قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لَا تَغْلُوا فِي دِينِكُمْ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا أَهْوَاءَ قَوْمٍ قَدْ ضَلُّوا مِنْ قَبْلُ وَأَضَلُّوا كَثِيرًا وَضَلُّوا عَنْ سَوَاءِ السَّبِيلِ ﴿۷۷﴾ لُعِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ عَلَى لِسَانِ دَاوُودَ وَعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ ذَلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوْا وَكَانُوا يَعْتَدُونَ ﴿۷۸﴾ كَانُوا لَا يَتَنَاهَوْنَ عَنْ مُنْكَرٍ فَعَلُوهُ لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ ﴿۷۹﴾

﴾77﴿ Qul yaaa Ahlal Kitaabi laa taghloo fee deenikum ghairal haqqi wa laa tattabi'ooo ahwaaa'a qawmin qad dalloo min qablu wa adalloo kaseeranw wa dalloo 'an Sawaaa'is Sabeel
﴾78﴿ Lu'inal lazeena kafaroo mim Baneee israaa'eela 'alaa lisaani Daawooda wa 'Eesab ni Maryam; zaalika bimaa 'asaw wa kaanoo ya'tadoon
﴾79﴿ Kaanoo laa yatanaahawna 'am munkarin fa'alooh; labi'sa maa kaanoo yafa'loon

﴾77﴿ Say: O People of the Book: Do not exceed the limit in your religion unjustly and do not follow the wishes of the people who went astray before you And they led many people astray, and they remained astray from the right path (after knowledge)
﴾78﴿ A curse was placed on those who disbelieved from the Bani Israel on the words of David, peace be upon him, and Jesus, peace be upon him, the son of Mary This was because they disobeyed and crossed the limits
﴾79﴿ There were those who did not forbid the bad things they did, indeed it is bad things what they did

[77] This is the fifth propagative issue, which is a refutation of the exaggeration (ghuluw) of the Christians, their polytheism (shirk), and innovations (bid‘ah) in religion.
“Say: O People of the Book” – Although this is a general term, the context indicates that the primary address is to the Christians.
“Do not exaggerate in your religion” – The word “ghuluw” originally means to go beyond limits, and it has two uses:
General use: to go beyond limits whether by excess or neglect (i.e., extremes of both kinds). This meaning is intended in verse 171 of Surah An-Nisa.
Specific use: going beyond limits by excess, which is the intended meaning here, specifically addressing Christians.
That’s why some commentators (like in Fath al-Bayan, quoting Qatadah) have interpreted it as: “Do not innovate.” The Christians exaggerated in regard to Jesus (peace be upon him) by raising him above human status.
“In your religion (fi dinikum)” – This indicates there are two types of exaggeration:
1. Ghuluw for the religion (ghuluw li-d-din): where one invents tools to enhance religious understanding, like grammar, rhetoric, or structured learning methods. These are not prohibited as long as they don’t oppose the Sunnah.
2. Ghuluw in the religion (ghuluw fi-d-din): where one adds new things to the religion, in belief, action, form, or timing—treating them as religious duties. This is the blameworthy bid‘ah referred to here, as indicated by the phrase “fi dinikum.”
“Without the truth” (ghayra al-ḥaqq) – This phrase is describing a deleted object, and functions as a qualifier. It means: “exaggeration that is false”, thus excluding any justified form of elevation, which was mentioned earlier (e.g., genuine reverence).
“And do not follow the desires of a people” – This refers to blind imitation, as Mahāʾimī said in Tabsīr al-Raḥmān: imitation without evidence is mere taqlid. The word “ahwāʾ” (desires) is the plural of hawā, meaning what the self inclines toward—usually against the Sharī‘ah.
“They went astray before” – As noted in Zād al-Masīr and by al-Khāzin, this means: “they innovated and deviated through bid‘ah.”
“And they led many astray” – Indicates that having many followers is not proof of truth. Their misguidance spread because they called others to the same deviation.
“And strayed from the straight path” – This refers to their attachment to ambiguous texts (mutashābihāt). Imam Razi explained:
Their first misguidance was shirk and innovations.
The second was inviting others to it.
The third was their persistent misguidance, as they never repented from it.
[78] This passage contains a worldly warning by mentioning the continuous curse upon the Children of Israel due to the sins previously mentioned. It also refutes a misconception they had—their belief being: “We are the descendants of prophets, so sins do not harm us.”
The response to this is: “Those who disbelieved among the Children of Israel were cursed...”
According to Qurtubi, this shows that even if disbelievers are descendants of prophets or belong to a noble lineage, they can still be cursed.
“By the tongue of David and Jesus, son of Mary” – This refers to their respective scriptures:
For David (peace be upon him) – the Zabur (Psalms)
For Jesus (peace be upon him) – the Injil (Gospel)
In both, curses were pronounced upon the disbelievers. Alternatively, it may refer to the prayers of curse (du‘ā’ of punishment) from these prophets:
David’s curse was upon the Sabbath-breakers
Jesus’s curse was upon those who disbelieved after the descent of the table (al-Mā’idah)
Two causes for this curse are mentioned in the verse:
1. “Because they disobeyed” – general sins
2. “And they used to transgress” – either through innovations in religion or through wrongdoing against others.
[79] This passage mentions the third reason for the curse:
“They did not forbid one another from wrongdoing” – meaning they saw evil among each other but did not stop it. Thus, they were partners both in committing the evil and in failing to prohibit it, making it two sins.
Qurtubi states that this verse indicates that enjoining good and forbidding evil (nahy ‘an al-munkar) is obligatory, whether:
by hand (action),
tongue (speech), or
heart (disapproval), depending on one’s ability.
He also explains:
1. Even if a person commits a sin himself, it is still obligatory for him to forbid that same sin in others.
2. Neglecting to forbid evil leads to severe punishment.
3. The phrase “How evil was what they used to do” implies that even if someone does not commit the sin personally but fails to oppose it, they are still sinful.