Surah Al-Baqara 2:104 — translation and meaning
البقرة · Verse 104 / 286 · Page 16
ۗ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَقُولُوا رَاعِنَا وَقُولُوا انظُرْنَا وَاسْمَعُوا وَلِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
Word by Word
Transliteration
Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanoo laa taqooloo raa'inaa wa qoolun zurnaa wasma'oo; wa lilkaafireena 'azaabun aleem
Translation
O you who have believed, say not [to Allah 's Messenger], "Ra'ina" but say, "Unthurna" and listen. And for the disbelievers is a painful punishment.
Verse interpretation (Tafsir)
Allah directs the believers to choose their words carefully, telling them not to say ‘rā‘inā’, meaning ‘look after us’ or ‘shepherd us’, when addressing the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), because some of the Jews would mock what they said, twisting the words when addressing the Prophet (peace be upon him) themselves, corrupting its meaning to mean ‘foolish’ or ‘evil’. So, Allah told them not to use these words in order to prevent such mockery. He instructed them to say ‘unẓurnā’ instead, meaning ‘watch over us’, because the use of this word has no negative implications. Without doubt, the disbelievers in Allah will have a painful torment.
Source: Al-Mukhtasar Tafsir — Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies.
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