"It is not for a human that Allah should give him the Scripture, authority, and prophethood"—just as He gave to Jesus—"and then he says to the people, 'Be servants to me rather than Allah,'" meaning: worship me. He says: No one to whom Allah has given the Scripture, authority, and prophethood would do that.
Al-Hasan said: He (Allah) used this as an argument against them, because of their claim [that Jesus deserves to be worshipped], and because they accepted that from Allah, and it is in their Book which was sent down from Allah.
He says: "But, 'Be rabbaniyyin' (devout scholars of the Lord)," meaning: But he says to them, "Be rabbaniyyin," i.e., scholars and jurists, "because you have been teaching the Book and because you have been studying it," meaning: reading it.
﴿مَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَنْ يُؤْتِيَهُ الله الْكتاب وَالْحكم والنبوة﴾ كَمَا آتى عيسي ﴿ثُمَّ يَقُولَ لِلنَّاسِ كُونُوا عِبَادًا لِي مِنْ دون الله﴾ أَي: اعبدوني؛ يَقُول: لَا يفعل ذَلِك من آتَاهُ الله الْكتاب وَالْحكم والنبوة.
قَالَ الْحسن: احْتج (ل ٤٨) عَلَيْهِم بِهَذَا؛ لقَولهم [إِن عيسي يَنْبَغِي لَهُ أَن يعبد] وَأَنَّهُمْ قبلوا ذَلِك عَن الله، وَهُوَ فِي كِتَابهمْ الَّذِي نزل من عِنْد الله.
قَالَ ﴿وَلَكِنْ كُونُوا ربانيين﴾ أَي: وَلَكِن يَقُول لَهُم: كونُوا ربانيين؛ أَي: عُلَمَاء فُقَهَاء ﴿بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تُعَلِّمُونَ الْكِتَابَ وَبِمَا كُنْتُمْ تدرسون﴾ تقرءون
