Verse 2:142 in Context
Translator
Abdel Haleem
138
صِبۡغَةَ ٱللَّهِ وَمَنۡ أَحۡسَنُ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ صِبۡغَةࣰۖ وَنَحۡنُ لَهُۥ عَـٰبِدُونَ ١٣٨
ṣib'ghata l-lahi waman aḥsanu mina l-lahi ṣib'ghatan wanaḥnu lahu ʿābidūn
‘[Our life] takes its colour from God, and who gives a better colour than God? It is Him we worship.’
139
قُلۡ أَتُحَاۤجُّونَنَا فِی ٱللَّهِ وَهُوَ رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكُمۡ وَلَنَاۤ أَعۡمَـٰلُنَا وَلَكُمۡ أَعۡمَـٰلُكُمۡ وَنَحۡنُ لَهُۥ مُخۡلِصُونَ ١٣٩
qul atuḥājjūnanā fī l-lahi wahuwa rabbunā warabbukum walanā aʿmālunā walakum aʿmālukum wanaḥnu lahu mukh'liṣūn
Say [Prophet] [to the Jews and Christians], ‘How can you argue with us about God when He is our Lord and your Lord? Our deeds belong to us, and yours to you. We devote ourselves entirely to Him
140
أَمۡ تَقُولُونَ إِنَّ إِبۡرَ ٰهِـۧمَ وَإِسۡمَـٰعِیلَ وَإِسۡحَـٰقَ وَیَعۡقُوبَ وَٱلۡأَسۡبَاطَ كَانُوا۟ هُودًا أَوۡ نَصَـٰرَىٰۗ قُلۡ ءَأَنتُمۡ أَعۡلَمُ أَمِ ٱللَّهُۗ وَمَنۡ أَظۡلَمُ مِمَّن كَتَمَ شَهَـٰدَةً عِندَهُۥ مِنَ ٱللَّهِۗ وَمَا ٱللَّهُ بِغَـٰفِلٍ عَمَّا تَعۡمَلُونَ ١٤٠
am taqūlūna inna ib'rāhīma wa-is'māʿīla wa-is'ḥāqa wayaʿqūba wal-asbāṭa kānū hūdan aw naṣārā qul a-antum aʿlamu ami l-lahu waman aẓlamu mimman katama shahādatan ʿindahu mina l-lahi wamā l-lahu bighāfilin ʿammā taʿmalūn
Or are you saying that Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes were Jews or Christians?’ [Prophet], ask them, ‘Who knows better: you or God? Who could be more wicked than those who hide a testimony [they received] from God? God is not unmindful of what you do.’
141
تِلۡكَ أُمَّةࣱ قَدۡ خَلَتۡۖ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتۡ وَلَكُم مَّا كَسَبۡتُمۡۖ وَلَا تُسۡءَلُونَ عَمَّا كَانُوا۟ یَعۡمَلُونَ ١٤١
til'ka ummatun qad khalat lahā mā kasabat walakum mā kasabtum walā tus'alūna ʿammā kānū yaʿmalūn
That community passed away: what they earned belongs to them, and what you earn belongs to you. You will not be answerable for their deeds
142
۞ سَیَقُولُ ٱلسُّفَهَاۤءُ مِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَا وَلَّىٰهُمۡ عَن قِبۡلَتِهِمُ ٱلَّتِی كَانُوا۟ عَلَیۡهَاۚ قُل لِّلَّهِ ٱلۡمَشۡرِقُ وَٱلۡمَغۡرِبُۚ یَهۡدِی مَن یَشَاۤءُ إِلَىٰ صِرَ ٰطࣲ مُّسۡتَقِیمࣲ ١٤٢
sayaqūlu l-sufahāu mina l-nāsi mā wallāhum ʿan qib'latihimu allatī kānū ʿalayhā qul lillahi l-mashriqu wal-maghribu yahdī man yashāu ilā ṣirāṭin mus'taqīmi
The foolish people will say, ‘What has turned them away from the prayer direction they used to face?’ Say, ‘East and West belong to God. He guides whoever He will to the right way.’
