O believers, take not as your friends those of them, who were given the Book before you, and the unbelievers, who take your religion in mockery and as a sport -- and fear God, if you are believers -- 57 And when you proclaim the call for As-Salat [call for the prayer (Adhan)], they take it (but) as a mockery and fun; that is because they are a people who understand not. 58 Say: O followers of the Book! do you find fault with us (for aught) except that we believe in Allah and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed before, and that most of you are transgressors? 59 Say, "Shall I inform you of [what is] worse than that as penalty from Allah? [It is that of] those whom Allah has cursed and with whom He became angry and made of them apes and pigs and slaves of Taghut. Those are worse in position and further astray from the sound way." 60 And when they come to you they say: we believe; whereas surely with infidelity they entered and surely with it they went forth. And Allah is Knower of that which they have been concealing. 61 And you will see many of them striving with one another to hasten in sin and exceeding the limits, and their eating of what is unlawfully acquired; certainly evil is that which they do. 62 Wherefore is it that the divines and priests forbid them not of their speaking of sin and their devouring of the forbidden? Vile indeed is that which they have been performing! 63 The Jews have said, "God's hands are bound." May they themselves be handcuffed and condemned for what they have said! God's hands are free and He distributes His favors to His creatures however He wants. The rebellion and disbelief of many of them will be intensified against you because of what has been revealed to you from your Lord. We have induced hostility and hatred among them which will remain with them up until the Day of Judgment. Whenever they kindle the fire of war, God extinguishes it. They try to destroy the land but God does not love the evil-doers. 64 If only the People of the Book had believed and been righteous, We should indeed have blotted out their iniquities and admitted them to gardens of bliss. 65 Had they performed the Torah and the Gospel, and what was sent down to them from their Lord, they would have eaten both what was above them, and what was beneath their feet. Some of them are a just nation; but many of them -- evil are the things they do. 66