سُوْرَةُ المَآئِدَةِ
Surah Al-Maaida (5) — Ayah 50
أَفَحُكْمَ ٱلْجَـٰهِلِيَّةِ يَبْغُونَ ۚ وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ حُكْمًا لِّقَوْمٍ يُوقِنُونَ ﴿50﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Do they then seek the judgement of (the days of) Ignorance? And who is better in judgement than Allâh for a people who have firm Faith.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
أَفَحُكْمَ
afaḥuk'ma
Is it then the judgment
ٱلْجَـٰهِلِيَّةِ
l-jāhiliyati
(of the time of) ignorance
يَبْغُونَ ۚ
yabghūna
they seek
وَمَنْ
waman
And who (is)
أَحْسَنُ
aḥsanu
better
مِنَ
mina
than
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
Allah
حُكْمًۭا
ḥuk'man
(in) judgment
لِّقَوْمٍۢ
liqawmin
for a people
يُوقِنُونَ
yūqinūna
(who) firmly believe
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(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 ]
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 ]
