لَبِئْسَ

5:43.

Commentary:

This and the preceding verse give the reasons why the Jews have been called apes and swine in 5:61. Whereas the ape imitates and mimics, the swine eats filth and is aggressive in attack, beside being extra filthy in some of its habits.

5:80.

Commentary:

The words قولھم الاثم (uttering falsehood) literally mean "their uttering of sin". As اثم (sin), in spite of including a sinful utterance, is generally committed and not uttered, some commentators have suggested that the word قول has been used here in the sense of "doing." But it is more probable that the word قول has been joined to the word اثم (sin) in order to express the combined idea of both "uttering" and "doing". As will be noted, the present verse is preceded both by a saying of the Jews, viz. "we believe" (5:62), which being a false utterance is a sin, and by a "deed" of theirs, viz. "hastening towards sin and transgression" (5:63), which are obviously sinful acts. Thus, by joining the word قول (uttering) to the word اثم (sin), the Quran aims at combining both sinful words and deeds.

Mention of the second wicked deed of the Jews referred to in 5:63, viz. "their eating of forbidden things", is repeated in the present verse in order to point out that not only the common folk but the leaders of the Jewish community also were steeped in sin.

5:64.

Commentary:

One of the great sins which drew the wrath of God upon the Jewish people was that they did not prohibit one another from the evil practices which were so rife among them. While some simply connived at these evil practices, others actually encouraged them. Unfortunately, Muslim scholars and priests of the present day are also guilty of this deadly sin. They will not preach against the evils to which the wealthier and the more powerful Muslims are addicted.

3:163.

Important Words:

سخط (is displeased). The word سخط means, he was or became displeased or discontented; he was or became angry. They say سخط علیه i.e. he was or became displeased or discontented or angry with him. سخط الشیء means, he disliked or became discontented with the thing (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

In this verse the word "disbelievers" stands for "idolaters". See note on 5:58. The clause بئس ماقدمت لھم انفسھم (evil is that which they themselves have sent on before for themselves) may also be rendered as "evil is that which their souls have brought forward, or brought to the forefront, for them", i.e. that which their souls have made to appear fair in their sight is really evil and foul.

Commentary:

There may seem to be some contradiction between the subject-matter of this and the previous verse. But in reality there is none. The preceding verse only means that false gods are devoid of all power to do any good or ill to anybody, so it is foolish to worship such worthless objects. The present verse, however, means that the moral injury that the worship of false gods does to their votaries is immediate and quite patent inasmuch as the worshippers degrade themselves before lifeless things and thus do a great injury to their dignity and self-respect, but any benefit that they hope to get from it is imaginary and far-fetched. The verse may also signify that the unreal, temporary and insubstantial worldly gain that the idolaters hope to gain by associating themselves with the community of polytheists is nothing compared with the moral and spiritual injury they do to themselves by their worship of the idols.