COMMENTARY:
(Verse 156)-The false charge against Mary was that she was unchaste; see Surat Maryam 19 verses 27-28. Such a charge is bad enough to make against any woman, but to make it against Mary –the Mother of Jesus- was to bring into ridicule God’s power itself. Islam is especially strong in guarding the reputation of women, slanderers of women are bound to bring four witnesses in support of their accusations, and if they fail to produce four witnesses, they are to be flogged with eighty stripes and debarred forever from being competent witnesses. See Surat Al-Nour- 24 verse 4.
(Verse 157)-The end of the life of Jesus on earth is as much involved in mystery as his birth, and indeed the greater part of his private life, except the three main years of his ministry. It is not profitable to discuss the many doubts and conjectures among the early Christian sects and among Muslim Theologians. The Orthodox Christian Churches make it a cardinal point of their doctrine that his life was taken on the Cross, that he died and was buried, that on the third day he raised in the body with his wounds intact, and walked about and conversed, and ate with his disciples, and was afterwards taken up bodily to heaven. This is necessary for the theological doctrine of blood sacrifice and the vicarious atonement for sins, which is rejected by Islam. But some of the early Christian sects did not believe that Christ was killed on the Cross. The Basilidans believed that someone else was substituted for him. The Docetae held that Christ has never had a real physical or natural body, but only an apparent phantom body, and that his Crucifixion was only apparent, not real. The Marcionite Gospel (about 138 A.D) denied that Jesus was born, and merely said that he appeared in human form. The Gospel of St. Barnabas supported the theory of substitution on the Cross. The Qur’anic teaching is that Christ was not crucified, nor killed by the Jews, notwithstanding certain apparent circumstances which produced that illusion in the minds of some of his enemies; that disputation, doubts, and conjectures on such matters are vain; and that he was taken up to God.
(Verse 158)- There is difference of opinion as to the exact interpretation of this verse. The words are: The Jews did not kill Jesus, but God raised him up (Rafa’hu=????) to Himself. One school holds that Jesus did not die the usual human death, but still lives in the body in heaven; another holds that he did die (Surat Al-Ma’ida – 5 verse 120) but not when he was supposed to be crucified, and that his being “raised up” to God means that instead of being disgraced as a malefactor –as the Jews intended- he was on the contrary honored by God as His Apostle: see next verse. The same word Rafa’a is used in association with honor in connection with Al-Mustafa [PPBUH]. See Surat Al-Sharh 94 – verse 4.
(Verse 159)- Before his death: Interpreters are not agreed as to the exact meaning. Those who hold that Jesus did not die (see last note) refer the pronoun “his” to Jesus. They say that Jesus is still living in the body and that he will appear just before the Final Day in preparation for the coming of Imam Al-Mahdi, when the world will be purified of sin and unbelief. There will be a final death before the final Resurrection, but all will have believed before that final death. Others think that “his” is better referred to “none of the People of the Book”, and the emphatic form “must believe” – La-yu’minana -??????)) denotes more a question of duty than fact. See verse 41.
(Verses 160-161-162)- The ceremonial law of the Jews forbade the eating of the flesh of the camel, rabbit and hare (Leviticus xi-4-6), and the fat of oxen, sheep, and goats (Leviticus vii-23), and was in other respects very strict.
(Verse 163)- First we have a general statement: the inspiration was sent to many Messengers, and the inspiration was of the same kind as that sent to the Apostle Muhammad [PPBUH], for God’s Message is one. Note that what is spoken of here is Inspiration, not necessarily a Book. Every nation or group of people had an apostle-(see Surat Yunus 10 verse 47). Some of these apostles have been mentioned by name in the Qur’an and some not-(verse 164). In Surat Al-Bagara 2 verse 136 and Surat Al-Imran 3 verse 84. The list here given is in three groups: (1) the first group, Abraham’s family, is the same as in verse 136 above (see the commentary) and in verse 84 as above. (2) Then we have the tragic figures of Jesus, Job, and Jonah, whose mission was from a worldly point of view unsuccessful. (3) Then we have Aaron the Priest and Solomon the King, both great figures, but each subordinate to another primary figure, i.e. Moses (mentioned in the next verse) and David (mentioned at the end of this verse). David’s distinction was the Psalms, which are still extant. Though their present form may possibly be different from the original, and they do undoubtedly include Psalms not written by David, the collection contains much devotional poetry of a high order.
