Al-Qur'an Surah An-Nisa Verse 47

Mufti Taqi Usmani

O you who have been given the Book, believe in what We have revealed confirming what is with you, before We rub off faces and turn them shaped like their backs, or lay a curse upon them, as We cursed the People of the Sabbath. Whatever Allah orders is destined to occur.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

O you who were given the Book! Believe in what We have revealed—confirming your own Scriptures—before We wipe out ˹your˺ faces, turning them backwards, or We condemn the defiant as We did to the Sabbath-breakers.[[ See {7:163}-165.]] And Allah’s command is always executed!

Ruwwad Translation Center

O you who were given the Scripture, believe in what We have sent down [to Muhammad] – confirming your own Scriptures – before We obliterate faces turning them backwards, or We curse them as We cursed the Sabbath-breakers. For Allah’s will is always executed.

A. J. Arberry

You who have been given the Book, believe in what We have sent down, confirming what is with you, before We obliterate faces, and turn them upon their backs, or curse them as We cursed the Sabbath-men, and God's command is done.

Abdul Haleem

People of the Book, believe in what We have sent down to confirm what you already have before We wipe out [your sense of ] direction, turning you back, or reject you, as We rejected those who broke the Sabbath: God’s will is always done.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

O Ye who are vouchsafed the Book believe in that which We have sent down confirming that which is with you, ere We alter countenances and turn them into their hinder parts, or We might curse them even as We cursed the fellows of the Sabt; and Allah's command is ever fulfilled.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

O ye People of the Book! believe in what We have (now) revealed, confirming what was (already) with you, before We change the face and fame of some (of you) beyond all recognition, and turn them hindwards, or curse them as We cursed the Sabbath-breakers, for the decision of Allah Must be carried out.

Abul Ala Maududi

O you who have been granted the Book! Do believe in what We have (now) revealed, which confirms the revelation which you already possess. Do this before We alter countenances, turning them backwards, or lay a curse upon them as We cursed the Sabbath-men. Bear in mind that Allah's command is done.

Ahmed Ali

O people of the Book, believe in what We have revealed, which confirms what is already with you before We disfigure your visages and turn your faces about and curse you, as We did with those who had broken the Sabbath; and what God decrees comes to pass.

Ahmed Raza Khan

O People given the Book(s)! Believe in what We have sent down confirming the Book which you possess, before We transform some faces so turning them towards their backs, or curse them like We had cursed the people of Sabth; and (know that) the Allah’s command is always carried out!

Ali Quli Qarai

O you who were given the Book! Believe in what We have sent down confirming what is with you, before We blot out the faces and turn them backwards, or curse them as We cursed the People of the Sabbath, and Allah’s command is bound to be fulfilled.

Ali Ünal

O you who were given the Book (before)! Believe (sincerely) in (the whole of) what We have been sending down (on Muhammad), confirming what (of the truth) you already possess, before We obliterate faces so as to deprive them of seeing, hearing, speaking and smelling, or exclude them from Our mercy as We excluded the Sabbath-breakers. (Bear in mind that) God’s command is always executed.

Amatul Rahman Omar

O you who have been given the Scripture! believe in (the Qur´ân) which We have now revealed fulfilling such (prophecies) as you have, before We make extinct and destroy some of your leaders and deprive them of their glory or We condemn them as We condemned the people of the Sabbath (breakers); and (remember) the decree of Allâh is bound to be executed.

English Literal

You, you those who were given The Book , believe with what We descended, confirming to what (is) with you (P) from before that We efface/wipe out faces, so We return it on its backs or We curse/humiliate them as We cursed/humiliated the owners of the Saturday/Sabbath, and God`s order/command is/was done.

Faridul Haque

O People given the Book(s)! Believe in what We have sent down confirming the Book which you possess, before We transform some faces so turning them towards their backs, or curse them like We had cursed the people of Sabth; and (know that) the Allah’s command is always carried out!

Hamid S. Aziz

Do you not see those who pride themselves for sanctity? Nay, Allah sanctifies whom He will, and they shall not be wronged a straw.

Hilali & Khan

O you who have been given the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Believe in what We have revealed (to Muhammad SAW) confirming what is (already) with you, before We efface faces (by making them like the back of necks; without nose, mouth, eyes, etc.) and turn them hindwards, or curse them as We cursed the Sabbath-breakers. And the Commandment of Allah is always executed.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Some of those who are Jews alter words from their places and say, We have heard and we disobey; and (say), Hear without being made to hear, and (say), Raina, distorting with their tongues and slandering religion. And if they had said, We hear and we obey, and hearken, and unzurna, it would have been better for them and more upright; but Allah has cursed them on account of their disbelief, so they believe not but a little.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

O you who have been given the Book! believe that which We have revealed, verifying what you have, before We alter faces then turn them on their backs, or curse them as We cursed the violaters of the Sabbath, and the command of Allah shall be executed.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

O ye unto whom the Scripture hath been given! Believe in what We have revealed confirming that which ye possess, before We destroy countenances so as to confound them, or curse them as We cursed the Sabbath-breakers (of old time). The commandment of Allah is always executed.

Muhammad Sarwar

People of the Book, have faith in the Quran that We have revealed to confirm your Book, before certain faces are changed and turned back. We shall condemn them as We did the people of the Sabbath about whom God's decree had decisively been ordained.

