Verse 4:153 in Context

Translator Abdel Haleem

149 إِن تُبۡدُوا۟ خَیۡرًا أَوۡ تُخۡفُوهُ أَوۡ تَعۡفُوا۟ عَن سُوۤءࣲ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَفُوࣰّا قَدِیرًا ۝١٤٩ in tub'dū khayran aw tukh'fūhu aw taʿfū ʿan sūin fa-inna l-laha kāna ʿafuwwan qadīra If you do good, openly or in secret, or if you pardon something bad,then God is most forgiving and powerful 150 إِنَّ ٱلَّذِینَ یَكۡفُرُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦ وَیُرِیدُونَ أَن یُفَرِّقُوا۟ بَیۡنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦ وَیَقُولُونَ نُؤۡمِنُ بِبَعۡضࣲ وَنَكۡفُرُ بِبَعۡضࣲ وَیُرِیدُونَ أَن یَتَّخِذُوا۟ بَیۡنَ ذَ ٰلِكَ سَبِیلًا ۝١٥٠ inna alladhīna yakfurūna bil-lahi warusulihi wayurīdūna an yufarriqū bayna l-lahi warusulihi wayaqūlūna nu'minu bibaʿḍin wanakfuru bibaʿḍin wayurīdūna an yattakhidhū bayna dhālika sabīla As for those who ignore God and His messengers and want to make a distinction between them, saying, ‘We believe in some but not in others,’ seeking a middle way 151 أُو۟لَـٰۤىِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡكَـٰفِرُونَ حَقࣰّاۚ وَأَعۡتَدۡنَا لِلۡكَـٰفِرِینَ عَذَابࣰا مُّهِینࣰا ۝١٥١ ulāika humu l-kāfirūna ḥaqqan wa-aʿtadnā lil'kāfirīna ʿadhāban muhīna they are really disbelievers: We have prepared a humiliating punishment for those who disbelieve 152 وَٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦ وَلَمۡ یُفَرِّقُوا۟ بَیۡنَ أَحَدࣲ مِّنۡهُمۡ أُو۟لَـٰۤىِٕكَ سَوۡفَ یُؤۡتِیهِمۡ أُجُورَهُمۡۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورࣰا رَّحِیمࣰا ۝١٥٢ wa-alladhīna āmanū bil-lahi warusulihi walam yufarriqū bayna aḥadin min'hum ulāika sawfa yu'tīhim ujūrahum wakāna l-lahu ghafūran raḥīma But God will give [due] rewards to those who believe in Him and His messengers and make no distinction between any of them. God is most forgiving and merciful

153 یَسۡءَلُكَ أَهۡلُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ أَن تُنَزِّلَ عَلَیۡهِمۡ كِتَـٰبࣰا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَاۤءِۚ فَقَدۡ سَأَلُوا۟ مُوسَىٰۤ أَكۡبَرَ مِن ذَ ٰلِكَ فَقَالُوۤا۟ أَرِنَا ٱللَّهَ جَهۡرَةࣰ فَأَخَذَتۡهُمُ ٱلصَّـٰعِقَةُ بِظُلۡمِهِمۡۚ ثُمَّ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ ٱلۡعِجۡلَ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مَا جَاۤءَتۡهُمُ ٱلۡبَیِّنَـٰتُ فَعَفَوۡنَا عَن ذَ ٰلِكَۚ وَءَاتَیۡنَا مُوسَىٰ سُلۡطَـٰنࣰا مُّبِینࣰا ۝١٥٣ yasaluka ahlu l-kitābi an tunazzila ʿalayhim kitāban mina l-samāi faqad sa-alū mūsā akbara min dhālika faqālū arinā l-laha jahratan fa-akhadhathumu l-ṣāʿiqatu biẓul'mihim thumma ittakhadhū l-ʿij'la min baʿdi mā jāathumu l-bayinātu faʿafawnā ʿan dhālika waātaynā mūsā sul'ṭānan mubīna The People of the Book demand that you [Prophet] make a book physically come down to them from heaven, but they demanded even more than that of Moses when they said, ‘Show us God face to face,’ and were struck by the thunderbolt for their presumption. Even after clear revelations had come down to them, they took the calf as an object of worship, yet We pardoned this, and gave Moses clear authority

