Tafsir Al-Jalalayn: Al-A'raaf, Ayah 169
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(And a generation hath succeeded them) a generation of people succeeded the righteous ones, but their successors, among the Jews, were evil (who inherited the Scriptures) they took the Scripture and concealed the traits and description of Muhammad (pbuh) that is in it. (They grasp the goods of this low life (as the price of evil doing)) they take bribes and other unlawful stuff of this world in exchange for concealing the traits and description of Muhammad (pbuh) (and say: It will be forgiven us) the sins we commit at night shall be forgiven during the day, and the sins we commit in the day shall be forgiven at night. (And if there came to them (again)) today (the offer of the like) similar to the unlawful that had come to them before, (they would accept it) and declaring to be lawful. (Hath not the covenant of the Scripture been taken on their behalf that they should not speak aught concerning Allah save the Truth? And they have studied that which is therein) of the traits and attributes of Muhammad (pbuh); it is also said that this means: they studied what is in it of the lawful and the unlawful but did not act upon it. (And the abode of the Hereafter) i.e. Paradise (is better, for those who ward off (evil)) ward off disbelief, idolatry, indecencies, bribery and changing the traits and description of the Prophet (pbuh) in the Torah. Warding off these is better than the abode of the life of this world. (Have ye then no sense?) do you not realise that the life of this world is vanishing and the Hereafter is everlasting?
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Al-Jalalayn Commentary
And there succeeded after them a generation who inherited the Scripture the Torah from their forefathers choosing the transient things of this inferior life that is the ephemeral aspects of this lowly thing that the world is in the way of what is lawful and what is unlawful and saying ‘It will be forgiven us’ what we have done; and yet if similar transient things were to come to them they would take them wa-in ya’tihim ‘aradun mithluhu ya’khudhūhu this sentence is a circumstantial qualifier in other words they hope for forgiveness whilst committing the same offence again and persisting in it and in the Torah there is no such promise about forgiveness for persistence in sin. Has not the covenant of the Scripture mīthāqu l-kitābi the annexation functions in place of fī ‘in’ sc. ‘the covenant in the Scripture’ been taken a-lam yu’khadh ‘has it not been taken’ is an interrogative meant as an affirmative from them that they should not say about God anything but the truth? And they have studied wa-darasū is a supplement to yu’khadh ‘has it not been taken?’ they have read what is in it so why do they impute lies to it the Scripture by ascribing to it the idea of forgiveness for persistence in sin? And the Abode of the Hereafter is better for those who are wary of what is unlawful. Do they not understand? ya‘qilūn may also be read as ta‘qilūn ‘do you not understand?’ that it is better and so prefer it to the abode of this world?