سورة المائدة

Imam al-Rida (peace be upon him): The Catholicos asked, "How many were the disciples of Christ (peace be upon him), and how many were the scholars of the Gospel?" The Imam said, "You have asked one who knows well. The disciples were twelve men, the most virtuous and knowledgeable of whom was Aluqa. And the scholars of the Christians were three men: Yuhanna the Elder in Aj, Yuhanna in Qarqisiya, and Yuhanna al-Daylami in Rajjaz. With him were the accounts concerning the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and his Ahl al-Bayt and his ummah, and it was he who gave glad tidings to the ummah of Isa (peace be upon him) and to the Children of Israel of the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his Ahl al-Bayt and his ummah."

Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him): The mā'idah (table-spread) that was sent down upon the Children of Israel was lowered by chains of gold, and upon it were nine kinds of food and nine loaves of bread.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): A table-spread full of meat and bread was sent down, because they had asked Isa (peace be upon him) for food from which they could keep eating and which would never run out. They were told: So long as you do not betray it, do not hide it, and do not put it away, this spread will remain for you; and if you do such a thing, you will deserve punishment. Yet the day had not reached its evening before they betrayed and concealed and took the spread away and committed treachery.

Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him): When that spread was sent down upon Isa (peace be upon him), he said to the disciples, "Do not eat from it until Allah gives you permission." But a man from among them ate from those foods. One of the disciples said, "O Spirit of Allah! So-and-so ate from it." Isa (peace be upon him) asked him, "Did you eat from it?" He said, "No." The disciples said, "Yes, by Allah, O Spirit of Allah, he did eat from it." Isa (peace be upon him) said to them, "Believe your brother and disbelieve what you have seen with your own eyes."

Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him): Isa son of Maryam (peace be upon him) said to the Children of Israel, "Fast for thirty days, and then ask Allah for whatever you wish, and He will give it to you." So they fasted for thirty days, and after that they said to Isa (peace be upon him), "If we do a job for someone and complete his work, he gives us food. Now, just as we were commanded, we fasted and endured hunger, so ask Allah to send down for us a table-spread from heaven." After that, the angels came towards them carrying a spread. On that spread were seven loaves of bread and seven fish, and the angels placed that spread before them, and all of them, from the first to the last, ate from it.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Allah the Exalted sent down a table (ma'ida) to Isa (peace be upon him) upon which there were four loaves of bread and four small fish. Allah gave such blessing to this table that four thousand seven hundred people ate from it and were satisfied. (Maskh

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): Regarding the verse: إِذْ قَالَ الْحَوَارِیُّونَ یَا عیسَی ابْنَ مَرْیَمَ هَلْ یَسْتَطِیع رَبُّکَ أَن یُنَزِّلَ علَیْنَا مَآئِدَةً مِّنَ السَّمَاء [When the disciples said: O Isa son of Maryam! Is your Lord able to send down to us a table from heaven?]; Isa (peace be upon him) said: اتَّقُواْ اللهَ إِن کُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِینَ [Fear Allah, if you are believers]. And as Allah has related in the Qur'an, they said: نُرِیدُ أَن نَّأْکُلَ مِنْهَا وَتَطْمَئِنَّ قُلُوبُنَا وَنَعلَمَ أَن قَدْ صَدَقْتَنَا وَنَکُونَ علَیْهَا مِنَ الشَّاهِدِینَ [We wish to eat of it and that our hearts should be at rest, and that we may know that you have indeed spoken the truth to us, and that we may be witnesses to it]; and then Isa (peace be upon him) said: اللهمَّ رَبَّنَا أَنزِلْ علَیْنَا مَآئِدَةً مِّنَ السَّمَاء تَکُونُ لَنَا عیداً لِّأَوَّلِنَا وَآخِرِنَا وَآیَةً مِّنکَ وَارْزُقْنَا وَأَنتَ خَیْرُ الرَّازِقِینَ [O Allah, our Lord, send down to us a table from heaven, that it may be a feast for us, for the first and the last of us, and a sign from You, and provide for us, for You are the best of providers]; and Allah, in this way, completed the proof against them: إِنِّی مُنَزِّلُهَا علَیْکُمْ فَمَن یَکْفُرْ بَعدُ مِنکُمْ فَإِنِّی أُعذِّبُهُ عذَاباً لاَّ أُعذِّبُهُ أَحَدًا مِّنَ الْعالَمِینَ [Indeed I will send it down to you, but whoever of you disbelieves after that, I will surely punish him with a punishment such as I have not inflicted on any one in the worlds]. The table would descend upon them, and they would gather around it and eat from it until they were satisfied, and then the table would be lifted up. Their elders and the wealthy ones among them said: "We will not allow the lowly ones to eat from it." So Allah removed that ma'ida (table) from them and transformed them into the form of monkeys and pigs.

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): The pigs of the people of Isa (peace be upon him) inquired about that table [they requested the descent of the ma'ida (table)], but they did not believe in it, and Allah transformed them into the form of pigs.

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): These pigs were a group of washermen (gazars) who denied the affair of the ma'ida (table), and for this reason they were transformed into the form of pigs.

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): The eel and the lizard are the transformed forms of a group of the Children of Israel who, when that table was sent down upon Isa son of Maryam (peace be upon him), did not believe, and for this reason they became bewildered and scattered — a group of them fell into the sea and another group wandered on the land.