Overall meaning : Allah forbids the believers to say to their Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the Arabic statement ‘raa’inaa’, when seeking his attention, for the Jews used to say it by a little twist to suggest an insulting meaning to ridicule him and associate him with foolishness, even though the believers said it in good faith, without intending the same evil meaning the Jews had in mind. He instructs them to use another statement instead, namely ‘undhurnaa, which has the same meaning but does not carry negative connotations as the statement ‘raa’inaa’ has. He further commands them to follow His orders and informs them that the unbelievers will surely receive a painful punishment.
The Almighty then informs the faithful that the unbelievers in general, be they the People of the Book or those who ascribe partners to Allah, do not like anything good, such as the Qur’an, to be sent down to the faithful from Allah; however, Allah Almighty chooses for His grace and mercy, which includes prophethood and the divine message, whomsoever He wills of His servants, such as our Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
Next, He states that He does not abrogate any ruling expressed in a Qur’anic verse, effaces any verses from the memory of the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and that of his companions, may Allah be pleased with them or delays the revelation of any verses but He replaces all that with something better or similar. This testifies to His unbounded power and His total control over all His creation. He commands whatever He wills and judges among His creation according to His will, and no one has the power to do them harm or good or to protect them besides Him.
Allah Almighty then warns all people, believers and unbelievers alike, against demanding anything of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, out of sheer stubbornness, such as asking him to see some miraculous signs, as the Jews did with Moses, peace be upon him, stating that whoever chooses unbelief has indeed deviated from the right path.
Next, He explains that many Jews and Christians wish that Muslims would abandon their religion, because they envy them for the guidance Allah has bestowed upon them through Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, after it has become abundantly clear to them that what he has brought is the truth.
So He commands the believers to leave them alone and to forgive and forbear until Allah passes His judgement regarding them. Indeed, this judgement came later when He commanded the believers to fight them if they stubbornly refuse to pay the tribute.
The Almighty then urges the faithful to worship him: He commands them to duly perform the prescribed prayers and to pay the prescribed zakat, promising them that they will surely find the reward for whatever good they do with Him, for nothing is hidden from Him, and He is fully aware of everything they do.
He further states that the Jews claim that only the Hews will enter Paradise and that the Christians also claim that only the Christians will be admitted into Paradise, noting stating that such claims are nothing but false hopes. Then He instructs His Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to ask them for proof if what they claim is true.
Allah Almighty informs them that the truth is not in the least bit what they hope for and falsely claim. The fact of the matter is, those who are totally devoted to Allah Almighty and do good deeds for His sake alone, while following in the footsteps of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, will find their reward with Allah, and they will have nothing whatsoever to fear in the hereafter, nor will they grieve for whatever they leave behind in the life of the world.
Allah Almighty then states that both the Jews and Christians claim that the other’s religion does not contain a grain of truth though both parties read their books which conclusively refute their own claims. In fact, the Gospel makes mention of Moses’s truthfulness and confirms the Torah; by the same token, the Torah gives the good news of the coming of Jesus and affirms the truthfulness of his prophethood. Some ignorant people who do not have the same knowledge of those who read the scripture only echo their statements.
Then He makes it clear that on the Day of Judgement He will judge between these disputing parties and those who accuse each other of having nothing of the truth, and He will repay each one who makes false claims according to their falsehood.