Surah Al-Maaida (5) — Ayah 50

(Ayah 50) {اَفَحُكْمَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ يَبْغُوْنَ ……:} Do they desire the judgment of the time of ignorance instead of the law revealed by Allah, whose basis was personal desires and in which the powerful were favored over the weak? This is what is called Judaism: that they would show favor to the higher-ranking person over the lower, enforce the limits upon the weak, and show leniency to the wealthy class. (Kabir, Qurtubi)

Alas, some scholars during the times of Muslim rulers invented such rulings and legal tricks that the enforcement of Allah’s limits became almost impossible. For example, they declared all intoxicants lawful except for one or two types of alcohol; abolished the prescribed punishment for fornication with a hired woman; as mentioned above, they almost nullified retribution (qisas); declared many forms of usury lawful; after a thief was brought to court, they gave the owner of the property the right to pardon him; even after the crime of theft was proven with evidence, they would drop the punishment merely on the thief’s claim that the property was his, even if he could not present any proof of ownership; they exempted the ruler (imam) who had no authority above him from all the prescribed punishments except for one or two things; and they enforced these judgments of ignorance in Muslim lands by declaring them Islamic law. So, is Allah’s statement: “Then do they desire the judgment of ignorance?”—which was for those among the Jews and Christians who altered the law—not also for those Muslims who wish to enforce their self-invented rulings in opposition to the clear commands of the Qur’an and Hadith? The result of this is also evident to all in the form of deprivation from dominance in the world and the worst kind of subjugation to the disbelievers. Even now, most Muslim rulers have modeled their system of governance and national laws after the ways of the disbelievers, and they continue to form such councils of scholars who, along with the ancient ignorance, make laws for the implementation of ever-new forms of ignorance and call it the Islamic Council. [ إِنَّا لِلّٰہِ وَ إِنَّا إِلَیْہِ رَاجِعُوْنَ ]

50. 1. Now, apart from the Quran and Islam, everything else is ignorance (Jahiliyyah). Are they still seeking and desiring ignorance, leaving aside the light and guidance (Islam)? This interrogative is for denial and rebuke, and the word 'fa' is connected to an implied word, and the meaning is (يُعْرِضُونَ مِنْ حُكْمِكَ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ وَيَتَوَلَّوْنَ عَنْهُ، يَبْتَغُونَ حُكْمَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ) They turn away from your decision which Allah has revealed to you, and they turn their backs on it, seeking the ways of ignorance (Fath al-Qadeer).

50. 2. It is mentioned in a hadith that the Prophet ﷺ said, "The most disliked person to Allah is the one who, in Islam, seeks the way of ignorance and seeks to shed someone's blood unjustly."

50. Do they seek the judgment of ignorance [92]? But who is better than Allah in judgment for a people who are certain in faith?

[92]
The Comparison Between Islam and Jahiliyyah:

The word "Jahiliyyah" is used in contrast to Islam. Islam is complete light, whereas Jahiliyyah is nothing but darkness upon darkness. Islam is such a light and such knowledge that it guides in every aspect of worldly life and also shows the paths of salvation in the Hereafter, whereas Jahiliyyah keeps a person bewildered and distressed even in this world and will subject him to painful punishment in the Hereafter. The era before Islam is called the Age of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah), and this term applies to all those customs and traditions due to which no person's life, wealth, or honor was safe. Every person was an enemy of the other and thirsty for blood. Disbelief and polytheism were widespread. Human life had become so miserable that every intelligent person was seeking a way out, but could not find one. And by the judgment of the Age of Ignorance is meant every decision that is based on injustice. The term "Age of Ignorance" can also be applied to the present era. Today's so-called enlightenment closely resembles that old Age of Ignorance; the kind of immorality, wickedness, and shamelessness that existed in that era is also found today.