Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 120

Mufti Taqi Usmani

The Jews will never be pleased with you, nor will the Christians, unless you follow their faith. Say: “Guidance of Allah is, indeed, the guidance.” Were you to follow their desires despite the knowledge that has come to you, there shall be no friend for you against Allah, nor a helper.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Never will the Jews or Christians be pleased with you, until you follow their faith. Say, “Allah’s guidance is the only ˹true˺ guidance.” And if you were to follow their desires after ˹all˺ the knowledge that has come to you, there would be none to protect or help you against Allah.

Ruwwad Translation Center

The Jews and the Christians will never be pleased with you until you follow their religion. Say, “The guidance of Allah is the [true] guidance.” If you were to follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you, then you would have no protector or helper against Allah.

A. J. Arberry

Never will the Jews be satisfied with thee, neither the Christians, not till thou followest their religion. Say: 'God's guidance is the true guidance.' If thou followest their caprices, after the knowledge that has come to thee, thou shalt have against God neither protector nor helper.

Abdul Haleem

The Jews and the Christians will never be pleased with you unless you follow their ways. Say, ‘God’s guidance is the only true guidance.’ If you were to follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you, you would find no one to protect you from God or help you.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And the Jews will never be pleased with thee, nor the Nazarenes, except thou follow their faith. Say thou: verily the guidance of Allah, --that is the guidance. And of a surety wert thou to follow their desires after that which hath come unto thee of the knowledge, there will be for thee against Allah neither protector nor helper.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Never will the Jews or the Christians be satisfied with thee unless thou follow their form of religion. Say; "The Guidance of Allah,-that is the (only) Guidance." Wert thou to follow their desires after the knowledge which hath reached thee, then wouldst thou find neither Protector nor helper against Allah.

Abul Ala Maududi

The Jews and the Christians will never be satisfied with you, O Muhammad, until you follow their way. Tell them plainly, "The right way is shown by Allah." And if, after all the' knowledge you have received, you were to yield to their desires, you shall find neither any friend nor helper to protect you from Allah's wrath.

Ahmed Ali

The Jews and Christians will never be pleased with you until you follow their way. Say: "God's guidance alone is true guidance;" for if you give in to their wishes after having received the (Book of) knowledge from God, then none will you have as friend or helper to save you.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And never will the Jews or the Christians be pleased with you, until you follow their religion; say, “The guidance of Allah only is the (true) guidance”; and were you (the followers of this Prophet) to follow their desires after the knowledge has come to you, you would then not have a protector or aide against Allah.

Ali Quli Qarai

Never will the Jews be pleased with you, nor the Christians, unless you followed their creed. Say, ‘Indeed it is the guidance of Allah which is [true] guidance.’ And should you follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you, you will not have against Allah any guardian or helper.

Ali Ünal

Never will the Jews be pleased with you, nor the Christians, unless you follow their way of faith and life. Say (to them, O Messenger): "God’s guidance (represented by the Qur’an) is the true guidance." If (supposing the impossible) you were to follow their desires and fancies after the knowledge that has come to you, you will have against God neither a guardian (who can protect you from His punishment) nor a helper.

Amatul Rahman Omar

And the Jews will never be pleased with you nor the Christians unless you follow their creed. Say, `Allâh´s guidance is the only perfect and true guidance.´ If you were to follow their low desires after there has come to you this perfect knowledge, you shall have from Allâh neither a protecting friend, nor any helper.

English Literal

And the Jews and nor the Christians will not/never accept/approve about you until you follow their religion/faith . Say: "That God`s guidance, it is the guidance." And if (E) you followed their self attractions for desires after what came to you from the knowledge, (there is) none for you from (other than) God from a guardian and nor (a) victorior .

Faridul Haque

And never will the Jews or the Christians be pleased with you, until you follow their religion; say, "The guidance of Allah only is the (true) guidance"; and were you (the followers of this Prophet) to follow their desires after the knowledge has come to you, you would then not have a protector or aide against Allah.

Hamid S. Aziz

The Jews will not be satisfied with you, nor yet the Christians, until you follow their creed. Say, "Allah´s guidance is the (sufficient, correct or only) guidance;" and if you were to follow their lusts (desires, prejudices, fantasies, superstitions) after the knowledge that has come to you, you have not then from Allah a patron or a help.