(Verse 164)- God spoke to Moses on Mount of Sinai through a cloud: (Exod. xxxiv.5). Hence the title of Moses in Muslim theology: Kalimu-Allah=???? ????) (the one to whom God spoke).
(Verse 165)- Every Apostle proclaims God’s goodness to the righteous and forgiveness to those who repent (good news-glad tidings), and the wrath to come for those who reject faith and live in iniquity (warning). Their mission of warning is a prelude and complement to their mission of good news. No one can they say that he or she did not know.
(Verses 166-167-168) – Inspiration, though it is clothed in human language, and shaped to personality of the inspired one, proceeds from the knowledge of God, and therefore often contains more meaning than the inspired one himself realizes.
(Verse 169)- Easy- not in the sense that God takes any pleasure in any of His creatures going astray. The contrary is the case: for God’s Grace recognizes all goo in us to such an extent that it is compared to gratitude in verse 147. We must understand easy in the sense that God is Supreme in knowledge and power; if any forces of rebellion foolishly think that they can evade punishment, they are mistaken. Punishment comes as a matter of course. It is not a matter of difficulty or exertion on the part of God.
(Verse 170)- God’s solicitude for us is for our own good, not because He gets any advantage from it; for He is independent of all things, and everything declares His glory and praise.
(Verse 171)- Just as a foolish servant may go wrong by excess of zeal for his master, so in religion people’s excesses may lead them to blasphemy or a spirit the very opposite to religion. The Jewish excesses in the direction of formalism, racialism, exclusiveness, and rejection of Christ Jesus have been denounced in many places. Here the Christian attitude is condemned, which raises Jesus to an equality with God; in some cases venerates Mary almost adulatory; attributes a physical son to God; and invents the doctrine of the Trinity –opposed to all reason- which according to the Athanasius Creed, unless a man believes, he is doomed to hell forever. Let our Muslims also beware lest they fall into excesses either in doctrine or in formation.    Christ’s attributes are mentioned: (1) that he was the son of a woman –Mary- and therefore a man: (2) but an Apostle, a man with a mission from God, and therefore entitled to honor: (3) a Word bestowed on Mary, for he was created by God’s Word “BE”-Kun-?? – and he was (Surat Al-Imran 3- verse 59); (4) a spirit proceeding from God, but not God: his life and his mission were more limited than in the case of some other apostles, though we must pay equal honor him as a man of God. The doctrines of Trinity, equality with God, and son ship, are repudiated as blasphemies. God is independent of all need and has no need of a son to manage His affairs. The Gospel of John (whoever wrote it) has put in a great deal of Alexandrian and Gnostic mysticism round the doctrine of the word (Greek, Logos), but it is simply explained here, and our Sufis work on this explanation. 
(Verses 172-173)- Christ often watched and prayed as a humble worshipper of God; and his glory in the Garden of Gethsemane was full of human dignity, suffering, and self-humiliation (see Matt. xxvi.36-45). The disdainful and the arrogant are the crew of Satan, who will be gathered together before the Supreme Throne for punishment.
(Verse 174)- The Proof and the Light are the Qur’an and the Personality, Life, and Teaching of Muhammad Al-Mustafa-PPBUH.
(Verse 175)- From Himself= From His Presence: see Al-Imran 3 verse 195. The Mercy and Grace are expressed here as especially flowing from Him.
(Verse 176)- This verse supplements the rule of inheritance to the estate of a deceased person who has left as heir neither a descendant nor an ascendant. We shall call such a person A, who may be either male or female. In verse 12, A’s case was considered where he had left uterine brothers or sisters. Here A’s case is considered where he has left brothers and/or sisters by the father’s side, whether the mother was the same or not. “Brothers” and “Sisters” in this verse must be construed to be such brothers and sisters.