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Al-Baqarah - 2:76
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The Jews knew the Truth of the Prophet , but disbelieved in Him.
Allah said next,
وَإِذَا لَقُواْ الَّذِينَ امَنُواْ قَالُواْ امَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَىَ بَعْضٍ
And when they (Jews) meet those who believe (Muslims), they say, "We believe", but when they meet one another in private...,
Muhammad bin Ishaq reported that Ibn 'Abbas commented,
وَإِذَا لَقُواْ الَّذِينَ امَنُواْ قَالُواْ امَنَّا
And when they (Jews) meet those who believe (Muslims), they say, "We believe", "They believe that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, 'But he was only sent for you (Arabs)."'
قَالُواْ أَتُحَدِّثُونَهُم بِمَا فَتَحَ اللّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لِيُحَأجُّوكُم بِهِ عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ
They say, "Shall you (Jews) tell them (Muslims) what Allah has revealed to you, that they (Muslims) may argue with you (Jews) about it before your Lord."
However, when they meet each other they say, "Do not convey the news about this Prophet to the Arabs, because you used to ask Allah to grant you victory over them when he came, but he was sent to them (not to you)."
Allah then revealed,
وَإِذَا لَقُواْ الَّذِينَ امَنُواْ قَالُواْ امَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَىَ بَعْضٍ قَالُواْ أَتُحَدِّثُونَهُم بِمَا فَتَحَ اللّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لِيُحَأجُّوكُم بِهِ عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ أَفَلَ تَعْقِلُونَ
And when they (Jews) meet those who believe (Muslims), they say, "We believe," but when they meet one another in private, they say, "Shall you (Jews) tell them (Muslims) what Allah has revealed to you, that they (Muslims) may argue with you (Jews) about it before your Lord."
Meaning, "If you admit to them that he is a Prophet, knowing that Allah took the covenant from you to follow him, they will know that Muhammad is the Prophet that we were waiting for and whose coming we find foretold of in our Book. Therefore, do not believe in him and deny him."
Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, "When the Jews met the believers they used to say, 'We believe.' When they met each other, some of them would say, `Do not talk to the companions of Muhammad about what Allah has foretold in your Book, so that the news (that Muhammad is the Final Messenger) does not become a proof for them against you with your Lord, and, thus, you will win the dispute."'
أَفَلَ تَعْقِلُونَ
Have you (Jews) then no understanding!
Al-Baqarah - 2:77
Allah said,
أَوَلَا يَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ اللّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا يُسِرُّونَ وَمَا يُعْلِنُونَ
Know they (Jews) not that Allah knows what they conceal and what they reveal.
Abu Al-Aliyah said about Allah's statement, "Meaning their secret denial and rejection of Muhammad, although they find his coming recorded in their Book."
This is also the Tafsir of Qatadah.
Al-Hasan commented on,
أَنَّ اللّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا يُسِرُّونَ
(That Allah knows what they conceal), "What they concealed refers to when they were alone with each other away from the Companions of Muhammad. Then they would forbid each other from conveying the news that Allah revealed to them in their Book to the Companions of Muhammad, fearing that the Companions would use this news (about the truth of Muhammad) against them before their Lord."
وَمَا يُعْلِنُونَ
And what they reveal, meaning, when they said to the Companions of Muhammad,
امَنَّا
We believe, as Abu Al-Aliyah, Ar-Rabi and Qatadah stated
Al-Baqarah - 2:78
The Meaning of Ummi
Allah said,
وَمِنْهُمْ أُمِّيُّونَ
And there are among them Ummyyun people, meaning, among the People of the Book, as Mujahid stated.
Abu Al-Aliyah, Ar-Rabi, Qatadah, Ibrahim An-Nakhai and others said, Ummyyun, is plural for Ummi, that is, a person who does not write.
This meaning is clarified by Allah's statement,
لَا يَعْلَمُونَ الْكِتَابَ
Who know not the Book, meaning, are they not aware of what is in it.
