Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 108

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Or, do you rather want to question your Prophet as Mūsā was questioned earlier? And whoever takes infidelity in exchange for faith has certainly missed the straight path.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Or do you ˹believers˺ intend to ask of your Messenger as Moses was asked before?[[ i.e., asking to make Allah visible to them and make the angels talk to them. ]] But whoever trades belief for disbelief has truly strayed from the Right Way.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Or would you like to question your Messenger as Moses was questioned before? Whoever exchanges faith for disbelief has indeed strayed from the sound path.

A. J. Arberry

Or do you desire to question your Messenger as Moses was questioned in former time? Whoso exchanges belief for unbelief has surely strayed from the right way.

Abdul Haleem

Do you wish to demand of your messenger something similar to what was demanded of Moses? Whoever exchanges faith for disbelief has strayed far from the right path.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Seek ye to question your apostle, even as Musa was questioned afore. And whosoever changeth belief for infidelity, he hath of a surety strayed from the even way.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Would ye question your Messenger as Moses was questioned of old? but whoever changeth from Faith to Unbelief, Hath strayed without doubt from the even way.

Abul Ala Maududi

Would you then ask your Prophet such questions as were asked of Moses in former times? In fact, anyone, who changes the way of belief for that of disbelief, has surely swerved from the Right way.

Ahmed Ali

Do you too, O believers, wish to question your Apostle as Moses was in the past? But he who takes unbelief in exchange for belief only strays from the right path.

Ahmed Raza Khan

Do you wish to ask your Noble Messenger a question similar to what Moosa was asked before? And whoever chooses disbelief instead of faith has gone astray from the Right Path.

Ali Quli Qarai

Would you question your Apostle as Moses was questioned formerly? Whoever changes faith for unfaith certainly strays from the right way.

Ali Ünal

Or do you desire (prompted by the unbelievers among the People of the Book and without perceiving the wisdom in the abrogation of some verses) to harass your Messenger with senseless questions and unanswerable demands (such as seeing God plainly) as Moses was harassed before? Whoever exchanges faith for unbelief has surely strayed from the right, even way.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Rather you (Jews!) like to question your Messenger (unduly) as Moses was questioned before? And he who adopts disbelief instead of belief, had undoubtedly strayed from the straight direction of the path.

English Literal

Or do you want that you question/ask your messenger, as Moses was questioned/asked from before, and who exchanges/replaces/substitutes the disbelief with the belief, so he had misguided the way`s/road`s straightness/equality .

Faridul Haque

Do you wish to ask your Noble Messenger a question similar to what Moosa was asked before? And whoever chooses disbelief instead of faith has gone astray from the Right Path.

Hamid S. Aziz

Do you wish to question your Messenger, as Moses was questioned in the past? But whoever takes disbelief in exchange for faith has erred from the Level Way (sawaa = even, smooth, symmetrical, proportionate, righteous, balanced, appropriate, relevant).

Hilali & Khan

Or do you want to ask your Messenger (Muhammad Peace be upon him) as Musa (Moses) was asked before (i.e. show us openly our Lord?) And he who changes Faith for disbelief, verily, he has gone astray from the right way.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Rather you wish to put questions to your Messenger, as Moses was questioned before. And whoever adopts disbelief instead of faith he indeed has lost the right direction of the way.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Rather you wish to put questions to your Apostle, as Musa was questioned before; and whoever adopts unbelief instead of faith, he indeed has lost the right direction of the way.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Or would ye question your messenger as Moses was questioned aforetime? He who chooseth disbelief instead of faith, verily he hath gone astray from a plain road.

Muhammad Sarwar

Do you want to address the Prophet in the same manner in which Moses was addressed? Anyone who exchanges belief for disbelief has certainly gone down the wrong path.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Would you rather demand of your Messenger that which was once demanded of Moses! He who exchanges belief for disbelief has surely strayed from the Right Path.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Or do you want to ask your Messenger (Muhammad) as Musa (Moses) was asked before (i.e. show us openly our Lord) And he who changes faith for disbelief, verily, he has gone astray from the right way.

Wahiduddin Khan

Do you [all] want to question your messenger just as Moses was questioned previously? Anyone who exchanges faith for unbelief has strayed from the right path.

Talal Itani

Or do you want to question your Messenger as Moses was questioned before? Whoever exchanges faith for disbelief has strayed from the right path.

Tafsir jalalayn

When the Meccans asked [the Prophet] to enlarge the size of Mecca and make Saf full of gold, the following was revealed; Or do you desire to question your Messenger as Moses was questioned, by his people, aforetime?, when they asked him to show them God openly among other things; whoever exchanges belief for unbelief, taking the latter in place of the former by refraining from contemplating the clear proofs and by requesting others instead, has surely strayed from the even way, meaning, he has mistaken the proper path (al-saw` essentially means al-wasat, `middle way').

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The Prohibition of Unnecessary Questions

Allah said;

أَمْ تُرِيدُونَ أَن تَسْأَلُواْ رَسُولَكُمْ كَمَا سُيِلَ مُوسَى مِن قَبْلُ

Or do you want to ask your Messenger (Muhammad) as Musa (Moses) was asked before (i.e. show us openly our Lord)! And he who changes faith for disbelief, verily, he has gone astray from the right way.

