الآية رقم (91) - وَمَا قَدَرُواْ اللّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ إِذْ قَالُواْ مَا أَنزَلَ اللّهُ عَلَى بَشَرٍ مِّن شَيْءٍ قُلْ مَنْ أَنزَلَ الْكِتَابَ الَّذِي جَاء بِهِ مُوسَى نُورًا وَهُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ تَجْعَلُونَهُ قَرَاطِيسَ تُبْدُونَهَا وَتُخْفُونَ كَثِيرًا وَعُلِّمْتُم مَّا لَمْ تَعْلَمُواْ أَنتُمْ وَلاَ آبَاؤُكُمْ قُلِ اللّهُ ثُمَّ ذَرْهُمْ فِي خَوْضِهِمْ يَلْعَبُونَ

(91) - (And they did not appraise Allah with true appraisal when they said, "Allah did not reveal to a human being anything." Say, "Who revealed the Scripture that Moses brought as light and guidance to the people? You [Jews] make it into pages, disclosing [some of] it and concealing much. And you were taught that which you knew not - neither you nor your fathers." Say, "Allah [revealed it]." Then leave them in their [empty] discourse, amusing themselves.)

(… وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ) (And they did not appraise Allah with true appraisal ): The Arabic word of (appraise) used here means the measure that a person considers when looking at something. So, they did not know Allah, nor did they regard Him with His rightful esteem. The Prophet (saws) has expressed this rightful esteem in the most beautiful and lofty of expressions when he says:

“I cannot count Your praises. You are as You have praised Yourself.”[1]

This is the expression that the Prophet (saws) taught us with regards to the matter of Allah’s gifts, mercy and goodness. Allah (swt) does not want poetry in His praise nor in gratitude to Him. Instead, He has made everyone; be it the learned or the ignorant, or be it the illiterate or the educated, praise Him with one unified phrase: Alhamdulillah (All praise be to Allah). This phrase gathers all the meanings of gratitude to Allah (swt) for His gifts and blessings upon human beings.

(… إِذْ قَالُوا مَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ بَشَرٍ مِّن شَيْءٍ… ) (…when they said, “Allah did not reveal to a human being anything.”): It has been narrated that the reason for the revelation of this verse was that a Jewish man named Malik Bin as-Saif came to the Prophet (saws) to start a dispute with him. He (saws) said the man: “I implore you by the One who sent down the Torah to Moses, do you not find in the Torah that Allah hates the fat bishop?” and Malik was a fat bishop. He became angry and said: ‘By Allah, Allah has revealed nothing to any human being.’ His friends who were with him said: ‘Woe upon you! Not even Moses?!’ He replied, ‘By Allah, Allah has revealed nothing to any human being!’ So, Allah (swt) sent down this verse.

(… قُلْ مَنْ أَنزَلَ الْكِتَابَ الَّذِي جَاءَ بِهِ مُوسَىٰ نُورًا وَهُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ… ) (…Say, “Who revealed the Scripture that Moses brought as light and guidance to the people? ): The Divine Scriptures are a light and guidance. Guidance is the thing which allows people to reach Paradise, through good moral values. Whereas light is the thing which lifts darkness. So, the Divine Scriptures lift the darkness of ignorance and the darkness of the human self. The sentence here ‘who has revealed?’ is in the form of a rhetorical question. The answer to the question is: Certainly, Allah (swt).

(… تُبْدُونَهَا وَتُخْفُونَ كَثِيرًا… ) (…disclosing [some of] it and concealing much.): They took out the sheets they wanted and hid the parts that did not suit them; especially the parts which corresponded to what the Prophet (saws) brought, and the parts which mentioned his attributes, as found in the Torah.

(… وَعُلِّمْتُم مَّا لَمْ تَعْلَمُوا أَنتُمْ وَلَا آبَاؤُكُمْ ۖ… ) (…And you were taught that which you knew not – neither you nor your fathers.): That is, through this Torah which was revealed to your Prophet Moses, you have been taught what you did not know. And through this knowledge, Allah (swt) has given you and your forefathers abundant goodness.

[1] Sahih Muslim, The Book of Prayer, Chapter of: What to Say in Kneeling and Prostrating, Hadith No. 486.