143
وَكَذَ ٰلِكَ جَعَلۡنَـٰكُمۡ أُمَّةࣰ وَسَطࣰا لِّتَكُونُوا۟ شُهَدَاۤءَ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَیَكُونَ ٱلرَّسُولُ عَلَیۡكُمۡ شَهِیدࣰاۗ وَمَا جَعَلۡنَا ٱلۡقِبۡلَةَ ٱلَّتِی كُنتَ عَلَیۡهَاۤ إِلَّا لِنَعۡلَمَ مَن یَتَّبِعُ ٱلرَّسُولَ مِمَّن یَنقَلِبُ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَیۡهِۚ وَإِن كَانَتۡ لَكَبِیرَةً إِلَّا عَلَى ٱلَّذِینَ هَدَى ٱللَّهُۗ وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِیُضِیعَ إِیمَـٰنَكُمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِٱلنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفࣱ رَّحِیمࣱ ١٤٣
wakadhālika jaʿalnākum ummatan wasaṭan litakūnū shuhadāa ʿalā l-nāsi wayakūna l-rasūlu ʿalaykum shahīdan wamā jaʿalnā l-qib'lata allatī kunta ʿalayhā illā linaʿlama man yattabiʿu l-rasūla mimman yanqalibu ʿalā ʿaqibayhi wa-in kānat lakabīratan illā ʿalā alladhīna hadā l-lahu wamā kāna l-lahu liyuḍīʿa īmānakum inna l-laha bil-nāsi laraūfun raḥīmu
We have made you [believers] into a just community, so that you may bear witness [to the truth] before others and so that the Messenger may bear witness [to it] before you. We only made the direction the one you used to face [Prophet] in order to distinguish those who follow the Messenger from those who turn on their heels: that test was hard, except for those God has guided. God would never let your faith go to waste [believers], for God is most compassionate and most merciful towards people
144
قَدۡ نَرَىٰ تَقَلُّبَ وَجۡهِكَ فِی ٱلسَّمَاۤءِۖ فَلَنُوَلِّیَنَّكَ قِبۡلَةࣰ تَرۡضَىٰهَاۚ فَوَلِّ وَجۡهَكَ شَطۡرَ ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ ٱلۡحَرَامِۚ وَحَیۡثُ مَا كُنتُمۡ فَوَلُّوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمۡ شَطۡرَهُۥۗ وَإِنَّ ٱلَّذِینَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ لَیَعۡلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ ٱلۡحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّهِمۡۗ وَمَا ٱللَّهُ بِغَـٰفِلٍ عَمَّا یَعۡمَلُونَ ١٤٤
qad narā taqalluba wajhika fī l-samāi falanuwalliyannaka qib'latan tarḍāhā fawalli wajhaka shaṭra l-masjidi l-ḥarāmi waḥaythu mā kuntum fawallū wujūhakum shaṭrahu wa-inna alladhīna ūtū l-kitāba layaʿlamūna annahu l-ḥaqu min rabbihim wamā l-lahu bighāfilin ʿammā yaʿmalūn
Many a time We have seen you [Prophet] turn your face towards Heaven, so We are turning you towards a prayer direction that pleases you. Turn your face in the direction of the Sacred Mosque: wherever you [believers] may be, turn your faces to it. Those who were given the Scripture know with certainty that this is the Truth from their Lord: God is not unaware of what they do
145
وَلَىِٕنۡ أَتَیۡتَ ٱلَّذِینَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ بِكُلِّ ءَایَةࣲ مَّا تَبِعُوا۟ قِبۡلَتَكَۚ وَمَاۤ أَنتَ بِتَابِعࣲ قِبۡلَتَهُمۡۚ وَمَا بَعۡضُهُم بِتَابِعࣲ قِبۡلَةَ بَعۡضࣲۚ وَلَىِٕنِ ٱتَّبَعۡتَ أَهۡوَاۤءَهُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ مَا جَاۤءَكَ مِنَ ٱلۡعِلۡمِ إِنَّكَ إِذࣰا لَّمِنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِینَ ١٤٥
wala-in atayta alladhīna ūtū l-kitāba bikulli āyatin mā tabiʿū qib'lataka wamā anta bitābiʿin qib'latahum wamā baʿḍuhum bitābiʿin qib'lata baʿḍin wala-ini ittabaʿta ahwāahum min baʿdi mā jāaka mina l-ʿil'mi innaka idhan lamina l-ẓālimīn
Yet even if you brought every proof to those who were given the Scripture, they would not follow your prayer direction, nor will you follow theirs, nor indeed will any of them follow one another’s direction. If you [Prophet] were to follow their desires, after the knowledge brought to you, you would be doing wrong
146
ٱلَّذِینَ ءَاتَیۡنَـٰهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ یَعۡرِفُونَهُۥ كَمَا یَعۡرِفُونَ أَبۡنَاۤءَهُمۡۖ وَإِنَّ فَرِیقࣰا مِّنۡهُمۡ لَیَكۡتُمُونَ ٱلۡحَقَّ وَهُمۡ یَعۡلَمُونَ ١٤٦
alladhīna ātaynāhumu l-kitāba yaʿrifūnahu kamā yaʿrifūna abnāahum wa-inna farīqan min'hum layaktumūna l-ḥaqa wahum yaʿlamūn
Those We gave Scripture know it as well as they know their own sons, but some of them hide the truth that they know
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