Transliteration:( Sammaa'oona lilkazibi akkaaloona lissuht; fa in jaaa'ooka fahkum bainahum aw a'rid anhum wa in tu'rid 'anhum falany-yadurrooka shai'anw wa in hakamta fahkum bainahum bilqist; innal laaha yuhibbul muqsiteen )
“They are avid listeners of lies and devourers of things forbidden.”
This describes the moral corruption of certain groups among the Yahud, who were keen listeners of falsehood and consumers of haram (forbidden) gains such as bribery, usury, and unlawful earnings.
From this, several rulings emerge:
It is permissible to speak disparagingly about a non-believer in his absence, provided it's based on truth and a religious context.
Bribery, interest, and unlawful consumption are absolutely forbidden.
It is permissible to trade with, and even accept gifts from, individuals whose wealth is a mixture of lawful and unlawful income. The Prophet ﷺ accepted a gift from Maqawqis, King of Alexandria, and the Sahabah dealt in trade and loans with the Yahud, despite their wealth being mixed.
“So if they come to you, judge between them or turn your face from them. They shall not harm you at all.”
This verse highlights a key distinction in governance and legal arbitration.
It was not obligatory on the Prophet ﷺ to arbitrate disputes among the Yahud of Khaibar, as they were not yet subjects of the Islamic state.
This verse thus gives discretion: the Prophet ﷺ could choose to judge or decline, and it would not harm him, since Allah is his protector.
Importantly, this does not abrogate the command to judge fairly in other contexts; it simply distinguishes voluntary arbitration from state-mandated rulings.
It’s also important to note:
A Mufti is obligated to give a religious ruling, but an arbiter is not obligated to judge between two parties unless he chooses.
“And if you judge between them, then judge with justice.”
Justice is an essential command of Allah, even when dealing with non-Muslim communities. The Prophet ﷺ was commanded to judge fairly, without bias or favoritism.
This reaffirms that Islamic justice is universal—it transcends religion, race, or social standing.
Because Allah is the Guardian of the Prophet ﷺ, he is under divine protection, and his decisions must reflect Allah’s justice.
“Indeed, Allah loves those who are just.”
This concluding phrase shows the virtue of justice.
In political matters, justice must follow Islamic law.
In personal or community matters (like inheritance and worship), non-Muslims are to be judged according to their own religious laws.
This verse underscores Islam’s balanced and inclusive legal philosophy, where justice is upheld for all, and coexistence is maintained with dignity and fairness.
The tafsir of Surah Maidah verse 42 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Maidah ayat 41 which provides the complete commentary from verse 41 through 44.
(5:42) They are listeners of falsehood and greedy devourers of unlawful earnings.[69] If they come to you you may either judge between them or turn away from them. And were you to turn away from them they shall not be able to harm you; and were you to judge between them judge with justice. Surely Allah loves the just.[70]
69. Here pointed reference is made to judges and jurisconsults who accept false evidence and invent reports in order to issue verdicts contrary to justice and in favour of either those who bribe them or with whom their illegitimate interests lie.
70. Until then the Jews had not become full-fledged subjects of the Islamic state. Their relations with that state were based on agreements according to which the Jews were to enjoy internal autonomy, and their disputes were to be decided by their own judges and in accordance with their own laws. They were not legally bound to place their disputes either before the Prophet (peace be on him) for adjudication or before the judges appointed by him. But in cases where it appeared against their interests to have their disputes judged according to their own religious law they approached the Prophet (peace be on him) in the hope that the Prophet might have a different ruling.
The particular case referred to here was that of a woman belonging to a respectable family, who was found to be involved in an unlawful sexual relationship with a man. The punishment for this in the Torah was that both be stoned to death (see Deuteronomy 22: 23-4). But the Jews did not want to enforce this punishment. Hence they deliberated among themselves and decided to put the case before the Prophet (peace be on him), with the reservation that his judgement be accepted only if it was other than stoning. The Prophet (peace be on him) decided that the punishment should, in fact, be stoning. When the Jews declined to accept the judgement, the Prophet (peace be on him) asked their rabbis what punishment had been prescribed for such a case in their religion. They replied that it was to strike the culprit with lashes, to blacken the face and to make the person concerned ride on a donkey. The Prophet (peace be on him) asked them under oath if the Torah had indeed prescribed that as punishment for adultery committed by married men and women. They repeated the same false reply. However, one of them called Ibn Sawriya who, according to the Jews themselves, was the greatest living scholar of the Torah at that time, kept silent. The Prophet (peace be on him) asked him to state on oath in the name of God, Who had emancipated them from Pharaoh and had given them the Law, whether the punishment for adultery provided for in the Torah was what they had mentioned. He replied: ‘Had you not put me under such a heavy oath, I would not have volunteered the correct information. The fact is that the prescribed punishment for adultery is indeed stoning, but when adultery became common among us our rulers adopted the rule that when respectable people committed adultery they were left unpunished, whereas when ordinary people were convicted they were punished by stoning. Later on when this caused resentment among the common people we altered the law of the Torah and adopted the rule that adulterers and adulteresses would be lashed, their faces would be blackened, and they would be made to ride on donkeys, seated in a backward-looking position.’ This left the Jews with nothing to say and the adulterer and adulteress were, in accordance with the order of the Prophet (peace be on him), stoned to death. (Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, vol. 3, pp. 574-5 – Ed.)
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