تَرَى كَثِيرًا مِنْهُمْ يَتَوَلَّوْنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَبِئْسَ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لَهُمْ أَنْفُسُهُمْ أَنْ سَخِطَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَفِي الْعَذَابِ هُمْ خَالِدُونَ ﴿۸۰﴾ وَلَوْ كَانُوا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالنَّبِيِّ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مَا اتَّخَذُوهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ وَلَكِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ ﴿۸۱﴾ لَتَجِدَنَّ أَشَدَّ النَّاسِ عَدَاوَةً لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا الْيَهُودَ وَالَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا وَلَتَجِدَنَّ أَقْرَبَهُمْ مَوَدَّةً لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّا نَصَارَى ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ مِنْهُمْ قِسِّيسِينَ وَرُهْبَانًا وَأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ ﴿۸۲﴾

﴾80﴿ Taraa kaseeram minhum yatawallawnal lazeena kafaroo; labi'sa maa qaddamat lahum anfusuhum an sakhital laahu 'alaihim wa fil 'azaabi hum khaalidoon
﴾81﴿ Wa law kaanoo yu'minoona billaahi wan nabiyyi wa maaa unzila ilaihi mattakhazoohum awliyaaa'a wa laakinna kaseeram minhum faasiqoon
﴾82﴿ Latajidanna ashad dan naasi 'adaawatal lillazeena aamanul Yahooda wallazeena ashrakoo wa latajidanna aqrabahum mawaddatal lil lazeena aamanul lazeena qaalooo innaa Nasaaraa; zaalika bi anna minhum qiseeseena wa ruhbaananw wa annahum laa yastakbiroon

﴾80﴿ You see many of them who make friends with unbelievers, indeed it is an evil act that their souls have sent before them Because of the reason that Allah Almighty is angry with them and they are in eternal punishment
﴾81﴿ And if they believed in Allah Almighty and the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and the book that was revealed to him, of course they would not like them, but many of them are disobedient
﴾82﴿ Indeed you will find the most strongest people in enmity with the believers the Jewish and polytheists - indeed you will find the closest among them in friendship with the believers, those who say without a doubt that we are Christians, This is due to the fact that some of them are seekers of the truth and fear Allah Almighty, and they are not arrogant about the truth

[80] This passage refers to the wickedness of the common people after mentioning that of the leaders, in order to emphasize that the curse applies continuously to all of them. Hence, this is considered the fourth reason for the divine curse.
Since this part is about the general people (not leaders), they are mentioned independently, without a conjunction (wa), indicating a separate emphasis:
“You see many of them...” – The previous wickedness was simply failing to forbid evil, but this wickedness is even worse, because instead of merely remaining silent, they go further by befriending those involved in evil.
If “many of them” refers to the hypocrites, then the plurality (kathīr) here is to be taken literally.
“Allah is angry with them” – The word “sakhaṭa” (wrath) is more intense than “ghaḍab” (anger), because sakhaṭa implies not only anger but also choking rage.
From this, it becomes clear that befriending disbelievers (muwālāt al-kuffār) brings two punishments:
1. The wrath of Allah
2. Eternal punishment in the Hereafter (if not repented from)
[81] This passage is a refutation of befriending disbelievers (muwālāt al-kuffār). Similar to the previous verse, it has two interpretations:
1. If the hypocrites are intended, then “the Prophet” refers to the Final Messenger (Prophet Muhammad), and “what was revealed to him” refers to the Qur'an.
2. If the disbelievers among the People of the Book are intended, then “the Prophet” refers to Moses (peace be upon him), and “what was revealed to him” refers to the Torah.
The core message of the verse is that befriending disbelievers is incompatible with true faith in:
Allah,
His Prophet,
and His revealed Book.
[82] This passage is an elaboration on the previous verses, distinguishing between the Jews and Christians, pointing out that the faults previously mentioned apply more intensely to the Jews and their polytheist allies than to the Christians.
“You will surely find the most intense of people in enmity towards the believers...” – This indicates the obvious and open hostility of some groups.
“And you will surely find the closest of them in affection to those who believe are those who say, ‘We are Christians.’” There are two interpretations among the commentators:
1. It refers to those Christians from Abyssinia or Madinah who accepted faith and heard the Qur’an. The evidence is that affection toward the believers is affirmed for them, which wouldn’t apply to disbelievers.
2. It refers to Christians in general, even if they are disbelievers. The reason for the distinction, as explained by scholars, is that in Jewish doctrine, harming and oppressing opponents is seen as a duty, whether by killing or looting, etc., whereas in Christian teachings, harming opponents is not permitted.
Question: Christians today are like the Jews, or even worse, in their hostility—how can this distinction still be valid? Answer: The verse refers only to some Christians, as previously clarified.
“That is because among them...” – The reason for this kindness is that in their society or community, there exist truthful scholars and callers to righteousness. When people see sincere action among them, it naturally draws them toward the truth.
“Qissīsīn” (priests) – Plural of qissīs, derived from qass, meaning to pursue and seek knowledge. It refers to religious scholars, particularly those who follow the path of knowledge. Qurtubi and Naysaburi, citing ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr, said: when the Christians altered and lost their scripture (the Injil), one scholar remained upright and righteous, whose name was Qissīs. Those who followed his path were called qissīsīn—followers of Qissīs on the true religion.
“Ruhbānā” (monks) – Those who worship Allah sincerely, fear Him, and do not seek wealth or status.
“And they do not act arrogantly” – This means that their true knowledge and sincere worship have produced humility in them. They do not reject the truth out of pride; rather, they accept it with humility.