[Although this is related to 5:102, it calls to the above story.]
[5:102-5:103] The authenticity of what has been made as evidence for its correctness, like the people of Salih who asked for a sign, and when the she-camel came to them as a sign, they hamstrung her. And those who asked Isa (Jesus) for a table spread with food from heaven, but when it was given to them, they disbelieved in it.
Allah warns the believers through His Prophet (peace be upon him) not to follow the path of those nations that were destroyed due to their disbelief in Allah’s signs when they were asked for. He says: “Do not ask for signs, and do not investigate things that will harm you if they are shown to you. For indeed, a people before you asked for signs, but when they were given them, they became disbelievers.” As narrated by . . . Ibn Abbas: “O you who believe! Do not ask about things that will harm you if they are shown to you. . .”
[5:112]
And when the disciples said, “O Jesus, son of Mary, can your Lord send down to us a table from heaven?” He said, “Fear Allah if you are believers.” Allah says, “And remember also My favor upon you, O Jesus, when I revealed to the disciples to believe in Me and My messenger. When they said to Jesus, son of Mary, ‘Can your Lord send down to us a table from heaven?'”
There is a difference of opinion among the reciters regarding the reading of His statement: “Can your Lord?” A group of Companions and Successors read it as . . . in the nominative case, meaning: Can you ask your Lord? Or can you invoke your Lord? Or do you think that you can invoke Him? They said, “The disciples were not doubting that Allah is able to send down that to them. Rather, they said to Jesus, ‘Can you do that?'”
Jubair that he read it as follows: “Hal tastati’u rabbuka?” (Can your Lord do it?) He said, “Tastati’u an tas’al rabbuka?” (Are you able to ask your Lord?) And he said, “Ala tara annahum mu’minun?” (Do you not see that they are believers?)
The majority of the reciters in Medina and Iraq read it as: “Hal yastati’u” with a ya’ and “rabbuka”, meaning: Can your Lord send down to us? Just like when a man says to his companion, “Atastati’u an tanhada ma’a na fi kadhā?” (Are you able to get up with us for such-and-such?) while he knows that he is capable, but what he means is: Will you get up with us in this matter? It may also be possible that the reciter’s intention was: Hal yastajibu laka rabbuka wa yu’ti’uka an yunazila ‘alayna?” (Will your Lord respond to you and obey you if you ask Him to send down to us?)
In my opinion [al-Tabari], the more correct of the two readings is the one that reads “Hal yastati’u” with a ya’, meaning: Will He respond to you if you ask Him? And obey you in this matter?
[Obey seems like a strange translation choice from the AI, nonetheless, their request was met with a word of warning/caution regardless. This also is found evidence from Quran.com Tafsir per Ibn Kathir:
]
. . .
The Disciples of Jesus asked him, “Is your Lord able to send down a table spread with food from heaven?” When Allah revealed to the disciples that they should believe in Him and His Messenger, they said, “O Jesus, son of Mary! Is your Lord able to send down for us a table spread with food from heaven?”
Allah disliked their statement and ordered them to repent and reaffirm their faith. He also commanded them to acknowledge His power over all things and to believe in the news that His Messenger brought about their Lord.
Jesus said to them, “Fear Allah if you are indeed believers.” This was a call to piety and an invitation to have faith in Him and His Messenger.
The statement of the disciples was not a request for a miracle from Jesus, but rather a test of his prophethood. The miracles (Ayah) were only asked by those who denied the prophets, so that they might be convinced of their truthfulness.
For example, the people of Mecca asked the Prophet Muhammad to turn Mount Safa into gold and to make rivers flow through Mecca, but this was not a request for a miracle. Similarly, the people of Thamud asked the prophet Salih to bring forth a camel from a rock, and the people of Midian asked the prophet Shuayb to cause a piece of the sky to fall upon them.
. . .
Jesus (peace be upon him) said: “Fear Allah if you are believers.” They [the disciples] said: “We want to eat from it and satisfy our hearts, and know that you have told the truth, and be among those who bear witness over it.”
[From Quran.com, Ma’Arif Quran Tafisr:
]
. . .
