118 Page Notes

05 Surah Al-Maidah (continued)

Page 118 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

5:58

5:59

5:60

5:61

5:62

5:63

5:64

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 118 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 118 of the standard Uthmani Mushaf covers Surah Al-Ma'idah (Chapter 5), verses 58 through 64.

This text addresses the mockery directed at the call to prayer (Adhan), exposes past theological and moral corruption, details the consequences of spiritual negligence among religious scholars, and addresses the historical statement "The hand of Allah is chained."

The Hadith and Prophetic Sunnah supply crucial context, specific reasons for revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul), and matching foundational principles.

1. Surah Al-Ma'idah, Verse 58: Mocking the Call to Prayer (Adhan)

"And when you call to prayer, they take it in ridicule and amusement. That is because they are a people who do not understand." (5:58)

The Reason for Revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul)

The Sunnah preserves the specific incidents of mockery in Medina that prompted this verse.

• The Fire of the Deceiver: Classical commentators like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi transmit a narration indicating a specific Christian resident of Medina who, whenever he heard the Mu'adhin (the caller to prayer) proclaim, "I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah," would mockingly reply, "May the liar be burned!" One night, his servant accidentally left a fire burning in his house while the family slept. The house caught fire, and the man and his household perished in the flames—an event the early community noted alongside the revelation of verse 58.

• Satan's Reaction to the Adhan: To counter the psychological impact of mockery, the Prophet ﷺ revealed the unseen, majestic spiritual reality of the Adhan:
  "When the call to prayer is made, Satan turns his back and flees with a loud passing of wind so that he will not hear the Adhan. When the call is finished, he returns..."

  • Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (Book 10, Hadith 608); Sahih Muslim (Hadith 389).

2. Surah Al-Ma'idah, Verse 60: The Transgression and Transformation

"...Those whom Allah has cursed and with whom He became angry and made of them apes and pigs and slaves of Taghut..." (5:60)

The Hadith Explaining the Metamorphosis (Maskh)

Verse 60 mentions a past historical punishment where a group of transgressors (specifically the Sabbath-breakers mentioned in Surah Al-A'raf) were turned into apes and pigs. The Companions asked the Prophet ﷺ if modern primates and swine were descendants of those cursed populations:

Abdullah ibn Mas'ud narrated: "We asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ whether apes and pigs were the descendants of [the mutated remnants of] the Children of Israel. The Prophet ﷺ replied: 'Indeed, Allah never destroys a people or punishes a people and then gives them offspring or a lineage. The apes and pigs [on Earth today] existed before that happened.'"

• Source: Sahih Muslim (Book 46, Hadith 2663).

3. Surah Al-Ma'idah, Verses 62-63: The Accountability of Religious Leadership

"And you see many of them hastening into sin and aggression and their consuming of what is unlawful (suht)... Why do the rabbis and religious scholars not forbid them from their saying of sin and their consuming of what is unlawful?..." (5:62-63)

The Sunnah Warning to Muslim Scholars

These verses heavily reprimand previous religious leaders (Al-Rabbaniyyun wal-Ahbar) for remaining silent while their societies normalized financial corruption and sin. The Sunnah warns that this same passive negligence will destroy later communities if left unchecked:

The Prophet ﷺ said: "When the Children of Israel fell into sins, their religious scholars forbade them, but they did not stop. The scholars then sat with them in their gatherings, ate with them, and drank with them. When they did that, Allah struck their hearts against one another and cursed them..." The Prophet ﷺ then sat up straight and firmly told his companions: "By Allah, you must enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil, and catch the hand of the oppressor and force him onto the path of truth, or Allah will strike your hearts against each other and curse you as He cursed them."

• Source: Sunan Abi Dawud (Book 39, Hadith 4336). Classified as Sahih (authentic).

4. Surah Al-Ma'idah, Verse 64: The Open Hands of Allah

"And the Jews say, 'The hand of Allah is chained [i.e., tied up/stingy].' Chained are their hands, and cursed are they for what they say. Rather, both His hands are extended; He spends however He wills..." (5:64)

The Hadith on Divine Abundance

Verse 64 directly counters the claim that the Creator limits sustenance out of stinginess. The Prophet ﷺ expanded on the imagery of Allah's "open hands" (Mabsutatani) with an explicit, famous description of divine wealth:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Allah's Hand is full, and its fullness is not diminished by continuous spending day and night. Do you see what He has spent since He created the heavens and the earth? Yet, what is in His Hand has not decreased... His Throne is over the water, and in His other Hand is the control of destiny—He lowers [sustenance] and elevates it."

• Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (Book 60, Hadith 4684); Sahih Muslim (Hadith 993).

References

• Al-Bukhari, Muhammad ibn Ismail. Sahih al-Bukhari (Chapters: Kitab al-Adhan / The Call to Prayer; Kitab al-Tafsir / Prophetic Commentary).

• Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj. Sahih Muslim (Chapters: Kitab al-Zakah / Alms; Kitab al-Qadr / Divine Decree).

• Sijistani, Abu Dawud Sulayman ibn al-Ash'ath. Sunan Abi Dawud (Book of Trials and Malachia / Kitab al-Malahim).

• Ibn Kathir, Ismail ibn Umar. Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azeem (Volume 3, Exegesis of Surah Al-Ma'idah, Verses 58–64).