سَمَّاعُونَ لِلْكَذِبِ أَكَّالُونَ لِلسُّحْتِ فَإِنْ جَاءُوكَ فَاحْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ أَوْ أَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ وَإِنْ تُعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ فَلَنْ يَضُرُّوكَ شَيْئًا وَإِنْ حَكَمْتَ فَاحْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ بِالْقِسْطِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ ﴿۴۲﴾ وَكَيْفَ يُحَكِّمُونَكَ وَعِنْدَهُمُ التَّوْرَاةُ فِيهَا حُكْمُ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يَتَوَلَّوْنَ مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ وَمَا أُولَئِكَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿۴۳﴾ إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَا التَّوْرَاةَ فِيهَا هُدًى وَنُورٌ يَحْكُمُ بِهَا النَّبِيُّونَ الَّذِينَ أَسْلَمُوا لِلَّذِينَ هَادُوا وَالرَّبَّانِيُّونَ وَالْأَحْبَارُ بِمَا اسْتُحْفِظُوا مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ وَكَانُوا عَلَيْهِ شُهَدَاءَ فَلَا تَخْشَوُا النَّاسَ وَاخْشَوْنِ وَلَا تَشْتَرُوا بِآيَاتِي ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ ﴿۴۴﴾

﴾42﴿ Sammaa'oona lilkazibi akkaaloona lissuht; fa in jaaa'ooka fahkum bainahum aw a'rid anhum wa in tu'rid 'anhum falany-yadurrooka shai'anw wa in hakamta fahkum bainahum bilqist; innal laaha yuhibbul muqsiteen
﴾43﴿ Wa kaifa yuhakkimoonaka wa 'indahumut Tawraatu feehaa hukmul laahi summa yatawallawna mim ba'di zaalik; wa maaa ulaaa'ika bilmu'mineen
﴾44﴿ Innaaa anzalnat Tawraata feehaa hudanw wa noor; yahkumu bihan Nabiyyoonal lazeena aslamoo lillazeena haadoo war rabbaaniyyoona wal ahbaaru bimas tuhfizoo min Kitaabil laahi wa kaanoo 'alaihi shuhadaaa'; falaa takhshawun naasa wakhshawni wa laa tashtaroo bi aayaatee samanan qaleelaa; wa mal lam yahkum bimaaa anzalal laahu fa ulaaa'ika humul kaafiroon

﴾42﴿ They are avid listeners to lies and devourers of the unlawful. So if they come to you, judge between them or turn away from them. And if you turn away from them, they will not harm you in the least. But if you judge, then judge between them with justice; surely, Allah loves those who act justly.
﴾43﴿ And how is it that they seek your judgment while they have the Torah, in which is the judgment of Allah? Yet they turn away after that—and they are not believers.
﴾44﴿ Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in which is guidance (for beliefs) and light (for actions). The prophets who submitted (to Allah) judged by it for the Jews, as did the godly people and the scholars, because they were entrusted with the preservation of Allah’s Book and were witnesses to it. So do not fear the people, but fear Me, and do not sell My signs for a small price (worldly gain). And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, then they are the disbelievers.

[42] In these instances, it mentions the Jews: "Sammāʿūn lil-kadhib": "Sammāʿūn" initially means those who readily accept false news. "Akkālūn li-s-suḥt": "Akkālūn" is an emphatic form indicating excessive and persistent engagement in this sin.
"Suḥt" originally means uprooting and is used metaphorically for illicit gains because it uproots blessings and is also associated with ruin. Al-Qurtubi has written extensively about "suḥt," defining it as taking bribes or fulfilling someone's needs in return for gifts. An-Naysaburi has mentioned that "suḥt" refers to any unlawful gain that is notably shameful, such as bribery or earnings from prostitution.
"Fa-in jā'ūka": Regarding this verse, there are two opinions among the interpreters: The first is that this verse has been abrogated by the verse "Wa-in ḥakamta baynahum bimā anzala Allāh" (And if you judge among them with what Allah has revealed), meaning that it is obligatory for Muslim judges to decide among non-Muslims. The second opinion is that in Surah Al-Ma'idah, this verse is not abrogated, so if the dhimmis (non-Muslim citizens of an Islamic state) or non-believers bring their disputes, it is up to the judge to decide whether to adjudicate or not.
[43] This too is a torment for the Jews, and two other disgraceful traits of theirs are mentioned. This implies that when the Jews sought judgment, their purpose was not to uphold truth and the Divine law, but rather to find an easy way for themselves. "In it is the judgment of Allah" refers to the ruling in the Torah that has not been abrogated by the Qur'an, such as stoning or retribution (qisās). "And they are not believers" — Qurtubi said that this makes it clear that anyone who is not content with the Divine ruling and seeks judgment through another law is a disbeliever — and this was exactly the condition of the Jews.
[44] In this verse, there is a reproach for the Jews for turning away from their own book, and they had no excuse for doing so. Rather, this opposition also extended to the behavior of their leaders. It serves as an encouragement to act upon the Torah according to the way of their elders. From this verse until verse 48, three scriptures are mentioned which were revealed for judgment.
"In it is guidance and light" — the distinction here is that guidance refers to the clarification of correct actions and beliefs, and light refers to the removal of doubts through the presentation of evidence.
"The prophets judged by it" — this points to the purpose of the Torah's revelation, which was to establish laws and resolve disputes through it, in accordance with the explanations of the prophets.
"For those who were Jews" — this indicates that the Torah was specific to them, and its legislation is not universally applicable to us.
"And the Rabbis and scholars" — the difference between them is in two aspects: first, Rabbaniyyun are scholars whose dominant trait is worship and asceticism compared to their knowledge, while Ahbar are those in whom knowledge is dominant over worship. Both combine knowledge and action.
"Because they were entrusted with the protection of Allah’s Book" — here, two reasons are given for the preceding ruling: First, Allah made it obligatory upon them to protect the Book of Allah, a protection that includes both the words and meanings — through study, teaching, safeguarding it from distortion, and implementing it as law among the people.
Second, "and they were witnesses over it" — witnesses here means having knowledge along with affirming the truth of the Book. Al-Khazin said that this is a pledge taken from all scholars regarding the Book of Allah (referring to the Qur'an).
"So do not fear the people" — this mentions two essential traits for calling to and conveying the truth of Allah’s Book: First, fear of Allah — and protecting oneself from concealing the truth or being complacent due to fear of people. Second, "and do not sell My verses for a small price" — meaning to avoid hiding the truth, being complacent, or distorting it out of worldly greed.
"And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, then they are the disbelievers" — the Khawarij used this verse as proof that whoever commits a major sin, such as abandoning judgment by what Allah has revealed, is a disbeliever and has exited Islam completely. However, the view of Ahl al-Sunnah is that committing a major sin does not expel someone from Islam unless they deny the ruling intentionally or disrespect the Shari’ah. It is narrated from Tawus that the apparent meaning of the verse is intended — that such a person is a disbeliever in the sense of "disbelief less than disbelief" (kufr dūna kufr), meaning they have not exited the Muslim community.