Surah Al-Baqara 2:91 — translation and meaning

البقرة · Verse 91 / 286 · Page 14

ۗ وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ آمِنُوا بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ قَالُوا نُؤْمِنُ بِمَا أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا وَيَكْفُرُونَ بِمَا وَرَاءَهُ وَهُوَ الْحَقُّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا مَعَهُمْ قُلْ فَلِمَ تَقْتُلُونَ أَنبِيَاءَ اللَّهِ مِن قَبْلُ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Word by Word

ۗ
وَإِذَا
wa-idha
And when
قِيلَ
qila
it is said
لَهُمْ
lahum
to them
آمِنُوا
aminu
Believe
بِمَا
bima
in what
أَنزَلَ
anzala
has revealed
اللَّهُ
al-lahu
Allah
قَالُوا
qalu
they say
نُؤْمِنُ
nu'minu
We believe
بِمَا
bima
in what
أُنزِلَ
unzila
was revealed
عَلَيْنَا
alayna
to us
وَيَكْفُرُونَ
wayakfuruna
And they disbelieve
بِمَا
bima
in what
وَرَاءَهُ
waraahu
(is) besides it
وَهُوَ
wahuwa
while it
الْحَقُّ
al-haqu
(is) the truth
مُصَدِّقًا
musaddiqan
confirming
لِّمَا
lima
what
مَعَهُمْ
ma'ahum
(is) with them
قُلْ
qul
Say
فَلِمَ
falima
Then why
تَقْتُلُونَ
taqtuluna
(did) you kill
أَنبِيَاءَ
anbiyaa
(the) Prophets
اللَّهِ
al-lahi
(of) Allah
مِن
min
from
قَبْلُ
qablu
before
إِن
in
if
كُنتُم
kuntum
you were
مُّؤْمِنِينَ
mu'minina
believers

Transliteration

Wa izaa qeela lahum aaminoo bimaaa anzalal laahu qaaloo nu'minu bimaaa unzila 'alainaa wa yakfuroona bimaa waraaa'ahoo wa huwal haqqu musaddiqal limaa ma'ahum; qul falima taqtuloona Ambiyaaa'al laahi min qablu in kuntum mu'mineen

Translation

And when it is said to them, "Believe in what Allah has revealed," they say, "We believe [only] in what was revealed to us." And they disbelieve in what came after it, while it is the truth confirming that which is with them. Say, "Then why did you kill the prophets of Allah before, if you are [indeed] believers?"

Verse interpretation (Tafsir)

When this group of Jews was told to have faith in the truth and guidance that Allah revealed to His Prophet, they said that they believed in what had been revealed to their prophets, and denied anything besides this, and in what was revealed to Muhammad (peace be upon him), although the Qur’ān is the truth, confirming what Allah had already revealed to them. Had they truly believed in what had been revealed to them, they would have believed in the Qur’ān. So, ask them then, O Muhammad, why they killed the prophets of Allah before, if they really had faith in the truth they brought to them.

Source: Al-Mukhtasar Tafsir — Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies.

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