Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 85

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Yet, here you are, killing one another, and driving a group of your own people out of their homes, supporting each other against them in sin and aggression - and if they come to you as prisoners, you would ransom them, while their very expulsion was unlawful for you! Do you, then, believe in some parts of the Book, and disbelieve in others? So, what can be the punishment of those among you who do that, except disgrace in present life? And, on the Day of Judgement, they shall be turned to the most severe punishment. And Allah is not unaware of what you do.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

But here you are, killing each other and expelling some of your people from their homes, aiding one another in sin and aggression; and when those ˹expelled˺ come to you as captives, you still ransom them—though expelling them was unlawful for you.[[ The indigenous people of Medina were divided into two warring groups: Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj. Some Jewish tribes were allied with the former and others with the latter, which meant that in times of war each of these Jewish tribes had to fight along with their allies against their enemies, including other Jews. When the Prophet (ﷺ) migrated to Medina, he brought about a lasting peace in the city.]] Do you believe in some of the Scripture and reject the rest? Is there any reward for those who do so among you other than disgrace in this worldly life and being subjected to the harshest punishment on the Day of Judgment? For Allah is never unaware of what you do.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Then here you are, killing one another and expelling a group of your people from their homes, aiding one another against them in sin and aggression. And if they come to you as captives, you ransom them, although their expulsion was forbidden to you. Do you then believe in part of the Scripture and deny another part? Then what is the recompense for those who do so among you except disgrace in this life, and on the Day of Resurrection they will be subjected to the severest torment? For Allah is not unaware of what you do.

A. J. Arberry

Then there you are killing one another, and expelling a party of you from their habitations, conspiring against them in sin and enmity; and if they come to you as captives, you ransom them; yet their expulsion was forbidden you. What, do you believe in part of the Book, and disbelieve in part? What shall be the recompense of those of you who do that, but degradation in the present life, and on the Day of Resurrection to be returned unto the most terrible of chastisement? And God is not heedless of the things you do.

Abdul Haleem

Yet here you are, killing one another and driving some of your own people from their homes, helping one another in sin and aggression against them. If they come to you as captives, you still pay to set them free, although you had no right to drive them out. So do you believe in some parts of the Scripture and not in others? The punishment for those of you who do this will be nothing but disgrace in this life, and on the Day of Resurrection they will be condemned to the harshest torment: God is not unaware of what you do.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Thereafter it is ye the very ones who slay each other and drive a party of you from their homes, and back up against them with guilt and iniquity; and if they come unto you as captives, ye ransom them, whereas forbidden unto you was their driving away itself. Believe ye then in part of the Book and disbelieve in part? What, then, is to be the meed of those of you who do that, save humiliation in the life of the world? And on the Day of Judgement they shall be brought back to the severest torment, and Allah is not neglectful of that which ye work.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

After this it is ye, the same people, who slay among yourselves, and banish a party of you from their homes; assist (Their enemies) against them, in guilt and rancour; and if they come to you as captives, ye ransom them, though it was not lawful for you to banish them. Then is it only a part of the Book that ye believe in, and do ye reject the rest? but what is the reward for those among you who behave like this but disgrace in this life?- and on the Day of Judgment they shall be consigned to the most grievous penalty. For Allah is not unmindful of what ye do.

Abul Ala Maududi

But inspite of this, you are killing your brethren and driving them out from their homes and making unjust and aggressive alliances against one another. And when they come to you as captives, you trade on their ransoms whereas their expulsion itself was unlawful for you. Do you then believe in one part of the Scriptures and disbelieve in the other? What other punishment do such people from among you deserve except an ignominious life in this world and the most grievous doom on the Day of Resurrection? Allah is not unaware of what you are doing.

Ahmed Ali

But you still kill one another, and you turn a section of your people from their homes, assisting one another against them with guilt and oppression. Yet when they are brought to you as captives you ransom them, although forbidden it was to drive them away. Do you, then, believe a part of the Book and reject a part? There is no other award for them who so act but disgrace in the world, and on the Day of Judgement the severest of punishment; for God is not heedless of all that you do.