Then the angels came flying with a table from heaven, on which were seven sisters (types of food) and seven loaves of bread. They placed it before them, and the last of the people ate from it just as the first of them had eaten.
It is also narrated . . . from As-Suddi: “Do you think that your Lord can send down a table from heaven for us?” They said: “Will your Lord obey you if you ask Him?” Allah sent down a table from heaven for them, containing all kinds of food except meat. They ate from it.
. . .
Regarding the verse: “He said, ‘Fear Allah if you are indeed believers'” (Quran 5:112), it means that Jesus said to his disciples, who had asked him: “Is your Lord able to send down a table from heaven?” (Quran 5:112): “Be mindful of Allah, O people, and fear Him, lest He sends down upon you a punishment for your statement. For Allah is not incapable of doing what He wills, and your doubt about His power to send down a table from heaven is a form of disbelief. So fear Allah, lest He sends down upon you His wrath, if you are indeed believers.”
The disciples responded: “We only said this so that we may eat from the table and have our hearts reassured, and know that you have spoken the truth, and be among those who bear witness to it” (Quran 5:113). This means that they wanted to eat from the table as a sign of Allah’s power and to reassure their hearts, so that they may know with certainty that Jesus had spoken the truth.
. . .
[5:113-114] states: “We ask that our hearts be at peace and that we be steadfast in our faith, knowing that You are truthful in Your promise to us. We also ask to be among those who bear witness to the truth of this table [of food] sent down from heaven.” This verse is a prayer from Jesus, son of Mary, as mentioned in the Quran (5:112-115). He asks God to send down a table of food from heaven as a sign and a blessing for his people.
The scholars of interpretation have differed in their understanding of the phrase “it will be a festival for us, for our first ones and our last ones.” Some have said that it means they will take the day on which the table is sent down as a holiday to be celebrated by them and their descendants.
One of those who held this view was Muhammad ibn al-Husayn, who reported from Ahmad ibn al-Mufaddal, who reported from Asbat, who reported from al-Suddi that Jesus said: “We will take the day on which it is sent down as a holiday to be celebrated by us and our descendants.”
Another scholar, Qatadah, was reported by Yazid, who reported from Sa’id, to have said: “They wanted it to be a blessing for their descendants after them.”
. . .
The people’s request, as mentioned in the verse, was not a genuine inquiry but rather a test of Jesus’ prophethood. They asked him to bring down a table from heaven, despite knowing that he was a prophet sent by Allah and that Allah had the power to grant their request.
If they had truly believed in Jesus and his message, they would have asked him for something out of necessity or need, just as one would ask a prophet to pray to Allah on their behalf. However, their request was not driven by faith or a desire to seek guidance but rather to test Jesus’ abilities.
This is evident from their statement when Jesus told them to fear Allah if they were truly believers: “We wish to eat from it and satisfy our hearts, and to know that you have indeed told the truth” (Quran 5:114). This shows that they did not trust Jesus or believe in his message, and their request was merely a test.
The people’s actions demonstrate that they had doubts and uncertainties about their faith and the prophethood of Jesus. They were not convinced of his truthfulness, and their hearts were not at peace with the reality of his message.
. . .
The table spread with food of every kind. . . Abu Abdur-Rahman, who said: “The verse ‘The table spread with food of every kind’ was revealed as a sign and a miracle.” . . . from Ibn Abbas, who said: “It was revealed to Jesus son of Mary and the disciples that they had a table with bread and fish on it, which they would eat from wherever they went, whenever they wanted.”
Al-Hasan ibn Yahya narrated to us, saying: Abdur-Razzaq told us, saying: Al-Mundhir ibn an-Nu’man told us that he heard Wahb ibn Munabbih say regarding the verse “And send down upon us a table from heaven to be for us a festival” . . . A measure of barley and its like was sent down to them. Al-Hasan said: Abu Bakr said: I told Abdus-Samad ibn Ma’qil about this, and he said: I heard Wahb say, “What benefit did it bring them?” He replied: “Nothing, but Allah placed blessings between their provisions, so a group would eat and then leave, and another group would come and eat, until they all ate and were satisfied.”
