Surah Al-Maaida (5) — Ayah 64

64. The Jews say [105], "Allah’s hand is tied up." It is their own hands that are tied, and they are cursed for what they say. Rather, both His hands are outstretched; He spends as He wills. And what has been revealed to you from your Lord has surely increased many of them in rebellion [106] and disbelief. So We have cast enmity [107] and hatred among them until the Day of Resurrection. Whenever they kindle the fire of war [108], Allah extinguishes it. They strive to spread corruption [109] in the land, and Allah does not love those who spread corruption.

[105]
The Jews Accusing Allah of Being Miserly:

The Jews were both consumers of the forbidden and usurers. The characteristic of usury is that it breeds selfishness and miserliness in a person. Their miserliness had reached such an extent that when they were asked to spend in the way of Allah or to give a goodly loan, they would start uttering all sorts of nonsense. It has already been mentioned in Surah Al-Imran, verse 181, that when they were asked to give a goodly loan, they said that this meant Allah had become poor and they were rich, otherwise why would He ask them for a loan? In this verse, it is mentioned that when, due to their evil deeds, Allah’s blessings and favors were withheld from them, they said that now Allah had become miserly. Allah replied that it was they themselves who were miserly. Moreover, the nonsense they uttered was a double crime, and for this reason, they were accursed. There was no change in Allah’s attitude. He is always spending with both hands. But He spends where He wills. People of evil character like them cannot be the recipients of His spending. Accordingly: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairahؓ says that the Prophetﷺ said, “Both of Allah’s hands are full. Spending during the night and day does not diminish what is in them at all. Just look, from the creation of the heavens and the earth until today, how much He has spent, but what is in His hand has not decreased.”
[بخاري كتاب التوحيد باب قول الله لِمَا خَلَقْتُ بِيَدَيَّ ]

[106]
Who Goes Astray Because of the Quran:

Just as wholesome foods do not benefit an incurable patient, and sometimes even worsen his illness, similarly, their moral state has become so degraded and their spiritual diseases so complicated that the admonishing words of the Quran do not benefit them; rather, they increase their rebellion and disbelief. When the Quran warns Muslims about any of their mischiefs, telling them to be cautious, instead of accepting the admonition, they become even more enraged and start plotting even worse mischiefs than before.
[107] The Jews and Christians have such mutual enmity that it will last until the Day of Judgment. Similarly, every group has its own sects with differences, malice, and enmities. Although they unite against the Muslims, their internal divisions will not let them succeed, and ultimately, they will be defeated by the Muslims.

[108]
The Mischief of Shamas the Jew in Inciting War:

A clear example of this is that when the Muslims were victorious at the Battle of Badr, the Jews, in addition to the hypocrites, were enraged. An old Jew named Shamas incited some young Jews to go wherever the people of Aws and Khazraj were gathered and recite the poems each side had said during the Battle of Bu'ath. So, when one of their young Jews recited these poems in such a gathering, the tribal chauvinism of both Aws and Khazraj was rekindled, and they became agitated and ready to fight. The battlefield was set, and people began to gather armed. It was close to the point that all the Ansar would have been caught up in a terrible war, when the Messenger of Allahﷺ was informed. He immediately arrived at the scene and said, “Such words of ignorance in my presence?” At this, the Ansar were startled and immediately realized that they had been deceived by Satan. Then they embraced each other and began to weep. The Jews were always ready for such mischief. It is another matter that their efforts would not bear fruit, and Allah would immediately extinguish the fire they kindled.
[109] That is, whatever they think, say, or do, it is all for the purpose of causing mischief and corruption. Some of their mischiefs are mentioned in the following hadiths:

1.
The Mischief of the Jews: The Poisoned Goat Invitation:

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairahؓ says, “When Khaybar was conquered, a goat was presented to the Prophetﷺ as a gift, in which poison had been mixed. The Prophetﷺ ordered that all the Jews present be gathered. When they were brought before him, he asked, ‘Did you mix poison in this goat’s meat?’ They replied, ‘Yes.’ The Prophetﷺ asked, ‘What made you do this?’ They said, ‘We wanted that if you are a liar, we would be rid of you, and if you are a true Prophet, the poison would not harm you.’”
[بخاری۔ کتاب الطب۔ باب مایذکر فی سم النبی]

2.
The Jews’ Unjust Killing and Qasamah (Oaths):

Sahl bin Abi Hathmah says that three men (Abdur Rahman, Huwayyisah, and Muhayyisah) came to the Prophetﷺ and said: O Messenger of Allah! We had gone to Khaybar, and there we found one of our men (Abdullah bin Sahl) murdered. The Prophetﷺ said, “Let the eldest speak.” Then he said, “Do you have any witnesses who saw the killer committing the murder?” They said, “We have no witnesses.” The Prophetﷺ said, “Then the Jews will take (fifty) oaths.” They said, “We are not satisfied with the oaths of the Jews.” And in Abu Qilabah’s narration, it is added that then the Messenger of Allahﷺ said to them, “Will you fifty men swear that indeed our companion was killed by the Jews?” They said, “We cannot take such oaths.” Then the Prophetﷺ disliked that the blood of Abdullah bin Sahl should go in vain. So he gave one hundred camels from the zakat camels as blood money to his heirs.
[بخاری۔ کتاب الدیات۔ باب القسامۃ]

From these hadiths, it becomes clear that the Jews were so mischievous that they were always active and seeking opportunities to harm, even kill, the Prophet of Islam and the Muslims. Also, due to their repeated breaches of trust, they had become so unreliable in the eyes of the Muslims that the Muslims would not even trust the oaths of fifty of their men.