Ahmed Raza Khan

Then it is you who began slaying each other and you drive out a group of your people from their homeland – providing support against them (to their opponents) through sin and injustice; and if they come to you as captives you redeem them, whereas their expulsion itself is forbidden to you; so do you believe in some of Allah’s commands and disbelieve in some? So what is the reward of those who do so, except disgrace in this world? And on the Day of Resurrection they will be assigned to the most grievous punishment; and Allah is not unaware of your deeds.

Ali Quli Qarai

Then there you were, killing your folks and expelling a part of your folks from their homes, backing one another against them in sin and aggression! And if they came to you as captives, you would ransom them, though their expulsion itself was forbidden you. What! Do you believe in part of the Book and deny another part? So what is the requital of those of you who do that except disgrace in the life of this world? And on the Day of Resurrection, they shall be consigned to the severest punishment. And Allah is not oblivious of what you do.

Ali Ünal

Then, here you are, killing one another, and expelling a party of your own from their habitations, conspiring against them in iniquity and enmity. If you take them as captives, you hold them to ransom, and if they are brought to you as captives, you ransom them; yet their expulsion was made religiously forbidden to you. Then (like a people having no sense) do you believe in part of the Book, and disbelieve in part? What else, then, could be the recompense of those of you who act thus than disgrace in the life of this world? On the Day of Resurrection, they will be consigned to the severest of punishment. God is not unaware and unmindful of what you do.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Yet, you are the very people who (violating the terms of the covenant) slay your own people and expel a from among you from their homes, backing up one another against them sinfully and transgressingly. And if they come to you as captives (seeking your help), you ransom them, while their very expulsion was forbidden to you. Do you believe only in a part of the Script (- covenant) while a part you deny? What is the recompense of those among you (who act like that) except disgrace in this life? And on the Day of Resurrection they shall be given over to the severest chastisement. And Allâh is not at all unmindful as to what you do.

English Literal

Then you are those who you kill yourselves and you force out a group/part from you, from their homes/countries, you cooperate/support on (against) them with the sin/crime and the transgression/injustice/aggression and if they come to you captives/prisoners you ransom them , and it is forbidden on you bringing/forcing them out. Do you believe with some/part (of) The Book and you disbelieve with some/part? So but (what is the) reward/reimbursement (of) who does that from you, except shame/scandal/disgrace in the life the present/worldly life (on) and the Resurrection Day they be returned to the torture`s strongest (severest), and God (is) not with ignoring/disregarding on what you make/do.

Faridul Haque

Then it is you who began slaying each other and you drive out a group of your people from their homeland - providing support against them (to their opponents) through sin and injustice; and if they come to you as captives you redeem them, whereas their expulsion itself is forbidden to you; so do you believe in some of Allah’s commands and disbelieve in some? So what is the reward of those who do so, except disgrace in this world? And on the Day of Resurrection they will be assigned to the most grievous punishment; and Allah is not unaware of your deeds.

Hamid S. Aziz

Yet you were those who slay your kinsmen and turn a party out of their homes, and back each other up against them with sin and enmity. But if they come to you as captives you ransom them! - and yet it is as unlawful for you to turn them out. Do you then believe in part of the Book and reject the rest? But the reward of such among you as do that shall be naught else but disgrace in this worldly life, and on the day of Judgment shall they be driven to the most grievous torment, for Allah is not unmindful of what you do.

