَمَنْ حَأجَّكَ فِيهِ مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَأءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ فَقُلْ تَعَالَوْاْ نَدْعُ أَبْنَأءَنَا وَأَبْنَأءَكُمْ وَنِسَأءَنَا وَنِسَأءَكُمْ وَأَنفُسَنَا وأَنفُسَكُمْ ثُمَّ نَبْتَهِلْ فَنَجْعَل لَّعْنَتُ اللَّهِ عَلَى الْكَـذِبِينَ
Then whoever disputes with you concerning him (`Isa) after (all this) knowledge that has come to you (i.e. `Isa) being a servant of Allah, and having no share in divinity), say (O Muhammad):""Come, let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves ـ then we pray and invoke (sincerely) the curse of Allah upon those who lie."" (3:61)
When the Christians heard this challenge, some of them said to each other, ""By Allah! If you do such with this Prophet, none of you will have an eye that blinks.""
This is when they resorted to peace and gave the Jizyah (tax) in disgrace. The Prophet accepted the Jizyah from them and sent Abu Ubaydah bin Al-Jarrah with them as a trustee.
Similar to this meaning is Allah's command to His Prophet to proclaim to the polytheists:
قُلْ مَن كَانَ فِى الضَّلَـلَةِ فَلْيَمْدُدْ لَهُ الرَّحْمَـنُ مَدّاً
Say (O Muhammad ) whoever is in error, the Most Gracious (Allah) will prolong him (in it). (19:75)
meaning, ""Whoever among us has deviated, may Allah increase and prolong his deviation.""
We will mention this subject later, Allah willing.
The Mubahalah (invocation to Allah to destroy the liars) was called a `wish' here, because every just person wishes that Allah destroy the unjust opponent who is debating with him, especially when the just person has a clear, apparent proof for the truth he is calling to.
Also, the Mubahalah involves invoking Allah for death of the unjust group, because to disbelievers, life is the biggest prize, especially when they know the evil destination they will meet after death.
Disbelievers wish They could live longer
This is why Allah said next,
وَلَن يَتَمَنَّوْهُ أَبَدًا بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَاللّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالظَّالِمينَ
وَلَتَجِدَنَّهُمْ أَحْرَصَ النَّاسِ عَلَى حَيَاةٍ
But they will never long for it because of what their hands have sent before them (i.e. what they have done). And Allah is Aware of the Zalimin. And verily, you will find them (the Jews) the greediest of mankind for life.
meaning, greedy to live longer, because they know their evil end, and the only reward they will have with Allah is total loss. This life is a prison for the believer and Paradise for the disbeliever. Therefore, the People of the Book wish they could delay the Hereafter, as much as possible. However, they shall certainly meet what they are trying to avoid, even if they are more eager to delay the Hereafter than the polytheists who do not have a divine book.
وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُواْ يَوَدُّ أَحَدُهُمْ لَوْ يُعَمَّرُ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ
and (even greedier) than those who ascribe partners to Allah. One of them wishes that he could be given a life of a thousand years.
وَمَا هُوَ بِمُزَحْزِحِهِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ أَن يُعَمَّرَ
But the grant of such life will not save him even a little from (due) punishment.
Muhammad bin Ishaq narrated that Ibn Abbas commented,
""Long life shall not save them from torment. Certainly, the polytheists do not believe in resurrection after death, and they would love to enjoy a long life. The Jews know the humiliation they will suffer in the Hereafter for knowingly ignoring the truth.""
Also, Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said,
""The Jews are most eager for this life. They wish they could live for a thousand years. However, living for a thousand years will not save them from torment, just as Iblis - Satan - long life did not benefit him, due to being a disbeliever.""
وَاللّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ
And Allah is Seer of what they do.
meaning, ""Allah knows what His servants are doing, whether good or evil, and will compensate each of them accordingly."
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