Hadith: Indeed, Allah Almighty revealed: {Whoever does not judge according to what Allah has revealed, it is they who are the disbelievers}

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُما قَالَ:
إِنَّ اللهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنْزَلَ: {وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمِ الْكَافِرُونَ} [المائدة: 44] وَ {فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ} [المائدة: 45] وَ {فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ} [المائدة: 47] ، قَالَ: قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: أَنْزَلَهَا اللهُ فِي الطَّائِفَتَيْنِ مِنَ اليَهُودِ، وَكَانَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا قَدْ قَهَرَتِ الأُخْرَى فِي الجَاهِلِيَّةِ، حَتَّى ارْتَضَوْا وَاصْطَلَحُوا عَلَى أَنَّ كُلَّ قَتِيلٍ قَتَلَتْهُ العَزِيزَةُ مِنَ الذَّلِيلَةِ فَدِيَتُهُ خَمْسُونَ وَسْقًا، وَكُلَّ قَتِيلٍ قَتَلَتْهُ الذَّلِيلَةُ مِنَ العَزِيزَةِ فَدِيَتُهُ مِائَةُ وَسْقٍ، فَكَانُوا عَلَى ذَلِكَ حَتَّى قَدِمَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ المَدِينَةَ، وَذَلَّتِ الطَّائِفَتَانِ كِلْتَاهُمَا لِمَقْدَمِ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، ورَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَمْ يَظْهَرْ، وَلَمْ يُوطِئْهُمَا عَلَيْهِ، وَهُوَ فِي الصُّلْحِ، فَقَتَلَتِ الذَّلِيلَةُ مِنَ العَزِيزَةِ قَتِيلًا، فَأَرْسَلَتِ العَزِيزَةُ إِلَى الذَّلِيلَةِ: أَنِ ابْعَثُوا إِلَيْنَا بِمِائَةِ وَسْقٍ، فَقَالَتِ الذَّلِيلَةُ: وَهَلْ كَانَ هَذَا فِي حَيَّيْنِ قَطُّ دِينُهُمَا وَاحِدٌ، وَنَسَبُهُمَا وَاحِدٌ، وَبَلَدُهُمَا وَاحِدٌ، دِيَةُ بَعْضِهِمْ نِصْفُ دِيَةِ بَعْضٍ؟ إِنَّا إِنَّمَا أَعْطَيْنَاكُمْ هَذَا ضَيْمًا مِنْكُمْ لَنَا، وَفَرَقًا مِنْكُمْ، فَأَمَّا إِذْ قَدِمَ مُحَمَّدٌ فَلَا نُعْطِيكُمْ ذَلِكَ، فَكَادَتِ الحَرْبُ تَهِيجُ بَيْنَهُمَا، ثُمَّ ارْتَضَوْا عَلَى أَنْ يَجْعَلُوا رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَيْنَهُمْ، ثُمَّ ذَكَرَتِ العَزِيزَةُ، فَقَالَتْ: وَاللهِ مَا مُحَمَّدٌ بِمُعْطِيكُمْ مِنْهُمْ ضِعْفَ مَا يُعْطِيهِمْ مِنْكُمْ، وَلَقَدْ صَدَقُوا، مَا أَعْطَوْنَا هَذَا إِلَّا ضَيْمًا مِنَّا، وَقَهْرًا لَهُمْ، فَدُسُّوا إِلَى مُحَمَّدٍ مَنْ يَخْبُرُ لَكُمْ رَأْيَهُ: إِنْ أَعْطَاكُمْ مَا تُرِيدُونَ حَكَّمْتُمُوهُ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يُعْطِكُمْ حَذِرْتُمْ فَلَمْ تُحَكِّمُوهُ، فَدَسُّوا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ نَاسًا مِنَ المُنَافِقِينَ لِيَخْبُرُوا لَهُمْ رَأْيَ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَلَمَّا جَاءَ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَخْبَرَ اللهُ رَسُولَهُ بِأَمْرِهِمْ كُلِّهِ وَمَا أَرَادُوا، فَأَنْزَلَ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ {يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ لَا يَحْزُنْكَ الَّذِينَ يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْكُفْرِ مِنَ الذِينَ قَالُوا آمَنَّا} [المائدة: 41] إِلَى قَوْلِهِ: {وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمِ الْفَاسِقُونَ} [المائدة: 47] ثُمَّ قَالَ فِيهِمَا: وَاللهِ نَزَلَتْ، وَإِيَّاهُمَا عَنَى الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.
[حسن] - [رواه أحمد] - [مسند أحمد: 2212]