Ummi was one of the descriptions of the Prophet because he was unlettered. For instance, Allah said,
وَمَا كُنتَ تَتْلُو مِن قَبْلِهِ مِن كِتَـبٍ وَلَا تَخُطُّهُ بِيَمِينِكَ إِذاً لاَّرْتَـبَ الْمُبْطِلُونَ
Neither did you (O Muhammad) read any book before it (this Qur'an) nor did you write any book (whatsoever) with your right hand. In that case, indeed, the followers of falsehood might have doubted.
(29:48)
Also, the Prophet said,
إِنَّا أُمَّةٌ أُمِّيَّةٌ لَا نَكْتُبُ وَلَا نَحْسِبُ الشَّهْرُ هكَذَا وَهكَذَا وَهكَذَا
We are an Ummi nation, neither writing nor calculating. The (lunar) month is like this, this and this (i.e. thirty or twenty-nine days).
This Hadith stated that Muslims do not need to rely on books, or calculations to decide the timings of their acts of worship.
Allah also said,
هُوَ الَّذِى بَعَثَ فِى الاُمِّيِّينَ رَسُولاً مِّنْهُمْ
He it is Who sent among the Ummiyyin ones a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves.
(62:2)
The Explanation of Amani
Allah's statement,
إِلاَّ أَمَانِيَّ
But they trust upon Amani,
Ad-Dahhak said that Ibn Abbas said that the Ayah means, "It is just a false statement that they utter with their tongues."
It was also said that; Amani means 'wishes and hopes'.
Mujahid commented, "Allah described the Ummiyyin as not understanding any of the Book that Allah sent down to Musa, yet they create lies and falsehood."
Therefore, the word Amani mentioned here refers to lying and falsehood.
Allah's statement,
وَإِنْ هُمْ إِلاَّ يَظُنُّونَ
And they but guess, means, Mujahid said that Allah's statement means, "They lie."
Qatadah, Abu Al-Aliyah and Ar-Rabi said that it means, "They have evil false ideas about Allah."
Al-Baqarah - 2:79
Woe unto Those Criminals among the Jews
Allah said,
فَوَيْلٌ لِّلَّذِينَ يَكْتُبُونَ الْكِتَابَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ ثُمَّ يَقُولُونَ هَـذَا مِنْ عِندِ اللّهِ لِيَشْتَرُواْ بِهِ ثَمَناً قَلِيلً
Then Waylun (woe) to those who write the book with their own hands and then say, "This is from Allah," to purchase with it a little price!.
This is another category of people among the Jews who called to misguidance with falsehood and lies about Allah, thriving on unjustly amassing people's property.
'Waylun (woe)' carries meanings of destruction and perishing, and it is a well-known word in the Arabic language.
Az-Zuhri said that Ubadydullah bin Abdullah narrated that Ibn Abbas said, "O Muslims! How could you ask the People of the Book about anything, while the Book of Allah (Qur'an) that He revealed to His Prophet is the most recent Book from Him and you still read it fresh and young Allah told you that the People of the Book altered the Book of Allah, changed it and wrote another book with their own hands.
They then said, 'This book is from Allah,' so that they acquired a small profit by it. Hasn't the knowledge that came to you prohibited you from asking them By Allah! We have not seen any of them asking you about what was revealed to you."
This Hadith was also collected by Al-Bukhari.
Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, "The little amount here means this life and all that it contains."
Allah's statement,
فَوَيْلٌ لَّهُم مِّمَّا كَتَبَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَوَيْلٌ لَّهُمْ مِّمَّا يَكْسِبُونَ
Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for that they earn thereby. Means, "Woe to them because of what they have written with their own hands, the lies, falsehood and alterations. Woe to them because of the property that they unjustly acquired."
