121 Page Notes

05 Surah Al-Maidah (continued)

Page 121 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

5:77

5:78

5:79

5:80

5:81

5:82

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 121 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 121 of the standard Uthmani Mushaf covers Surah Al-Ma'idah (Chapter 5), verses 77 through 82.

This page serves as a major moral and sociopolitical discourse. It addresses religious extremism, details the spiritual curse that befell past communities for neglecting societal ethics, introduces the obligation of forbidding wrongdoing, and concludes with a famous comparison regarding how various contemporary religious communities reacted to the message of Islam.

The Hadith and Prophetic Sunnah provide essential context, specific reasons for revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul), and legal maxims directly tied to these verses.

1. Surah Al-Ma'idah, Verse 77: Warning Against Extremism (Ghulw)

"Say, 'O People of the Scripture, do not exceed limits in your religion beyond the truth and do not follow the inclinations of a people who had gone astray before...'" (5:77)

The Sunnah Strictly Banning Religious Excess

The term Ghulw denotes crossing the healthy, divinely ordained boundaries of a practice to the point of fanatical extremism. The Prophetic Sunnah mirrors verse 77 by heavily warning Muslims against falling into the exact same trap of over-rigidity:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ warned his companions during the Farewell Pilgrimage: "Beware of extremism in religion (Al-Ghulw fid-Deen), for indeed, those who came before you were only destroyed because of extremism in religion."

• Source: Sunan An-Nasa'i (Hadith 3057); Sunan Ibn Majah (Hadith 3029). Classified as Sahih (authentic).

2. Surah Al-Ma'idah, Verses 78-79: The Curse of Silence and Accountability

"Cursed were those who disbelieved among the Children of Israel by the tongue of David and of Jesus, the son of Mary. That was because they disobeyed and [habitually] transgressed. They used not to prevent one another from wrongdoing that they did. Wretched was that which they were doing." (5:78-79)

These two verses contain a severe warning regarding the passive acceptance of sin within a society. The Sunnah features direct commentaries by the Prophet ﷺ detailing how this spiritual curse took root.

The Hadith on the Progression of Societal Corruption

The Prophet ﷺ sat up to emphasize the gravity of verse 79, warning that social cohesion must never come at the cost of compromising moral principles:

Abdullah ibn Mas'ud narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "The first defect that crept into the Children of Israel was that a man would meet another and say, 'Fear Allah and give up what you are doing, for it is not lawful for you.' Then he would meet him the next day, and finding him unchanged, it would not prevent him from eating, drinking, and sitting alongside him. When they did that, Allah struck their hearts against one another."

The Prophet ﷺ then recited verses 78 and 79 and strictly concluded: "Nay, by Allah! You must enjoin good, forbid evil, take the hand of the wrongdoer, bend him firmly toward justice, and confine him to the truth—or Allah will strike your hearts against each other and curse you just as He cursed them."

• Source: Sunan Abi Dawud (Book 39, Hadith 4336); Sunan al-Tirmidhi (Hadith 3047).

The Golden Rule of Rectifying Wrongdoing

To prevent the Ummah from meeting the fate detailed on page 121, the Sunnah established a practical framework for everyday civic duty:

"Whosoever among you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; if he cannot, then with his tongue; and if he cannot, then with his heart—and that is the weakest of faith."

• Source: Sahih Muslim (Book 1, Hadith 49).

3. Surah Al-Ma'idah, Verses 82: Contrast of Passions and Najashi's Tears

"You will surely find the most intense of the people in animosity toward the believers to be the Jews and those who associate partners with Allah; and you will find the nearest of them in affection to the believers those who say, 'We are Christians.' That is because among them are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant." (5:82)

The Reason for Revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul): The Delegation of Abyssinia

Classical commentators, including Ibn Kathir, Al-Tabari, and Al-Wahidi, connect verse 82 directly to the early Muslims who fled pagan persecution in Makkah to find asylum under the righteous Christian King of Abyssinia (Ethiopia), Al-Najashi (the Negus).

When the companion Ja'far ibn Abi Talib recited the verses of Surah Maryam to the King and his court priests, the entire assembly wept openly upon recognizing the theological continuity between the teachings of Jesus and Muhammad ﷺ.

Ibn Abbas stated: "Verse 82 was revealed concerning Al-Najashi and his companions. When the Prophet ﷺ sent a delegation to them, they listened to the Quran, their eyes overflowed with tears, and they embraced Islam."

• Source: Recorded in Tafsir al-Tabari and Asbab al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi; verified by historical event transmissions in Sahih Muslim (Kitab al-Fada'il).

The Sunnah Funeral Prayer for Al-Najashi

The Prophet's ﷺ personal affection for this community manifested in a unique legislative exception in the Sunnah. When King Najashi passed away in Abyssinia, the Prophet ﷺ received divine revelation informing him of the king's death. He gathered the Companions in Medina to perform the first recorded funeral prayer in absentia (Salat al-Gha'ib):

Abu Hurayrah narrated: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ informed the people of the death of Al-Najashi, the king of Abyssinia, on the very day he died. He took them out to the place of prayer, aligned them in rows, and pronounced four Takbirs over him."

• Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (Book 23, Hadith 1245); Sahih Muslim (Hadith 951).

References

• Al-Bukhari, Muhammad ibn Ismail. Sahih al-Bukhari (Chapters: Kitab al-Jana'iz / Funerals).

• Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj. Sahih Muslim (Chapters: Kitab al-Iman / Faith; Kitab al-Jana'iz / Funerals).

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

• Al-Tirmidhi, Muhammad ibn Isa. Sunan al-Tirmidhi (Chapters on the Exegesis of the Quran).

• Ibn Kathir, Ismail ibn Umar. Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azeem (Volume 3, Exegesis of Surah Al-Ma'idah, Verses 77–82).