Al-Ma'idah 63: Should their clergy and scholars not have told them not to say sinful things and not to eat that which is forbidden? Wretched is their performance.

A. Metin Saruhan · 16 February 2022 · Misinterpreted Verses

The misinterpretation

If only the clergy and scholars had prevented them from saying sinful words and eating haram! How evil is their (deeds)!

The right translation

Should their clergy and scholars not have told them not to say sinful things and not to eat that which is forbidden? Wretched is their performance.

Explanation

This is where this verse goes wrong: Why should not the religious leaders and scholars have forbidden them from speaking sinful words and eating haram? The truth is: Why should the religious leaders and scholars have told them not to say sinful words and that eating haram is a sin?

The verse says, 'What if he had prevented those who sin from sinning? No one can change anyone's destiny. However, in our religion there is emir bil maruf. According to this verse, the first thing we should do is to forbid those who commit sin with our hands. If we cannot do it with our hands, then with our tongues. And if we cannot explain the sins of those who commit sins to them, then we should dislike what they do in our hearts. This is the truth of this verse: What if these religious leaders had reminded those who sinned of Allah's Verses and told them that what they were doing was sinful? Their saying, "If you had forbidden," is a misinterpretation of the verse.

This means that their scholars did not intervene in the sins of these sinful people, but stood by and watched what they were doing, and that is why our Lord says in the continuation of the verse, "How evil are their deeds" and includes the scholars in the group of sinners. Because our Lord says in His verse that the one who is a bystander to the one who commits evil is like the one who committed the evil.

In the 157th Verse of Surah A'râf, our Lord says

And those who follow the Messenger, the Messenger of Allah, the Messenger of Allah, whom they found written in the Torah and the Gospel with them, that he enjoins upon them good and forbids them evil, and makes lawful for them the clean things and unlawful for them the unclean things. He removes their weights and chains from them. And those who believe in the Messenger, and honor him, and help him, and follow the Light (the Qur'an) that is sent with him, it is they who will be saved.

In this verse, our Lord's address to the scholars is that if only the religious leaders and scholars had told them not to say sinful words and that it is a sin to eat haram! How evil are their deeds. This is the right opening.

What is said in the video

I suppose it is understood.

Now we move on to our lesson. We will start on page 117 with verse 63. Now we will read you the wrongly translated one. Verse 63: Had only the religious men and scholars kept them from speaking sinful words and from eating what is forbidden, it says. This is something translated wrongly. No one can change anyone's destiny and keep him from eating what is forbidden. Everyone lives his own destiny.

"Had they only kept them from eating", what they wished, not what they did, how evil it is. Now this part is translated wrongly. Look, what is the right one? Had only the religious men and scholars told them not to speak sinful words, look now, pay attention, not to speak sinful words, and that eating what is forbidden is a sin, it is written. Warning is one thing, preventing is another. In warning, within everyone's destiny, Allah Almighty, it is enjoining what is right. Since no one can change anyone's destiny, no one can prevent anything he will do. Because he will live within that destiny. He will do it, he will carry out the deed.

Now I suppose you realise here how wrongly it has been translated. What does it say here? Had only the religious men and scholars kept them from speaking sinful words and from eating what is forbidden, that is, they will use force. This is forbidden, do not eat it. Do not do this or that. This is not in our religion. What is our religion? 'To you your religion, and to me mine.' Your religion is yours, my religion is mine. Yes. Whereas had only the religious men and scholars told them not to speak sinful words; telling them not to speak sinful words is one thing, not making them sin is another, preventing them is another.

"Not to speak the words, and that eating what is forbidden is a sin, had they only told them; how evil are the deeds they do," it says. That is, how evil are the deeds they carry out with the decisions they made within their own will, says Allah Almighty. Yes. I suppose you can distinguish these parts so nicely. Because Allah Almighty would both make a covenant with people, and no one could change that covenant, that destiny, and here He would also hold the religious men responsible. "Had you only prevented them," He would say. Yes. But, sir, "had you only told them that it is a sin," He says.

What is understood here? The religious men too share the same mindset with them, and see what they do as permissible. Because here Allah Almighty, sir, blames the religious men too. How does He blame them? "Had they only told them that eating what is forbidden is a sin," He says. They do not tell them either. Even though they themselves do not follow it, because they do not tell, they are sinners. Look what it says. There are three kinds of scholars. Three kinds. One knows, does not do it, but tells it. This, it says, is fit for burning. He did not do it. He only tells. The second does it himself, but does not tell.

This one too is good for burning, it says. The third both does it himself and, just as he carries out the deed, tells people Allah's commands. This one, it says, is like the sun, it says. How beautiful.

You will both tell, and be bound by what you tell.