Qaribullah & Darwish

You, to whom the Book was given, believe in that which We have sent down confirming that which you have, before We obliterate faces and turn them on their backs, or curse them as We cursed the people of the Sabbath. And the command of Allah is done.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

O you who have been given the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Believe in what We have revealed confirming what is with you, before We efface faces and turn them backwards or curse them as We cursed the people of the Sabbath. And the commandment of Allah is always executed.

Wahiduddin Khan

O People of the Book, believe in what We have sent down, fulfilling [the predictions] that is with you, before We destroy [your sense of] direction, so as to confound or reject you, as We rejected those who broke the Sabbath: God's command is always carried out.

Talal Itani

O you who were given the Book! Believe in what We sent down, confirming what you have, before We obliterate faces and turn them inside out, or curse them as We cursed the Sabbath-breakers. The command of God is always done.

Tafsir jalalayn

O you who have been given the Scripture, believe in what We have revealed, of the Qur'n, confirming what is with you, of the Torah, before We obliterate faces, erasing the eyes, noses and eyebrows in them, and turn them inside out, and make them like the napes of the neck, a flat plate, or curse them, by transforming them into apes, as We cursed, [as] We transformed, those of the Sabbath, among them, and God's command, His decree, is done; after this was revealed, `Abd Allh b. Salm converted to Islam, and so it was said that this had been a conditional threat of punishment, so that when some of them converted to Islam, it [the threat] was lifted. It is also said that obliteration and transformation will take place before the rising of the Hour.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Calling the People of the Book to Embrace the Faith, Warning them Against Doing Otherwise

Allah says;

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْكِتَابَ امِنُواْ بِمَا نَزَّلْنَا مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا مَعَكُم

O you who have been given the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Believe in what We have revealed confirming what is with you,

Allah commands the People of the Scriptures to believe in what He has sent down to His servant and Messenger, Muhammad, the Glorious Book that conforms to the good news that they already have about Muhammad.

He also warns them,

مِّن قَبْلِ أَن نَّطْمِسَ وُجُوهًا

فَنَرُدَّهَا عَلَى أَدْبَارِهَا

before We efface faces and turn them backwards

Al-Awfi said that Ibn Abbas said that;

`effacing' here refers to blindness.

فَنَرُدَّهَا عَلَى أَدْبَارِهَا
(and turn them backwards),

meaning, We put their faces on their backs, and make them walk backwards, since their eyes will be in their backs.

Similar was said by Qatadah and Atiyah Al-Awfi.

This makes the punishment even more severe, and it is a parable that Allah set for ignoring the truth, preferring the wrong way and turning away from the plain path for the paths of misguidance. Therefore, such people walk backwards.

Similarly, some said that Allah's statement,

إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا فِى أَعْنـقِهِمْ أَغْلَـلً فَهِىَ إِلَى الاٌّذْقَـنِ فَهُم مُّقْمَحُونَ

وَجَعَلْنَا مِن بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ سَدّاً

(Verily, We have put on their necks iron collars reaching to the chins, so that their heads are raised up. And We have put a barrier before them) (36;8-9) that is a parable that Allah gave for their deviation and hindrance from guidance.
Ka`b Al-Ahbar Embraces Islam Upon Hearing this Ayah (4;47)

Ibn Jarir recorded that;

Isa bin Al-Mughirah said;We were with Ibrahim when we talked about the time when Ka`b became Muslim.

He said, `Ka`b became Muslim during the reign of Umar, for he passed by Al-Madinah intending to visit Jerusalem, and Umar said to him, "Embrace Islam, O Ka`b.'

Ka`b said, `Do you not read in your Book,
مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ حُمِّلُوا التَّوْرَاةَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَحْمِلُوهَا كَمَثَلِ الْحِمَارِ يَحْمِلُ أَسْفَارًا
(The likeness of those who were entrusted with the Tawrah, but did not carry it, is as the likeness of a donkey which carries huge burdens of books). I am among those who were entrusted with the Tawrah.'

Umar left him alone and Ka`b went on to Hims (in Syria) and heard one of its inhabitants recite this Ayah while feeling sad,

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْكِتَابَ امِنُواْ بِمَا نَزَّلْنَا مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا مَعَكُم

مِّن قَبْلِ أَن نَّطْمِسَ وُجُوهًا

فَنَرُدَّهَا عَلَى أَدْبَارِهَا

O you who have been given the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Believe in what We have revealed confirming what is with you, before We efface faces and turn them backwards.

Ka`b said, `I believe, O Lord! I embraced Islam, O Lord!' for He feared that this might be struck by this threat.

He then went back to his family in Yemen and returned with them all as Muslims."

Allah's statement,

أَوْ نَلْعَنَهُمْ كَمَا لَعَنَّا أَصْحَابَ السَّبْتِ

or curse them as We cursed the people of the Sabbath. r

efers to those who breached the sanctity of the Sabbath, using deceit, for the purpose of doing more work. Allah changed these people into apes and swine, as we will come to know in the explanation of Surah Al-A`raf.

Allah's statement,

وَكَانَ أَمْرُ اللّهِ مَفْعُولاً



And the commandment of Allah is always executed.

means, when He commands something, then no one can dispute or resist His command.
Allah Does not Forgive Shirk, Except After Repenting From it

Allah said that He