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported:
Indeed, Allah Almighty revealed: {Whoever does not judge according to what Allah has revealed, it is they who are the disbelievers} [Surat al-Mā’idah: 44] and {It is they who are the wrongdoers} [Surat al-Mā’idah: 45] and {It is they who are the rebellious} [Surat al-Mā’idah: 47] He said: Ibn ‘Abbās said: Allah revealed these verses regarding two groups from among the Jews. One group had overpowered the other in the pre-Islamic period, and they had agreed that if a person from the powerful tribe killed one from the weaker tribe, the Diyyah (blood money) would be fifty Wasqs, but if a person from the weaker tribe killed one from the stronger tribe, the Diyyah would be one hundred Wasqs. They remained upon this until the Prophet (ﷺ) came to Madīnah. Both tribes humbled themselves due to the arrival of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)—while he had not yet gained authority over them and was still in a state of truce with them. Then it happened that a person from the weaker tribe killed someone from the stronger one. The stronger tribe demanded: Pay us one hundred Wasqs. The weaker tribe replied: How can that be? Our religion and lineage are one, and we live in the same land. How can the blood money of some of us be half that of others? We only gave you this before out of fear and submission to your might. But now that Muhammad has come, we will no longer pay this. A war nearly erupted between them, but they agreed to appoint the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as their judge. The stronger tribe said: By Allah, Muhammad will not let you be given from them double of what he gives them from you. They have spoken the truth—they only gave us this out of fear and submission to our dominance. So send someone secretly to find out what Muhammad will decide. If he gives you the judgment you want, then appoint him as judge; otherwise, beware and do not let him judge between you. So they sent some hypocrites to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to spy and find out his opinion. When they came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), Allah revealed to His Messenger all that they had planned and intended. Then Allah Almighty revealed: {O Messenger, do not grieve for those who rush to disbelief – those who say with their mouths, “We believe”} [Surat al-Mā’idah: 41] until His saying: {Whoever does not judge according to what Allah has revealed, it is they who are the rebellious.} [Surat al-Mā’idah: 47] Then he said: By Allah, these verses were revealed concerning them, and it was them that Allah Almighty meant.
[Good hadith] - [Narrated by Ahmad] - [Musnad Ahmad - 2212]

Explanation

Among the Jews of Madīnah were Banu Quraydah and Banu an-Nadīr. One of the two tribes had overpowered and subdued the other during the pre-Islamic period. They agreed and made a pact that if a person from the strong and dominant tribe killed someone from the weaker and subjugated tribe, the blood money would be fifty Wasqs only; but if the weaker tribe killed someone from the stronger one, the blood money would be double—one hundred Wasqs (1 Wasq equals sixty Sā‘s, a traditional measure of volume). They remained upon that agreement until the Prophet (ﷺ) arrived in Madīnah as an emigrant. Both tribes then submitted to his presence (ﷺ), even though at that time he (ﷺ) had not yet triumphed over his enemies nor compelled them to obey him, for that was at the beginning of the Hijrah, during a period of peace. Then the weaker tribe killed a man from the stronger tribe. So the stronger tribe sent a message to the weaker one, saying: Send us one hundred Wasqs as agreed. The weaker tribe replied: Has it ever been that two clans, whose religion is one, whose lineage is one, and whose land is one, have unequal blood money—some worth half of the others? We only gave you that before, out of a sense of injustice toward us and fear of you. But now that Muhammad has arrived, we will never give you that again. War was about to break out between them, but they agreed instead to make the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) a judge between them. Then the stronger tribe reconsidered and said: By Allah, Muhammad will not give you from them double of what he gives them from you. They have spoken the truth—they only gave us that before out of injustice and domination over them. So secretly send someone to Muhammad to find out his opinion for you: if he gives you what you want, you will appoint him as judge; but if he does not grant you what you desire, you will avoid him and not make him a judge between you. So they secretly sent some of the hypocrites to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to find out his opinion. When they came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), Allah revealed to him all about their affair and what they intended. Then Allah Almighty revealed in Surat al-Mā’idah, beginning with His words: {O Messenger, do not grieve for those who rush to disbelief – those who say with their mouths, “We believe”} [Surat al-Mā’idah: 41] until His saying: {Whoever does not judge according to what Allah has revealed, it is they who are the rebellious.} [Surat al-Mā’idah: 47] Then Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) said: By Allah, these verses were revealed concerning them: {Whoever does not judge according to what Allah has revealed, it is they who are the disbelievers} [Surat al-Mā’idah: 44] And {...it is they who are the wrongdoers} [Surat al-Mā’idah: 45] And {...it is they who are the rebellious} [Surat al-Mā’idah: 47], and it was they whom Allah Almighty meant.

Benefits from the Hadith

1. The Jews knew of the Prophet's (ﷺ) truthfulness and integrity.
2. The Jews' deceit and injustice even toward their own people.
3. Declaration of Allah Almighty that the Jews will have disgrace in this world and a great punishment in the Hereafter.
4. Failing to judge by what Allah has revealed and refusing the judgment of the Prophet (ﷺ) is a sign of disbelief, injustice, and defiance.
5. The danger of the hypocrites and their cooperation with the Jews.