98- Surat Albayyinah/Tafseer
8 Verses Medinan (revealed in Medina)
A'auzu Bellahi mena alshaiytani alrajeem
I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
Besmi Ellahi Alrhmani Alraheem
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Lam yakuni allazina kafaru men ahli alketabi wa almushrikeena munfakkeena hatta ta'tyahumu albayyinah (1).
Those who disbelieved among the people of the Book and the polytheists were not to desist until there came to them a clear proof.
Rasulun mena Allahi yatlu suhufan mutahharah (2).
A Messenger from Allah, reciting purified scriptures.
Fiha kutubun qayyimah (3).
Within which are correct writings.
Wa ma tafarraqa allazina auto alketaba ella men ba'di ma ja'at-humu albayyinah (4).
And those who were given the Book did not became divided until after the clear proof had come to them.
Wa ma umeru ella le-ya'budu Allaha mukhleseena lahu aldina hunafaa wa yuqemu alsalata wa yu'tu alzakata wa zaleka deenu alqayyimah (5).
And they were not ordered except to worship Allah, being sincere to Him in the religion and being upright, and to establish the prayer, and to give the Zakah, and that is the straight religion.
Inna allazina kafaru men ahli alketabi wa almushrikeena fi nari jahannama khaledeena feeha aulaeka hum sharru albariyyah (6).
Indeed, those who disbelieved among the people of the Book and the polytheists will be in the fire of Hellfire abiding therein, those are the worst of creatures.
Inna allazina amanu wa amelu alsalehati aulaeka hum khairu albariyyah (7).
Indeed, those who believed and did righteous deeds, those are the best of creatures.
Jazauhum enda Rabbihim jannatu adnen tajree men tahteha alanharu khalideena feeha abadan radiya Allahu anhum wa radu anhu zalika le-man khashiya Rabbah (8).
Their reward with their Lord is gardens of Eden beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein forever, Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him, that is for whoever has feared his Lord.
Simplified interpretation:
Surat Albayyinah describes the situation of the disbelievers from among the people of the Scripture and the polytheists at the advent of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), where they differed about Him, so there were those who believed and those who disbelieved, and as a result there will be the companions of Paradise, and the companions of Hellfire. And as narrated by Anas bin Malik: "The Prophet (PBUH) said to Ubai Allah has ordered Me to recite Quran to you, Ubai asked Did Allah mention me by name yo You?, the Prophet said Allah has mentioned your name to Me, on that Ubai started weeping, the sub narrator Qatada added I have been informed that the Prophet recited {Those who disbelieved among the people of the Book and the polytheists were not to desist until there came to them a clear proof} to Ubai" (Sahih Albukhari 4960).
Allah says in the first verse that the people of the Scripture and the polytheists were not to cease until there comes to them a clear proof, and it was said that they do not get ride of their disbelief unless there came to the clear proof (Albayyinah), but some commentators said that they were not to die until there came to them the clear proof.
Then Allah Almighty assures that the clear proof is a Messenger from Allah, reciting purified pages which is the Holy Quran, and it is free from all impurities for Allah says in Surat Alwaqi'ah Ayat (77-79) {Indeed, it is a Noble Quran, In a book, well protected, None touch it except the purified ones}. The purified pages consist of valuable and correct writings which have no mistake because they are from Allah, and they are the straight and correct path for all humanity.
The people of the Scripture have apparent description of the Prophet Muhammad in their Book for Allah Almighty says in Surat Ala'raf Aya (157) {Those who follow the Messenger, the illiterate Prophet whom they find written with them in the Torah and the Gospel}, but as it was mentioned in the fourth verse, when He was sent they became divided.
They were not commanded nothing more than worship Allah, and not to associate with Him any other deity, being sincere to Him in religion, and being upright and submissive to Him, and to observe prayer and to give Zakah, and this is the upright and just religion.
So Allah assures that those who disbelieved from among the people of the Scripture and the polytheists will be immortal in the Hellfire as a recompense for their rejection to believe in Allah and to believe in His Messenger, Muhammad (PBUH). And hence they will be the worst of creatures.
But as for those who believed and did righteous deeds, they will be immortal forever in gardens of Eden beneath which rivers flow, and Eden is one of the names of Paradise, and Allah will be well-pleased with them and they will be well-pleased with Him due to the favor that He has bestowed upon them, and hence they will be the best of creatures.
This reward will be for whoever has feared his Lord as He deserves to be feared, as the one who fears Allah will fulfill what Allah ordered him to do, and will stay away from what He prohibited him from, and Allah says in Surat Alrahman Aya (46) {And for he who feared the position of his Lord, there are two gardens}.