Al-Bayyina

لَمْ يَكُنِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِنْ أَهْلِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ وَٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ مُنفَكِّينَ حَتَّىٰ تَأْتِيَهُمُ ٱلْبَيِّنَةُ ۱

{ لم يكن الذين كفروا من } للبيان { أهل الكتب والمشركين } أي عبدة الأصنام: عطف على «أهل» { منفكين } خبر «يكن»، أي زائلين عما هم عليه { حتى تأتيهم } أي أتتهم { البينة } أي الحجة الواضحة وهي محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم.

The disbelievers from among (min: explicative) the People of the Scripture and the idolaters, that is, the idol-worshippers (wa’l-mushrikīna is a supplement to ahl, ‘the People of’) were not going to leave off (munfakkīna is the predicate of yakun, ‘were’), that is to say, they were not going to abandon their ways, until the clear proof, namely, Muhammad (s), should come to them, that is, [until] it came to them;

رَسُولٌ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ يَتْلُوا۟ صُحُفًا مُّطَهَّرَةً ۲

{ رسول من الله } بدل من «البينة» وهو النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم { يتلوا صحفا مطهرة } من الباطل.

a messenger from God (rasūlun mina’Llāhi substitutes for al-bayyinatu, ‘the clear proof’), namely, the Prophet (s), reciting pages purified, of [all] falsehood,

فِيهَا كُتُبٌ قَيِّمَةٌ ۳

{ فيها كتب } أحكام مكتوبة { قيمة } مستقيمة، أي يتلو مضمون ذلك وهو القرآن، فمنهم من آمن به ومنهم من كفر.

wherein are upright precepts, written rulings that are upright, that is to say, one who recites what contains all that, and that is the Qur’ān. Thus some of them believed in it, while others disbelieved.

وَمَا تَفَرَّقَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ إِلَّا مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْهُمُ ٱلْبَيِّنَةُ ۴

{ وما تفرق الذين أوتوا الكتب } في الإيمان به صلى الله عليه وسلم { إلا من بعد ما جآءتهم البينة } أي هو صلى الله عليه وسلم أو القرآن الجائي به معجزة له، وقبل مجيئه صلى الله عليه وسلم كانوا مجتمعين على الإيمان به إذا جاء فحسده من كفر به منهم.

And those who were given the Scripture did not become divided, regarding belief in him [the Prophet] (s), except after the clear proof had come to them, namely, the Prophet (s) — or the Qur’ān which he brought as his miracle. Before his (s) arrival they had all agreed to believe in him when he would come; then those who disbelieved in him from among them became envious of him.

وَمَآ أُمِرُوٓا۟ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ حُنَفَآءَ وَيُقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَيُؤْتُوا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ دِينُ ٱلْقَيِّمَةِ ۵

{ ومآ أمروا } في كتابيهم التوراة والإنجيل { إلا ليعبدوا الله } أي يعبدوه فحذفت أن وزيدت اللام { مخلصين له الدين } من الشرك { حنفآء } مستقيمين على دين إبراهيم ودين محمد إذا جاء فكيف كفروا به؟ { ويقيموا الصلوة ويؤتوا الزكوة وذلك دين } الملة { القيمة } المستقيمة.

And they were only commanded, in their Scripture, the Torah and the Gospel, to worship God (illā li-ya‘budū means illā an ya‘budū, an having been omitted and the lām added) devoting religion purely to Him, [free] of any idolatry, as hanīfs, upright in [following] the religion of Abraham and the religion of Muhammad (s), when he would come — so how is it that they disbelieved in him?, and to establish prayer and pay the alms. That is the upright religion, the upright creed.

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِنْ أَهْلِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ وَٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ فِى نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمْ شَرُّ ٱلْبَرِيَّةِ ۶

{ إن الذين كفروا من أهل الكتب والمشركين فى نار جهنم خلدين فيهآ } حال مقدرة أي مقدرا خلودهم فيها من الله تعالى { أولائك هم شر البرية }.

Truly the disbelievers from among the People of the Scripture and the idolaters shall be in the fire of Hell, to abide therein (khālidīna: an implied circumstantial qualifier, in other words, it will be decreed for them by God, exalted be He, to abide therein) — those are the worst of creatures.

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمْ خَيْرُ ٱلْبَرِيَّةِ ۷

{ إن الذين ءامنوا وعملوا الصلحت أولائك هم خير البرية } الخليقة.

Truly those who believe and perform righteous deeds — they are the best of creatures (al-bariyya means al-khalīqa).

جَزَآؤُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّـٰتُ عَدْنٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ أَبَدًا ۖ رَّضِىَ ٱللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا۟ عَنْهُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَنْ خَشِىَ رَبَّهُۥ ۸

{ جزآؤهم عند ربهم جنت عدن } إقامة { تجرى من تحتها الأنهر خلدين فيهآ أبدا رضى الله عنهم } بطاعته { ورضوا عنه } بثوابه { ذلك لمن خشى ربه } خاف عقابه فانتهى عن معصيته تعالى.

Their reward with their Lord will be Gardens of Eden, as a residence, underneath which rivers flow, wherein they shall abide forever. God is pleased with them, because of [their] obedience of Him, and they are pleased with Him, because of His reward. That is [the reward] for him who fears his Lord, [for him] who fears His punishment and hence desists from disobeying Him, exalted be He.