Surah Al-Ma'ida 5:43 — translation and meaning

المائدة · Verse 43 / 120 · Page 115

ۚ وَكَيْفَ يُحَكِّمُونَكَ وَعِندَهُمُ التَّوْرَاةُ فِيهَا حُكْمُ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يَتَوَلَّوْنَ مِن بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ وَمَا أُولَئِكَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ

Word by Word

ۚ
وَكَيْفَ
wakayfa
But how can
يُحَكِّمُونَكَ
yuhakkimunaka
they appoint you a judge
وَعِندَهُمُ
wa'indahumu
while they (have) with them
التَّوْرَاةُ
al-tawratu
the Taurat
فِيهَا
fiha
in it
حُكْمُ
huk'mu
(is the) Command
اللَّهِ
al-lahi
(of) Allah
ثُمَّ
thumma
Then
يَتَوَلَّوْنَ
yatawallawna
they turn away
مِن
min
from
بَعْدِ
ba'di
after
ذَلِكَ
dhalika
that
وَمَا
wama
and not
أُولَئِكَ
ulaika
those
بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ
bil-mu'minina
(are) the believers

Transliteration

Wa kaifa yuhakkimoonaka wa 'indahumut Tawraatu feehaa hukmul laahi summa yatawallawna mim ba'di zaalik; wa maaa ulaaa'ika bilmu'mineen

Translation

But how is it that they come to you for judgement while they have the Torah, in which is the judgement of Allah? Then they turn away, [even] after that; but those are not [in fact] believers.

Verse interpretation (Tafsir)

These people are strange. They disbelieve you, but come to you for judgement hoping that you will pass judgement in accordance with their desires, whereas they have the Torah with them, which they claim to have faith in and which contains Allah’s law. They, then, ignore your judgement when it does not suit their desires. So they have denied what is in their scripture as well as ignored your judgement. The action of such people is not that of people of faith and they therefore do not have faith in you and what you brought.

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

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