Ibn Waki’ narrated to us, saying: Ubaidullah told us, from Israil, from Abu Yahya, from Mujahid, who said: “It is the food that descends upon them wherever they are.”
. . .
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “The table was sent down as bread and meat, and they were commanded not to betray, nor hoard, nor store for the next day. But they betrayed, hoarded, and stored, so Allah transformed them into monkeys and pigs.” This narration is reported by Ammar bin Yasir through a chain of transmission that includes Khilas bin Amr, Qatadah, Sa’id, Sufyan bin Habib, and Al-Hasan bin Qaz’ah.
Another narration from Ibn Abbas states that the table was food sent down from heaven wherever they camped. Others said it had fruits from paradise on it.
A similar narration is reported by Ammar through a chain of transmission that includes Khilas bin Amr, Qatadah, Sa’id, and Muhammad bin Bashar. In this version, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ says, “The table was sent down with fruits from paradise, and they were commanded not to betray, nor hoard, nor store. But the people betrayed, became corrupt, and stored, so Allah transformed them into monkeys and pigs.”
[Ma’Arif Al-Quran Tafsir from Quran.com reports:
]
. . .from Qatadah, who said: It was mentioned to us that it (the table) would descend upon them with fruits from the fruits of Paradise. They were commanded not to store anything away, nor to betray, nor to save for tomorrow. However, they did so, and when they did, Jesus informed them about it. The people betrayed him, storing away and saving for tomorrow. Others said: There was every type of food on it except meat.
. . . Maysarah said: When the table was placed before the Children of Israel, hands would reach out for all types of food. . . Zadhan, who both said: Hands would reach out for all types of food on it.
. . . from Zadhan and Maysarah regarding the verse “Is your Lord able to send down upon us a table [spread with food] from heaven?” They said: They saw hands reaching out for all types of food except meat. Others said: Allah did not send down a table to the Children of Israel. Those who said this differed, and some of them said: This is only an example that Allah has given to His creation, warning them against asking the Prophet for signs.
. . .
. . . from Qatadah regarding His statement, “And I will inform you of what you eat and what you store in your homes.” He said: When the people asked for the table, it was a tray that would descend upon them wherever they were, bearing fruit from the fruits of Paradise. Allah commanded the people not to be treacherous with it, nor to love it, nor to store it for tomorrow. This was a trial by which Allah tested them. Whenever they did something from that, ‘Isa ibn Maryam would inform them about it.
. . . Qatadah regarding His statement, “And I will inform you of what you eat and what you store.” He said: It means what they eat from the table and what they store from it. He said: When the table was sent down to them, they were commanded not to store anything. But they stored and were treacherous, so they were transformed into pigs when they stored and were treacherous. This is His statement, “But whoever disbelieves after that among you, I will punish him with a punishment by which I have never punished anyone in the worlds.”
The Correct Interpretation of the Verse
It is correct to say that Allah, the Exalted, sent down the table (al-Ma’idah) in response to the request of Jesus’ disciples. We say this based on the hadith narrated by the Prophet Muhammad and his companions, as well as the interpretations of those who came after them.
Allah does not break His promise or contradict His own words. He said in the Quran, “I will send down a table from heaven to you” (Quran 5:114). It is not possible for Allah to say this and then not fulfill it, because that would be a contradiction of His own words.
If it were possible for Allah to promise something and then not fulfill it, then He could also say, “Whoever disbelieves after this will be punished with a punishment unlike any other in the world.” But if someone were to disbelieve after hearing this warning and yet not be punished, then Allah’s promise would have no truth or validity.
As for what was on the table, it is correct to say that there was food on it. It may have been fish and bread, or fruit from paradise. However, knowing exactly what was on the table is neither beneficial nor harmful, as long as one accepts the apparent meaning of the verse.
. . . Allah says, “I will send down a table to you, and whoever disbelieves after this will be punished with a punishment unlike any other in the world.” This means that anyone who rejects the table sent by Allah will face severe punishment.