154 وَرَفَعۡنَا فَوۡقَهُمُ ٱلطُّورَ بِمِیثَـٰقِهِمۡ وَقُلۡنَا لَهُمُ ٱدۡخُلُوا۟ ٱلۡبَابَ سُجَّدࣰا وَقُلۡنَا لَهُمۡ لَا تَعۡدُوا۟ فِی ٱلسَّبۡتِ وَأَخَذۡنَا مِنۡهُم مِّیثَـٰقًا غَلِیظࣰا ۝١٥٤ warafaʿnā fawqahumu l-ṭūra bimīthāqihim waqul'nā lahumu ud'khulū l-bāba sujjadan waqul'nā lahum lā taʿdū fī l-sabti wa-akhadhnā min'hum mīthāqan ghalīẓa We made the mountain tower high above them at their pledge; We said to them, ‘Enter the gate humbly,’ and, ‘Do not break the Sabbath,’ and took a solemn pledge from them 155 فَبِمَا نَقۡضِهِم مِّیثَـٰقَهُمۡ وَكُفۡرِهِم بِءَایَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَقَتۡلِهِمُ ٱلۡأَنۢبِیَاۤءَ بِغَیۡرِ حَقࣲّ وَقَوۡلِهِمۡ قُلُوبُنَا غُلۡفُۢۚ بَلۡ طَبَعَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَیۡهَا بِكُفۡرِهِمۡ فَلَا یُؤۡمِنُونَ إِلَّا قَلِیلࣰا ۝١٥٥ fabimā naqḍihim mīthāqahum wakuf'rihim biāyāti l-lahi waqatlihimu l-anbiyāa bighayri ḥaqqin waqawlihim qulūbunā ghul'fun bal ṭabaʿa l-lahu ʿalayhā bikuf'rihim falā yu'minūna illā qalīla And so for breaking their pledge, for rejecting God’s revelations, for unjustly killing their prophets, for saying ‘Our minds are closed’- No! God has sealed them in their disbelief, so they believe only a little 156 وَبِكُفۡرِهِمۡ وَقَوۡلِهِمۡ عَلَىٰ مَرۡیَمَ بُهۡتَـٰنًا عَظِیمࣰا ۝١٥٦ wabikuf'rihim waqawlihim ʿalā maryama buh'tānan ʿaẓīma and because they disbelieved and uttered a terrible slander against Mary 157 وَقَوۡلِهِمۡ إِنَّا قَتَلۡنَا ٱلۡمَسِیحَ عِیسَى ٱبۡنَ مَرۡیَمَ رَسُولَ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَـٰكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمۡۚ وَإِنَّ ٱلَّذِینَ ٱخۡتَلَفُوا۟ فِیهِ لَفِی شَكࣲّ مِّنۡهُۚ مَا لَهُم بِهِۦ مِنۡ عِلۡمٍ إِلَّا ٱتِّبَاعَ ٱلظَّنِّۚ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ یَقِینَۢا ۝١٥٧ waqawlihim innā qatalnā l-masīḥa ʿīsā ib'na maryama rasūla l-lahi wamā qatalūhu wamā ṣalabūhu walākin shubbiha lahum wa-inna alladhīna ikh'talafū fīhi lafī shakkin min'hu mā lahum bihi min ʿil'min illā ittibāʿa l-ẓani wamā qatalūhu yaqīna and said, ‘We have killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of God.’ (They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, though it was made to appear like that to them; those that disagreed about him are full of doubt, with no knowledge to follow, only supposition: they certainly did not kill him