سُوْرَةُ المَآئِدَةِ
Surah Al-Maaida (5) — Ayah 112
إِذْ قَالَ ٱلْحَوَارِيُّونَ يَـٰعِيسَى ٱبْنَ مَرْيَمَ هَلْ يَسْتَطِيعُ رَبُّكَ أَن يُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنَا مَآئِدَةً مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ ۖ قَالَ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ ﴿112﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
(Remember) when Al-Hawâriyyûn (the disciples) said: "O ‘Îsâ (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)! Can your Lord send down to us a table spread (with food) from heaven?" ‘Îsâ (Jesus) said: "Fear Allâh, if you are indeed believers."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
إِذْ
idh
When
قَالَ
qāla
said
ٱلْحَوَارِيُّونَ
l-ḥawāriyūna
the disciples
يَـٰعِيسَى
yāʿīsā
O Isa
ٱبْنَ
ib'na
son
مَرْيَمَ
maryama
(of) Maryam
هَلْ
hal
Is
يَسْتَطِيعُ
yastaṭīʿu
able
رَبُّكَ
rabbuka
your Lord
أَن
an
to
يُنَزِّلَ
yunazzila
send down
عَلَيْنَا
ʿalaynā
to us
مَآئِدَةًۭ
māidatan
a table spread
مِّنَ
mina
from
ٱلسَّمَآءِ ۖ
l-samāi
the heaven
قَالَ
qāla
He said
ٱتَّقُوا۟
ittaqū
Fear
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
إِن
in
if
كُنتُم
kuntum
you are
مُّؤْمِنِينَ
mu'minīna
believers
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
112. And when the disciples [161] said, "O Jesus, son of Mary! Can your [162] Lord send down to us a table spread (with food) from the heaven?" Jesus said, "Fear Allah, if you are (truly) believers [163]."
[161] This conversation does not pertain to the Day of Resurrection; rather, it is an incident from this world and from the time of Jesus (ʿIsa) ؑ, which is being mentioned here due to its relevance to the context and as a parenthetical statement.
[162]
The Disciples’ Request for a Table of Blessings:
The disciples, who had already embraced Islam, began to ask Jesus (ʿIsa) ؑ whether his Lord had the power to send down to them a prepared meal from the sky. They presented three reasons for this request. First, so that they could be free from the worries of livelihood and devote themselves wholeheartedly to the worship of Allah. Second, so that they could attain certainty that whatever he was saying was absolutely true and that Allah indeed has power over all things. Third, so that the day this table would descend, they could celebrate it as a day of joy and festival, and continue to celebrate it as a festival in the future as well.
Christian Beliefs Are Later Developments:
From this request of the disciples, it becomes clear that the followers of Jesus (ʿIsa) ؑ did not consider him to be God, or Allah, or the son of Allah, or one of three gods; rather, they regarded him merely as a servant of Allah and His messenger. Otherwise, the manner of their request would have been: “Do you have the power to bring down a table from the sky for us?”
[163] In response, Jesus (ʿIsa) ؑ said that one should not test the power of Allah. Fear Him and remain obedient to Him. And it is not the place of an obedient servant to begin testing his Master.
[161] This conversation does not pertain to the Day of Resurrection; rather, it is an incident from this world and from the time of Jesus (ʿIsa) ؑ, which is being mentioned here due to its relevance to the context and as a parenthetical statement.
[162]
The Disciples’ Request for a Table of Blessings:
The disciples, who had already embraced Islam, began to ask Jesus (ʿIsa) ؑ whether his Lord had the power to send down to them a prepared meal from the sky. They presented three reasons for this request. First, so that they could be free from the worries of livelihood and devote themselves wholeheartedly to the worship of Allah. Second, so that they could attain certainty that whatever he was saying was absolutely true and that Allah indeed has power over all things. Third, so that the day this table would descend, they could celebrate it as a day of joy and festival, and continue to celebrate it as a festival in the future as well.
Christian Beliefs Are Later Developments:
From this request of the disciples, it becomes clear that the followers of Jesus (ʿIsa) ؑ did not consider him to be God, or Allah, or the son of Allah, or one of three gods; rather, they regarded him merely as a servant of Allah and His messenger. Otherwise, the manner of their request would have been: “Do you have the power to bring down a table from the sky for us?”
[163] In response, Jesus (ʿIsa) ؑ said that one should not test the power of Allah. Fear Him and remain obedient to Him. And it is not the place of an obedient servant to begin testing his Master.
