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Ali 'Imran 23

Ayah 23 of 200 · Medinan

أَلَمۡ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ نَصِيبٗا مِّنَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ يُدۡعَوۡنَ إِلَىٰ كِتَٰبِ ٱللَّهِ لِيَحۡكُمَ بَيۡنَهُمۡ ثُمَّ يَتَوَلَّىٰ فَرِيقٞ مِّنۡهُمۡ وَهُم مُّعۡرِضُونَ ٢٣

Do you not consider, [O Muḥammad], those who were given a portion of the Scripture? They are invited to the Scripture of Allāh that it should arbitrate between them;1 then a party of them turns away, and they are refusing.

Translation: Saheeh International (English)

1 Referring to the Jews of Madīnah who refused to implement the rulings given by Allāh in the Torah or to acknowledge the Prophet (ﷺ), whose coming was mentioned therein.

Word by word

Each word's meaning and sound

  1. أَلَمۡHave notalam
  2. تَرَyou seentara
  3. إِلَى[to]ilā
  4. ٱلَّذِينَthose whoalladhīna
  5. أُوتُواْwere givenūtū
  6. نَصِيبٗاa portionnaṣīban
  7. مِّنَofmina
  8. ٱلۡكِتَٰبِthe Scripturel-kitābi
  9. يُدۡعَوۡنَThey are invitedyud'ʿawna
  10. إِلَىٰtoilā
  11. كِتَٰبِ(the) Bookkitābi
  12. ٱللَّهِ(of) Allahl-lahi
  13. لِيَحۡكُمَthat (it should) arbitrateliyaḥkuma
  14. بَيۡنَهُمۡbetween thembaynahum
  15. ثُمَّthenthumma
  16. يَتَوَلَّىٰturns awayyatawallā
  17. فَرِيقٞa partyfarīqun
  18. مِّنۡهُمۡof themmin'hum
  19. وَهُمand they (are)wahum
  20. مُّعۡرِضُونَthose who are aversemuʿ'riḍūna

Tafsir

O Prophet, did you not see the Jews who were given knowledge of the Torah proving your prophethood? When they are called to refer to the book of Allah, the Torah, so that it can decide about what they differ in, a group of their scholars and leaders turn away, ignoring the judgement of the Torah because it does not agree with their desires. The right thing for them to have done, having claimed that they follow the Torah, is to accept its judgement without hesitation.

Al-Mukhtasar in interpreting the Noble Quran