وَإِذْ أَوْحَيْتُ إِلَى الْحَوَارِيِّينَ أَنْ آمِنُوا بِي وَبِرَسُولِي قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَاشْهَدْ بِأَنَّنَا مُسْلِمُونَ ﴿۱۱۱﴾ إِذْ قَالَ الْحَوَارِيُّونَ يَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ هَلْ يَسْتَطِيعُ رَبُّكَ أَنْ يُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنَا مَائِدَةً مِنَ السَّمَاءِ قَالَ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿۱۱۲﴾ قَالُوا نُرِيدُ أَنْ نَأْكُلَ مِنْهَا وَتَطْمَئِنَّ قُلُوبُنَا وَنَعْلَمَ أَنْ قَدْ صَدَقْتَنَا وَنَكُونَ عَلَيْهَا مِنَ الشَّاهِدِينَ ﴿۱۱۳﴾

﴾111﴿ Wa iz awhaitu ilal hawaariyyeena an aaminoo bee wa bi Rasoolee qaalooo aamannaa washhad bi annanaa muslimoon
﴾112﴿ Iz qaalal hawaariyyoona yaa 'Eesab na Maryama hal yastatee'u Rabbuka ai yunaz zila alaina maaa'idatam minas samaaa'i qaalat taqul laaha in kuntum mu'mineen
﴾113﴿ Qaaloo nureedu an naakula minhaa wa tatama 'inna quloo bunaa wa na'lama an qad sadaqtana wa nakoona 'alaihaa minash shaahideen

﴾111﴿ And when I inspired the disciples to believe in Me and My Messenger, they said, “We believe, so bear witness that indeed we are among those who submit (to Allah).”
﴾112﴿ And when the disciples said, “O Jesus, son of Mary, can your Lord send down to us a table spread (with food) from the heaven?” He said, “Fear Allah, if you are truly believers.”
﴾113﴿ They said, “We wish to eat from it and that our hearts may be reassured, and that we may know you have indeed spoken the truth to us, and that we may be among its witnesses (to inform those who are absent).”

[111] After mentioning the essential blessings, the blessings that extend to others are mentioned. In this, the fourth need of Isa (peace be upon him) for Allah is highlighted—meaning the companionship of the disciples with Isa (peace be upon him), just as Allah created the companions of the Noble Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) to support and assist him.
"Al-Hawariyyin" is the plural of "Hawari," derived from "hawr," meaning whiteness. It refers to a sincere and trustworthy friend and companion whose heart is pure (free from hypocrisy).
"They said: 'We believe, and bear witness that we are Muslims.'"
The principle is that when faith and Islam are mentioned together, a distinction is intended. Faith refers to the inner state of the heart, and Islam refers to outward actions. For this reason, faith is mentioned before Islam.
[112] In this verse and the following one, there is a prelude to the prayer for the table spread and its descent. This incident mentions the fifth need of Isa (peace be upon him) for Allah regarding the miracle of the table spread.
"O Isa, son of Maryam"—Mahaimi said that this address indicates that we consider you as the servant of Allah. We do not call you Allah or the son of Allah; therefore, we ask you to pray. The descent of the table is not within your power.
"Can your Lord"—
Question: The disciples were true believers who knew Allah and His attributes, so they had no doubt about His power. Why then did they say "Can"?
Answer: This is a rhetorical question. "Hal" here means "indeed." This interpretation is because Khazin said it is not permissible to assume that the disciples had any doubt in Allah’s power.
"A table spread from the heaven"—there are two views regarding "ma’idah": first, it refers to prepared food itself; second, it refers to a tablecloth on which food is placed.
[113] This mentions the excuse and reason for requesting the table spread.
"We wish to eat from it"—four purposes are mentioned. First is eating. Qurtubi, quoting Mawardi, said that in this context, the purpose of eating is to attain blessings.
"And that our hearts may be reassured"—this means an increase in certainty about the power of Allah, or reassurance that Allah has chosen them for the mission of inviting to the religion.
"And that we may know that you have told us the truth"—this refers to an increase in knowledge about the truthfulness of his messengership.
"And that we may be among those who bear witness to it"—this refers to bearing witness to the oneness of Allah and the messengership of the Messenger, or it means being informers to the absent ones about the truth of monotheism, messengership, and this miracle.