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wa-ʾani ḥkum baynahum bi-mā ʾanzala llāhu wa-lā tattabiʿ ʾahwāʾahum wa-ḥdharhum ʾan yaftinūka ʿan baʿḍi mā ʾanzala llāhu ʾilayka fa-ʾin tawallaw fa-ʿlam ʾannamā yurīdu llāhu ʾan yuṣībahum bi-baʿḍi dhunūbihim wa-ʾinna kathīran mina n-nāsi la-fāsiqūna
Judge between them by what Allah has sent down, and do not follow their desires. Beware of them lest they should beguile you from part of what Allah has sent down to you. But if they turn their backs [on you], then know that Allah desires to punish them for some of their sins, and indeed many of the people are transgressors.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Al-Ma'idah, Verse 49
Occasion of Revelation
It has been narrated from Ibn-Abbas that a group of the great men of the Jews once plotted and decided to go to the Prophet Muhammad (S) with the hope that they might be able to change him from his creed. With this planning they came to the Prophet (S) and said: "We are the wealthy and the learned men of the Jews. If we follow you, other Jewish people also will imitate us. But, there is a conflict between us and another group (about a murder or something else).
If you judge in this conflict for our benefit, we will believe in you." The Prophet (S) refrained from such a judgement (which was not just), and the above verse was revealed. In this verse, Allah emphasizes again on the judgement of His Messenger and says:
Then, He warns the Prophet (S) about their plot by saying:
Then, the statement continues saying:
(Finally, at the end of the verse, it implies that if they persist so much on the falsehood, he must not be worried, because: