Surah An-Nisa 4:46 — translation and meaning
النساء · Verse 46 / 176 · Page 86
ۚ مِّنَ الَّذِينَ هَادُوا يُحَرِّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ عَن مَّوَاضِعِهِ وَيَقُولُونَ سَمِعْنَا وَعَصَيْنَا وَاسْمَعْ غَيْرَ مُسْمَعٍ وَرَاعِنَا لَيًّا بِأَلْسِنَتِهِمْ وَطَعْنًا فِي الدِّينِ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا وَاسْمَعْ وَانظُرْنَا لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَّهُمْ وَأَقْوَمَ وَلَكِن لَّعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِكُفْرِهِمْ فَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا
Word by Word
Transliteration
Minal lazeena haadoo yuharrifoonal Kalima 'am mawaadi'ihee wa yaqooloona sami'naa wa 'asainaa wasma' ghaira musma'inw wa raa'inaa laiyam bi alsinatihim wa ta'nan fiddeen; wa law annahum qaaloo sami'naa wa ata'naa wasma' wanzurnaa lakaana khairal lahum wa aqwama wa laakil la ''anahumul laahu bikufrihim falaa yu'minoona illaa qaleela
Translation
Among the Jews are those who distort words from their [proper] usages and say, "We hear and disobey" and "Hear but be not heard" and "Ra'ina," twisting their tongues and defaming the religion. And if they had said [instead], "We hear and obey" and "Wait for us [to understand]," it would have been better for them and more suitable. But Allah has cursed them for their disbelief, so they believe not, except for a few.
Verse interpretation (Tafsir)
Among the Jews are an evil group who change the words Allah sent down, interpreting them in a way that they were not revealed. They say to the Messenger (peace be upon him), when he instructs them in something, that they hear and disobey, and say, “Listen to us, may you not hear!; and give the wrong impression when they say, ‘Rā’inā’: meaning ‘watch over us’ when they really mean ‘ru’ūnah’ or ‘silliness’, twisting what they say when they want to call the Prophet (peace be upon him) so that they say something insulting to the faith. If they had said ‘We hear and obey’, instead of ‘We hear and disobey’; ‘Listen’, instead of ‘‘Listen to us, may you not hear!"; and had truly said, ‘Watch over us’, then these would have been better for them than what they said, and more appropriate, being worthy and correct behaviour in the presence of the Prophet (peace be upon him). But Allah condemned them and removed them from His mercy due to their disbelief, because they do not have faith in any way that is beneficial.
Source: Al-Mukhtasar Tafsir — Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies.
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