Surah Al-Baqara 2:140 — translation and meaning
البقرة · Verse 140 / 286 · Page 21
ۗ ۗ ۗ أَمْ تَقُولُونَ إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطَ كَانُوا هُودًا أَوْ نَصَارَى قُلْ أَأَنتُمْ أَعْلَمُ أَمِ اللَّهُ وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن كَتَمَ شَهَادَةً عِندَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ
Word by Word
Transliteration
Am taqooloona inna Ibraaheema wa Ismaa'eela wa Ishaaq wa Ya'qooba wal asbaata kaanoo Hoodan aw Nasaaraa; qul 'a-antum a'lamu amil laah; wa man azlamu mimman katama shahaadatan 'indahoo minallaah; wa mallaahu bighaafilin 'ammaa ta'maloon
Translation
Or do you say that Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants were Jews or Christians? Say, "Are you more knowing or is Allah?" And who is more unjust than one who conceals a testimony he has from Allah? And Allah is not unaware of what you do.
Verse interpretation (Tafsir)
Or do you say, O People of the Scripture, that Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the prophets from Jacob’s descendants were on the path of the Jews or Christians? Ask, O Prophet, in reply to them, whether they are more knowledgeable or is Allah. If they claim that they were Jews or Christians, then what they say is false, because they were sent and died before the Torah and the Gospel were revealed. This shows that what they say is a lie against Allah and His Prophet, and that they hid the truth of what was revealed to them. No one does greater wrong than someone who hides firm evidence that they have from Allah, as some of the People of the Scripture did. Allah is not unaware of what you do, and you will be rewarded accordingly.
Source: Al-Mukhtasar Tafsir — Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies.
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