DAY 561: Nisa 153-162

•  The People of the Book demand that you ˹O Prophet˺ bring down for them a revelation in writing from heaven. They demanded what is even greater than this from Moses, saying, “Make Allah visible to us!” So a thunderbolt struck them for their wrongdoing. Then they took the calf for worship after receiving clear signs. Still We forgave them for that ˹after their repentance˺ and gave Moses compelling proof. We raised the Mount over them ˹as a warning˺ for ˹breaking˺ their covenant and said, “Enter the gate ˹of Jerusalem˺ with humility.” We also warned them, “Do not break the Sabbath,” and took from them a firm covenant. ˹They were condemned˺ for breaking their covenant, rejecting Allah’s signs, killing the prophets unjustly, and for saying, “Our hearts are unreceptive!”—it is Allah Who has sealed their hearts for their disbelief, so they do not believe except for a few— and for their denial and outrageous accusation against Mary, and for boasting, “We killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of Allah.” But they neither killed nor crucified him—it was only made to appear so. Even those who argue for this ˹crucifixion˺ are in doubt. They have no knowledge whatsoever—only making assumptions. They certainly did not kill him.  Rather, Allah raised him up to Himself. And Allah is Almighty, All-Wise. Every one of the People of the Book will definitely believe in him before his death. And on the Day of Judgment Jesus will be a witness against them.   We forbade the Jews certain foods that had been lawful to them for their wrongdoing, and for hindering many from the Way of Allah, taking interest despite its prohibition, and consuming people’s wealth unjustly. We have prepared for the disbelievers among them a painful punishment. But those with solid knowledge among them and those with true faith believe in what has been revealed to you ˹O Prophet˺ and what was revealed before you—˹especially˺ those who establish prayer—and those who pay alms-tax and believe in Allah and the Last Day, to these ˹people˺ We will grant a great reward.
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   a powerful historical and theological reflection on the People of the Book—specifically the Jews—and their patterns of disbelief, distortion, and arrogance. It covers:
      --The Jews' demand for a physical book from heaven and their rejection of Moses
      --Their worship of the calf despite clear signs
      --Their hard-heartedness and distortion of God's words
      --Their claim to have killed Jesus (and God's refutation of that claim)
      --The elevation of Jesus to God's presence
      --The final warning to the People of the Book: believe in the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad, or face consequences
      
  153    Jews demanded a book from heaven and demanded to see God outright    Arrogance and demanding impossible signs is a pattern of disbelief
  154    Covenant with the mountain, command to enter humbly, prohibition of Sabbath    The Jews broke their covenant repeatedly
  155    They broke covenant, disbelieved, killed prophets, and said their hearts were sealed    Persistent sin seals the heart—God confirms their choice
  156    They slandered Mary with a grave accusation    Slandering the innocent is a grave sin
  157    They claimed to have killed Jesus—but they did not kill him; someone else was made to resemble him    Jesus was not crucified—God saved him
  158    Allah raised Jesus to Himself    God protects His prophets
  159    The People of the Book will believe in Jesus before their death; he will be a witness against them    The truth will become clear to everyone eventually
  160    Certain foods were made unlawful for them as punishment    Sin has consequences—blessings are lost
  161    They practiced usury and consumed people's wealth unjustly    Financial exploitation is a major sin
  162    Sincere believers among them—who believe in the Quran, pray, give zakah, and believe in the Last Day—will get a great reward    Not everyone from the People of the Book was rejecting—sincere believers exist
  
  The People of the Book have a history of breaking covenants, distorting scripture, rejecting the prophets, slandering Mary, and falsely claiming to have killed Jesus—but God saved Jesus and raised him to Himself, and those among them who are sincere believe in the Quran, pray, give charity, and trust in the Hereafter, and they will receive a great reward.
  
      
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