Hilali & Khan

After this, it is you who kill one another and drive out a party of you from their homes, assist (their enemies) against them, in sin and transgression. And if they come to you as captives, you ransom them, although their expulsion was forbidden to you. Then do you believe in a part of the Scripture and reject the rest? Then what is the recompense of those who do so among you, except disgrace in the life of this world, and on the Day of Resurrection they shall be consigned to the most grievous torment. And Allah is not unaware of what you do.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Yet you it is who would slay your people and turn a party from among you out of their homes, backing each other up against them unlawfully and exceeding the limits. And if they should come to you as captives you would ransom them, whereas their turning out itself was unlawful for you. Do you then believe in a part of the Book and disbelieve in the other? What then is the reward of such among you as do this but disgrace in the life of this world, and on the day of Resurrection they shall be sent back to the most grievous chastisement. And Allah is not heedless of what you do.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Yet you it is who slay your people and turn a party from among you out of their homes, backing each other up against them unlawfully and exceeding the limits; and if they should come to you, as captives you would ransom them-- while their very turning out was unlawful for you. Do you then believe in a part of the Book and disbelieve in the other? What then is the re ward of such among you as do this but disgrace in the life of this world, and on the day of resurrection they shall be sent back to the most grievous chastisement, and Allah is not at all heedless of what you do.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Yet ye it is who slay each other and drive out a party of your people from their homes, supporting one another against them by sin and transgression? - and if they came to you as captives ye would ransom them, whereas their expulsion was itself unlawful for you - Believe ye in part of the Scripture and disbelieve ye in part thereof? And what is the reward of those who do so save ignominy in the life of the world, and on the Day of Resurrection they will be consigned to the most grievous doom. For Allah is not unaware of what ye do.

Muhammad Sarwar

yet you murdered each other and forced a number of your people out of their homeland, helping each other to commit sin and to be hostile to one another. When you had expelled people from their homeland and later they had been made captives (of other people), you then paid their ransom (thinking that it was a righteous deed). God forbade you to expel these people in the first place. Do you believe in one part of the Book and not in the other? Those who behave in this way shall reap disgrace in this world and severe punishment on the Day of Resurrection. God is not unaware of things that you do.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Yet there you are, slaying your ownselves, and turning a number of them out of their dwellings, and helping each other against them with sin and aggression. Although, should they come to you as captives, you would ransom them. Surely, their expulsion was unlawful. Do you then believe in a part of the Book and disbelieve another! What shall be the recompense of those of you who do that, but degradation in the worldly life, and on the Day of Resurrection to be returned to the most terrible punishment. Allah is not inattentive of what you do.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

After this, it is you who kill one another and drive out a party of you from their homes, assist (their enemies) against them, in sin and transgression. And if they come to you as captives, you ransom them, although their expulsion was forbidden to you. Then do you believe in a part of the Book and reject the rest Then what is the recompense of those who do so among you, except disgrace in the life of this world, and on the Day of Resurrection they shall be consigned to the most grievous torment. And Allah is not unaware of what you do.

Wahiduddin Khan

Yet, here you are, slaying one another and driving some of your own people from their homelands, aiding one another against them, committing sin and aggression; but if they came to you as captives, you would ransom them. Surely their very expulsion was unlawful for you. Do you believe in one part of the Book and deny another part of it? Those of you who act thus shall be rewarded with disgrace in this world and with a severe punishment on the Day of Resurrection. God is never unaware of what you do.

Talal Itani

But here you are, killing your own, and expelling a group of your own from their homes—conspiring against them in wrongdoing and hostility. And if they come to you as captives, you ransom them, although it was forbidden to you. Is it that you believe in part of the Scripture, and disbelieve in part? What is the reward for those among you who do that but humiliation in this life? And on the Day of Resurrection, they will be assigned to the most severe torment. God is not unaware of what you do.

Tafsir jalalayn

Then there you are killing one another, and expelling a party of you from their habitations, conspiring (tazzharna; the original ta' has been assimilated with the z'; a variant reading has it without [the assimilation, that is, tazharna]), assisting one another, against them in sin, in disobedience, and enmity, injustice, and if they come to you as captives (a variant reading [for usr] has asr), you ransom them (a variant reading [for tafdhum] has tufdhum), that is to say, you deliver them from captivity with money etc., and this [ransoming] was one of the things to which they were pledged; yet their expulsion was forbidden you (muharramun `alaykum ikhrjuhum is semantically connected to wa-tukhrijna, `and expelling', and the statement that comes in between is parenthetical, that is, [expulsion was forbidden you] in the same way that non-ransoming was forbidden you). Qurayza had allied themselves with the Aws, and the Nadr with the Khazraj, but every member of an alliance would fight against a fellow ally, thus destroying each other's homes and expelling one another, taking prisoners and then ransoming them. When they were asked; `Why do you fight them and then pay their ransom?', they would reply, `Because we have been commanded to ransom'; and they would be asked, `So, why do you fight them then?', to which they would say, `For fear that our allies be humiliated'; God, exalted, says; What, do you believe in part of the Book, that is, the part about ransom, and disbelieve in part?, namely, the part about renouncing fighting, expulsion and assistance [against one another]; What shall be the requital of those of you who do that, but degradation, disgrace and ignominy, in the life of this world; they were disgraced when Qurayza were slewn and the Nadr were expelled to Syria, and ordered to pay the jizya; and on the Day of Resurrection to be returned to the most terrible of chastisement? And God is not heedless of what you do (ta`malna, or read ya`malna, `they do').