Hilali & Khan

Never will the Jews nor the Christians be pleased with you (O Muhammad Peace be upon him) till you follow their religion. Say: "Verily, the Guidance of Allah (i.e. Islamic Monotheism) that is the (only) Guidance. And if you (O Muhammad Peace be upon him) were to follow their (Jews and Christians) desires after what you have received of Knowledge (i.e. the Quran), then you would have against Allah neither any Wali (protector or guardian) nor any helper.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And the Jews will not be pleased with thee, nor the Christians, unless thou follow their religion. Say: Surely Allah´s guidance, that is the (perfect) guidance. And if thou follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to thee thou shalt have from Allah no friend, nor helper.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And the Jews will not be pleased with you, nor the Christians until you follow their religion. Say: Surely Allah's guidance, that is the (true) guidance. And if you follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you, you shall have no guardian from Allah, nor any helper.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And the Jews will not be pleased with thee, nor will the Christians, till thou follow their creed. Say: Lo! the guidance of Allah (Himself) is Guidance. And if thou shouldst follow their desires after the knowledge which hath come unto thee, then wouldst thou have from Allah no protecting guardian nor helper.

Muhammad Sarwar

The Jews and Christians will never be pleased with you unless you follow their faith. (Muhammad) tell them that the guidance of God is the only true guidance. If you follow their wishes after all the knowledge that has come to you, you will no longer have God as your guardian and helper."

Qaribullah & Darwish

You will please neither the Jews nor the Nazarenes unless you follow their creed. Say: 'The guidance of Allah is the guidance' And if after all the knowledge you have been given you yield to their desires, you shall not have, other than Allah, either a guide or a helper.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Never will the Jews nor the Christians be pleased with you (O Muhammad) till you follow their religion. Say: "Verily, the guidance of Allah (i.e. Islamic Monotheism) that is the (only) guidance. And if you (O Muhammad) were to follow their (Jews and Christians) desires after what you have received of Knowledge (i.e. the Qur'an), then you would have against Allah neither any Wali (protector or guardian) nor any helper.

Wahiduddin Khan

Neither the Christians nor the Jews will be pleased with you until you follow their ways. Say, "God's guidance is the only true guidance." If you followed their desires after the knowledge which has come to you, you would not have any patron or supporter against God.

Talal Itani

The Jews and the Christians will not approve of you, unless you follow their creed. Say, “God’s guidance is the guidance.” Should you follow their desires, after the knowledge that has come to you, you will have in God neither guardian nor helper.

Tafsir jalalayn

Never will the Jews be pleased with you, neither the Christians, not until you follow their creed, their religion, Say; `God's guidance, that is, Islam, is the true guidance', besides which there is only error. And if you were (wa-la-in; the lm is for oaths) to follow their whims, hypothetically speaking, [whims] to which they are calling you, after the knowledge, the Divine revelation, that has come to you, you shall have against God neither friend, to protect you, nor helper, to defend you against Him.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Allah said,

وَلَن تَرْضَى عَنكَ الْيَهُودُ وَلَا النَّصَارَى حَتَّى تَتَّبِعَ مِلَّتَهُمْ

Never will the Jews nor the Christians be pleased with you (O Muhammad) till you follow their religion.

Ibn Jarir commented on Allah's statement,

meaning, `The Jews and the Christians will never be happy with you, O Muhammad! Therefore, do not seek what pleases or appeases them, and stick to what pleases Allah by calling them to the truth that Allah sent you with.'

Allah's statement,

قُلْ إِنَّ هُدَى اللّهِ هُوَ الْهُدَى

Say;"Verily, the guidance of Allah (i.e. Islamic Monotheism) that is the (only) guidance."

means, `Say, O Muhammad, the guidance of Allah that He sent me with is the true guidance, meaning the straight, perfect and comprehensive religion."'

Qatadah said that Allah's statement,
قُلْ إِنَّ هُدَى اللّهِ هُوَ الْهُدَى
(Say;"Verily, the guidance of Allah (i.e. Islamic Monotheism) that is the (only) guidance) is,

"A true argument that Allah taught Muhammad and his Companions and which they used against the people of misguidance."

Qatadah said,

"We were told that the Messenger of Allah used to say,

لَاا تَزَالُ طَايِفَةٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِي يُقَاتِلُونَ عَلَى الْحَقِّ ظَاهِرِينَ لَاا يَضُرُّهُمْ مَنْ خَالَفَهُمْ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ أَمْرُ الله

There will always be a group of my Ummah fighting upon the truth, having the upper hand, not harmed by their opponents, until the decree of Allah (the Last Hour) comes.

This Hadith was collected in the Sahih and narrated from Abdullah bin `Amr.

وَلَيِنِ اتَّبَعْتَ أَهْوَاءهُم بَعْدَ الَّذِي جَاءكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ مَا لَكَ مِنَ اللّهِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ



And if you (O Muhammad) were to follow their (Jews and Christians) desires after what you have received of Knowledge (i.e. the Qur'an), then you would have against Allah neither any Wali (protector or guardian) nor any helper.

This Ayah carries a stern warning for the Muslim Ummah against imitating the ways and methods of the Jews and Christians, after they have acquired knowledge of the Qur'an and Sunnah, may Allah grant us refuge from this behavior.

Although the speech in this Ayah was directed at the Messenger, the ruling of which applies to his entire Ummah.
The Meaning of Correct Tilawah

Allah said