Believers, do not take for your patrons those among the people of the scriptures who mock at your faith and make a jest of it or those who are disbelievers. Fear Allah, if you are truly believers. For, when you call to prayers, they mock at it and make a jest of it. They do this because they are people who do not use their reason.
(The Repast: "Al Maidah": 5;57-58)
The approach utilized in this surah adopts several ways to impress on the believers the prohibition of taking as patrons those who follow a faith different from their own, be they followers of earlier scriptures or polythiests. The aim of using such different methods is to make this rule of faith well established in their minds and consciences. This, in turn, indicates how important this rule is in the overall Islamic concept and the methods adopted by the Islamic movement.
In the first address, as we have seen, a straightforward prohibition has been emphasized, coupled with a warning that Allah may well bring about victory for the believers or bring about some other event of His own making, and thus the reality which, the hypocrites try hard to cover up will be laid bare. In the second address, a warning is given against the renunciation of faith through the establishment of an alliance with the enemies of Allah, His messenger and the believers. This is coupled with raising the far better prospect of belonging to the selected group who love Allah and are loved by Him with the additional promise of victory to the party of Allah.
Now this passage adds a third address to the believers, appealing to them to defend their faith, worship and prayers which are mocked at and made a jest of by their enemies. Patron- age by the people of earlier scriptures or with disbelievers is forbidden in the same way. This prohibition is made directly relevant to fearing Allah. Belonging to the community of believers is made conditional on compliance with it. The actions of the disbelievers and the people of earlier scriptures are shown in their true light and they are described as having no reason: "Believers do not take for your patrons those among the people of the scriptures who mock at your faith and make a jest of it, or those who are disbelievers. Fear Allah, if you are truly believers. For, when yon call to prayers, they mock at it and make a jest of it. They do this because they are people who do not use their reason."
This is the sort of action which is bound to infuriate any believer who feels that he himself is treated in total disrespect, when an insult is directed against his faith and worship, and when his position as he stands to offer his worship is taken as something to ridicule. How, then, can any relationship of alliance and patronage be forged between the believers and anyone who shares in such a disgraceful action, simply because his mind is impaired. No man of sound mind would ever ridicule the divine faith or the worship of the believers, because a sound mind recognizes the pointers to faith in everything around it. It is only when the mind is impaired or when it deviates from the truth that such pointers are not recognized because the attitude of a person with such a feeble or deviant mind towards the whole universe around him is unsound. Everything in existence, gives the same message that it has a Creator who deserves to be worshipped and glorified. A sound mind appreciates the beauty of worshipping the Creator of the universe. Hence, it does not make fun of something so beautiful and dignified.
Such mockery and ridicule used to be the work of disbelievers, and used to be done by the Jews in particular at the time when the Qur'an was revealed to Allah's messenger, peace be on him, to convey it to the Muslim community. We have no mention in the history of the period of any single incidence of this type by Christians.
However, Allah is stating for the Muslim community the basic principle of faith, its concept and its permanent way of life. Allah has always been aware of what will take place in all future generations and the attitudes of people towards Muslims. We have seen that the enemies of this faith and the Muslim community in all generations from among those who claim to be Christians have been much greater in number than the Jews and disbelievers who have fought against Islam. All those groups have taken a hostile attitude against Islam and schemes against it and fought an unabating war against it ever since the Muslim community clashed with the Byzantine empire at the time of Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them), right down to the Crusades and down to the "Oriental Question" which witnessed the grouping of Christian powers throughout the world in an alliance which aimed to destroy the Muslim state altogether. This was followed by imperialism which embodied the spirit of the Crusades which continued to indicate itself in slips of the tongue by the imperialist leaders. A campaign of missionary work was mounted to prepare the grounds for imperialism and to give it support. This was followed by an unabating war against the pioneers of Islamic revival all over the world. In all such campaigns and efforts, Jews, Christians and disbelievers of all sorts take part.
The Qur'an has been revealed so that it remains to be the constitution of the Muslim community until the day of judgment. It gives this community its methodological concept of Faith and lays down for it its social order and its method of operation.
Hence, it teaches the Muslim community that it must never have a relationship of patronage with anyone, other than Allah, His Messenger and the believers.
Patronage with Jews, Christians and disbelievers is forbidden outright. This is stated most decisively and expressed in a variety of ways as we have already seen. This religion of ours impresses on its followers the need for tolerance and that they must extend a kind treatment to the people of earlier scriptures, particularly those among them who claim to be Christians. It forbids them, however, to have relationship of alliance and patronage with them all. Tolerance and kind treatment is a question of behavior and good manners.
Alliances, on the other hand, are a matter of faith and organizational groupings. Patronage and alliance mean mutual support between two camps and groups. This cannot take place between Muslims and people of earlier scriptures or with disbelievers, because to a Muslim, such a
support is only a support in the cause of faith and in striving to establish its methods and system in practical life. How can such help and support operate between Muslims and non-Muslims over such a matter? This question is clear-cut and allows no waivering. Indeed, Allah does not accept over this issue any attitude other than that of complete seriousness, which is the only attitude a Muslim may have towards his religion.
When all these addresses to the believers have been completed, the surah instructs the Prophet to put a direct question to the people of the scriptures: “What fault do they find with the Muslim community? Do they take anything against it other than the fact that Muslims believe in Allah and in the revealed scriptures, as well as Allah's revelations to the Prophet of Islam? In other words, all the fault they find with the Muslims is that the Muslims are believers, which they, i.e. the people of the scriptures, are mostly transgressors. It is a confrontation which is embarrassing and decisive at the same time, because it points out the true cause of hostility.
