Have you not considered those who were forbidden to conspire, but reverted after a time to what was forbidden them, and conspired evil, rebellion and disobedience to the Prophet? Yet when they come to you they greet you with a greeting even God does not greet you with; and say to themselves, "Why doesn't God punish us for what we say?" Hell is sufficient for them, in which they will be burnt: And what an evil consequence!
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Tafseer
'Abdullāh Ibn 'Abbās / Muḥammad al-Fīrūzabādī
تفسير : (hast thou not observed) o muhammad (those who were forbidden conspiracy) other than true believers (and afterward returned to that which they had been forbidden) of conspiracy, leaving aside true believers, (and (now) conspire together) among themselves (for crime) for lies (and wrong-doing) transgression (and disobedience towards the messenger) by opposing the messenger after he forbade them from doing so? what happened is that the hypocrites used to hold secret conferences with the jews regarding the military expeditions of the believers, in order to aggrieve the believers. (and when they) i.e. the jews (come unto thee they greet thee with a greeting wherewith allah greeteth thee not) for they used to say al-sam, i.e. death, be with you [that is instead of saying al-salam, i.e. peace, be with you] and the prophet (pbuh) used to answer: “and al-sam be with you”, (and say within themselves) to one another: (why should allah punish us for what we say) to his prophet? if he were truly a prophet, as he claims, his prayer would have been answered when he answers: “and al-sam be with you”. allah answered them, saying: (hell will suffice them) i.e. the jews as a destination in the hereafter; (they will feel the heat thereof. a hapless journey's end) is hell wherein they will end!
Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī
تفسير : have you not seen, [have you not] observed, those who were forbidden from conversing in secret [but] then returned to that they had been forbidden, and [all the while] hold secret conversations [tainted] with sin and [plans for] enmity and disobedience to the messenger? these were the jews, whom the prophet (s) had forbidden them what they used to do in their secret talks, that is, their [habit of] conversing secretly with one another and giving the believers looks in order to cast doubt into their hearts [about the faith]. and [who] when they come to you, they greet you, o prophet, with that with which god never greeted you — namely, their saying [to the prophet]: al-sāmu ‘alayka, meaning, ‘death [be upon you]’, and they say within themselves, ‘why does god not chastise us for what we say?’, in the way of such a greeting and [our saying] that he is not a prophet, if he [truly] were a prophet. hell will suffice them! in it they will be made to burn — and [what] an evil journey’s end!, it is.
Ali ibn Ahmad al-Wahidi
تفسير : (hast thou not observed those who were forbidden conspiracy…) [58:8].
ibn 'abbas and mujahid said that this verse was revealed about the jews and the hypocrites. this is because the latter used to talk secretly amongst themselves to the exclusion of the believers and then look at the believers and wink at each other. when the believers saw their secret communications, they said: “we think that they are doing this because they received news about our relatives and brothers who went out in military expeditions. they have been killed, wounded or defeated”. but when these secret conversations continued, they complained to the messenger of allah, allah bless him and give him peace, and he commanded them not to speak in secret to the exclusion of the believers. they did not heed his command and went back to secret conversations among themselves. allah, exalted is he, therefore revealed this verse.
(and when they come unto thee they greet thee with a greeting wherewith allah greeteth thee not…) [58:8].
abu bakr muhammad ibn 'umar al-khashshsab informed us> abu ishaq ibrahim ibn 'abd allah al-asfahani> muhammad ibn ishaq al-sarraj> qutaybah ibn sa'id> jarir> al-a'mash> abu'l-duha> masruq> 'a'ishah who said: “some jews came to the prophet, allah bless him and give him peace, and said 'al-sam to you, o abu'l-qasim!' and so i replied: 'al-sam to you too, and may allah take you away!' the messenger of allah, allah bless him and give him peace, said: 'stop, o 'a'ishah! for allah, exalted is he, does not like indecency nor the uttering of indecent words'. i said: 'o messenger of allah, did you not hear what they said?' he said: 'do you not see that i have sent back to them what they said. i said: the same to you'. this verse was revealed about this (and when they come unto thee they greet thee with a greeting wherewith allah greeteth thee not)”.
abu sa'id muhammad ibn 'abd al-rahman al-ghazi informed us> abu 'amr muhammad ibn ahmad al-hiri> ahmad ibn 'ali al-muthanna> zuhayr ibn muhammad> yunus ibn muhammad> shayban> qatadah> anas who said: “a jewish man came to the prophet, allah bless him and give him peace, and said: 'al-sam be with you!' the people who were present responded to him with the greetings of peace. the prophet, allah bless him and give him peace, said to them: 'do you know what this man said?' they said: 'o prophet of allah, allah and his messenger know best, [but we think he said: al-salam [peace be with you]'. he said: 'no, rather he said such-and-such a thing. so drive it away from me'. they drove it away from him. he then asked the jewish man: 'did you say: al-sam be with you?' he said: 'yes, i did'. upon which the prophet of allah, allah bless him and give him peace, then said: 'when one of the people of the book greets you, say to him in response: and the same to you'. then the words of allah, allah exalted is he, revealed (and when they come unto thee they greet thee with a greeting wherewith allah greeteth thee not)”.