In this Ayah, Allah forbade the believers from asking the Prophet numerous questions about matters that did not occur yet.

Similarly, Allah said,

يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لاأَ تَسْأَلُواْ عَنْ أَشْيَأءَ إِن تُبْدَ لَكُمْ تَسُوْكُمْ وَإِن تَسْأَلُواْ عَنْهَا حِينَ يُنَزَّلُ الْقُرْءَانُ تُبْدَ لَكُمْ

O you who believe! Ask not about things which, if made plain to you, may cause you trouble. But if you ask about them while the Qur'an is being revealed, they will be made plain to you. (5;101)

This Ayah means,

"If you ask about a matter after it is revealed, it shall be duly explained to you. Therefore, do not ask about matters that have not occurred yet, for they might become prohibited, due to your questions."

This is why the Sahih narrated,

إِنَّ أَعْظَمَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ جُرْمًا مَنْ سَأَلَ عَنْ شَيْءٍ لَمْ يُحَرَّمْ فَحُرِّمَ مِنْ أَجْلِ مَسْأَلَتِه

The greatest criminal among the Muslims is the one who asks if a thing is prohibited, which is not prohibited, and it becomes prohibited because of his asking about it.

This is why when the Messenger of Allah was asked about a husband who finds another man with his wife; if he exposes the adultery, he will be exposing a major incident; if he is quiet about it, he will be quiet about a major matter. The Messenger of Allah did not like such questions. Later on, Allah revealed the ruling of Mula`anah (Refer to 24;6-9 in the Qur'an).

The Two Sahihs recorded that Al-Mughirah bin Shu`bah said that;

the Messenger of Allah "Forbade saying, `It was said' and `He said,' and wasting money and asking many questions."

Muslim recorded that the Prophet said,

ذَرُونِي مَا تَرَكْتُكُمْ فَإِنَّمَا هَلَكَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ بِكَثْرَةِ سُوَالِهِمْ وَاخْتِلَفِهِمْ عَلى أَنْبِيَايِهِمْ فَإِذَا أَمَرْتُكُمْ بِأَمْرٍ فَأْتُوا مِنْهُ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ وَإِنْ نَهَيْتُكُمْ عَنْ شَيْءٍ فَاجْتَنِبُوه

Leave me as I leave you; those before you were only destroyed because of their excessive questioning and disputing with their Prophets. Therefore, when I command you with a matter, adhere to it as much as you can, and when I forbid from something, avoid it.

The Prophet only said this after he told the Companions that Allah has ordered them to perform Hajj. A man asked, "Every year, O Messenger of Allah?"

The Prophet did not answer him, but he repeated his question three times.

Then the Prophet said,

لَاا وَلَوْ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ لَوَجَبَتْ وَلَوْ وَجَبَتْ لَمَا اسْتَطَعْتُم

No. Had I said yes, it would have been ordained, and you would not have been able to implement it.

This is why Anas bin Malik said,

"We were forbidden from asking the Messenger of Allah about things. So we were delighted when a Bedouin man would come and ask him while we listened."

Muhammad bin Ishaq said that Muhammad bin Abi Muhammad told him that Ikrimah or Sa`id said that Ibn Abbas said that Rafi bin Huraymilah or Wahb bin Zayd said,

"O Muhammad! Bring us a Book sent down from heaven and which we could read, and make some rivers flow for us, then we will follow you and believe in you." Allah sent down the answer to this challenge,

أَمْ تُرِيدُونَ أَن تَسْأَلُواْ رَسُولَكُمْ كَمَا سُيِلَ مُوسَى مِن قَبْلُ وَمَن يَتَبَدَّلِ الْكُفْرَ بِالاِيمَانِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ سَوَاء السَّبِيلِ

Or do you want to ask your Messenger (Muhammad) as Musa was asked before (i.e. show us openly our Lord)! And he who changes faith for disbelief, verily, he has gone astray from the right way.

Allah criticized those who ask the Messenger of Allah about a certain matter just for the purpose of being difficult, just as the Children of Israel asked Musa out of stubbornness, rejection and rebellion.

Allah said,

وَمَن يَتَبَدَّلِ الْكُفْرَ بِالاِيمَانِ

And he who changes faith for disbelief,

meaning, whoever prefers disbelief to faith.

فَقَدْ ضَلَّ سَوَاء السَّبِيلِ



verily, he has gone astray from the right way.

meaning, he has strayed from the straight path, to the path of ignorance and misguidance.

This is the case of those who deviated from accepting the Prophets and obeying them and those who kept asking their Prophets unnecessary questions in defiance and disbelief, just as Allah said,

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ بَدَّلُواْ نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ كُفْرًا وَأَحَلُّواْ قَوْمَهُمْ دَارَ الْبَوَارِ جَهَنَّمَ يَصْلَوْنَهَا وَبِيْسَ الْقَرَارُ

Have you not seen those who have changed the blessings of Allah into disbelief (by denying Prophet Muhammad and his Message of Islam), and caused their people to dwell in the house of destruction Hell, in which they will burn and what an evil place to settle in! (14;28-29)

Abu Al-Aliyah commented,

"They exchanged comfort for hardship.