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

ثُمَّ أَنتُمْ هَـوُلاء تَقْتُلُونَ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَتُخْرِجُونَ فَرِيقاً مِّنكُم مِّن دِيَارِهِمْ

تَظَاهَرُونَ عَلَيْهِم بِالاِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ وَإِن يَأتُوكُمْ أُسَارَى تُفَادُوهُمْ وَهُوَ مُحَرَّمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ إِخْرَاجُهُمْ




After this, it is you who kill one another and drive out a party of you from their homes, assist (their enemies) against them, in sin and transgression. And if they come to you as captives, you ransom them, although their expulsion was forbidden to you.

Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Yasar reported that Ibn Abbas commented on the Ayah,

"Allah mentioned what they were doing, and that in the Tawrah He had prohibited them from shedding each other's blood, and required them to free their prisoners.

Now they were divided into two camps in Al-Madinah, Banu Qaynuqa, who were the allies of the Khazraj, and An-Nadir and Qurayzah, who were the allies of the Aws. When fighting erupted between Aws and Khazraj, Banu Qaynuqa would fight along with the Khazraj, while Banu An-Nadir and Qurayzah would fight along with the Aws.

Each Jewish camp would fight against their Jewish brethren from the other camp. They would shed each other's blood, although they had the Tawrah with them, and they knew their rights and dues.

Meanwhile, the Aws and Khazraj were polytheists who worshipped idols. They did not know about Paradise, the Fire, Resurrection, Divine Books the lawful and prohibited. When the war would end, the Jews would ransom their prisoners and implement the Tawrah. Consequently, Banu Qaynuqa would ransom their prisoners who were captured by the Aws, while Banu An-Nadir and Qurayzah would ransom their prisoners who were captured by the Khazraj. They would also ask for blood money.

During these wars, they would kill whomever (Jews or Arabs) they could, while helping the polytheists against their brethren. Therefore, Allah reminded them of this when He said,

أَفَتُوْمِنُونَ بِبَعْضِ الْكِتَابِ وَتَكْفُرُونَ بِبَعْضٍ
..

Then do you believe in a part of the Book and reject the rest!

This Ayah means, `Do you ransom them according to the rulings of the Tawrah, yet kill them while the Tawrah forbade you from killing them and from expelling them from their homes. The Tawrah also commanded that you should not aid the polytheists and those who associate with Allah in the worship against your brethren. You do all this to acquire the life of this world.'

I was informed that the behavior of the Jews regarding the Aws and Khazraj was the reason behind revealing these Ayat."

These noble Ayat criticized the Jews for implementing the Tawrah sometimes and defying it at other times, although they believed in the Tawrah and knew what they were doing was wrong. This is why they should not be trusted to preserve or convey the Tawrah.

Further, they should not be believed when it comes to the description of the Messenger of Allah, his coming, his expulsion from his land, and his Hijrah, and the rest of the information that the previous Prophets informed them about him, all of which they hid.

The Jews, may they suffer the curse of Allah, hid all of these facts among themselves, and this is why Allah said,

فَمَا جَزَاء مَن يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ مِنكُمْ إِلاَّ خِزْيٌ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا

Then what is the recompense of those who do so among you, except disgrace in the life of this world,

because they defied Allah's Law and commandments.

وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يُرَدُّونَ إِلَى أَشَدِّ الْعَذَابِ

And on the Day of Resurrection they shall be consigned to the most grievous torment,

as punishment for defying the Book of Allah that they had.

وَمَا اللّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