Ad-Dahhak said that Ibn Abbas commented,
فَوَيْلٌ لَّهُم
Woe to them, "Means the torment will be theirs because of the lies that they wrote with their own hands,
وَوَيْلٌ لَّهُمْ مِّمَّا يَكْسِبُونَ
And woe to them for that they earn thereby, which they unjustly acquired from people, be they commoners or otherwise.
Al-Baqarah - 2:80
The Jews hope They will only remain in the Fire for a Few Days
Allah says;
وَقَالُواْ لَن تَمَسَّنَا النَّارُ إِلاَّ أَيَّاماً مَّعْدُودَةً قُلْ أَتَّخَذْتُمْ عِندَ اللّهِ عَهْدًا فَلَن يُخْلِفَ اللّهُ عَهْدَهُ أَمْ تَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
And they (Jews) say, "The Fire shall not touch us but for a few numbered days."
Say (O Muhammad to them):"Have you taken a covenant from Allah, so that Allah will not break His covenant! Or is it that you say of Allah what you know not!"
Allah mentioned the claim of the Jews, that the Fire will only touch them for a few days, and then they will be saved from it. Allah refuted this claim by saying,
قُلْ أَتَّخَذْتُمْ عِندَ اللّهِ عَهْدًا
Say (O Muhammad to them:"Have you taken a covenant from Allah'.
Hence, the Ayah proclaims, 'if you had a promise from Allah for that, then Allah will never break His promise. However, such promise never existed. Rather, what you say, about Allah, you have no knowledge of and you thus utter a lie about Him.'
Al-Awfi said that Ibn Abbas said about the Ayah,
وَقَالُواْ لَن تَمَسَّنَا النَّارُ إِلاَّ أَيَّاماً مَّعْدُودَةً
And they (Jews) say, "The Fire shall not touch us but for a few numbered days".
"The Jews said, 'The Fire will only touch us for forty days."'
Others added that this was the period during which the Jews worshipped the calf.
Also, Al-Hafiz Abu Bakr bin Marduwyah reported Abu Hurayrah saying,
When Khyber was conquered, a roasted poisoned sheep was presented to the Prophet as a gift (by the Jews). The Messenger of Allah ordered, 'Assemble before me all the Jews who were here.'
The Jews were summoned and the Prophet said (to them),
مَنْ أَبُوكُم
'Who is your father?'
They replied, 'So-and-so.'
كَذَبْتُمْ بَلْ أَبُوكُمْ فُلَن
He said, 'You have lied; your father is so-and-so.'
They said, 'You have uttered the truth.'
هَلْ أَنْتُمْ صَادِقِيَّ عَنْ شَيءٍ إِنْ سَأَلْتُكُمْ عَنْه
He said, 'Will you now tell me the truth, if I ask you about something?'
They replied, 'Yes, O Abul-Qasim; and if we should tell a lie, you will know our lie as you have about our fathers.'
On that he asked,
مَنْ أَهْلُ النَّارِ
'Who are the people of the (Hell) Fire?'
They said, 'We shall remain in the (Hell) Fire for a short period, and after that you will replace us in it.'
اخْسَيُوا وَاللهِ لَا نَخْلُفُكُمْ فِيهَا أَبَدًا
The Prophet said, 'May you be cursed and humiliated in it! By Allah, we shall never replace you in it.'
Then he asked,
هَلْ أَنْتُمْ صَادِقِيَّ عَنْ شَيءٍ إِنْ سَأَلْتُكُمْ عَنْهُ
'Will you tell me the truth if I ask you a question?'
They said, 'Yes, O Abul-Qasim.'
He asked,
هَلْ جَعَلْتُمْ فِي هذِهِ الشَّاةِ سُمًّا
'Have you poisoned this sheep?'
They said, 'Yes.'
He asked,
فَمَا حَمَلَكُم عَلى ذلِك
'What made you do so?'
They said, 'We wanted to know if you were a liar, in which case we would get rid of you, and if you were a Prophet then the poison would not harm you.'
Imam Ahmad, Al-Bukhari and An-Nasa'i recorded similarly.
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