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

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.