Al-Qur'an Surah An-Nisa Verse 60

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Have you not seen those who claim that they have believed in what was revealed to you and what was revealed before you? They want to take their disputes to the Tāghūt, while they were ordered to reject it. Satan wants to mislead them to a remote wrong way.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Have you ˹O Prophet˺ not seen those who claim they believe in what has been revealed to you and what was revealed before you? They seek the judgment of false judges, which they were commanded to reject. And Satan ˹only˺ desires to lead them farther away.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Have you not seen [O Prophet] those who claim that they believe in what has been sent down to you and what was sent down before you, yet they seek the judgment of Tāghoot [false judges], even though they were commanded to reject them? Satan wants to lead them far astray.

A. J. Arberry

Hast thou not regarded those who assert that they believe in what has been sent down to thee, and what was sent down before thee, desiring to take their disputes to idols, yet they have been commanded to disbelieve in them? But Satan desires to lead them astray into far error.

Abdul Haleem

Do you [Prophet] not see those who claim to believe in what has been sent down to you, and in what was sent down before you, yet still want to turn to unjust tyrants for judgement, although they have been ordered to reject them? Satan wants to lead them far astray.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Hast thou not observed those who assert that they believe in that which hath been sent down unto thee and that which hath been sent down before thee desiring to go to the devil for judgement, whereas they have been commanded to disbelieve in him; and Satan desireth to lead them far astray.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Hast thou not turned Thy vision to those who declare that they believe in the revelations that have come to thee and to those before thee? Their (real) wish is to resort together for judgment (in their disputes) to the Evil One, though they were ordered to reject him. But Satan's wish is to lead them astray far away (from the right).

Abul Ala Maududi

(O Messenger!) Have you not seen those who claim to believe in the Book which has been revealed to you and in the Books revealed before you, and yet desire to submit their disputes to the judgement of taghut (the Satanic authorities who decide independently of the Law of Allah), whereas they had been asked to reject it. And Satan seeks to make them drift far away from the right way.

Ahmed Ali

Have you never seen those who aver they believe in what has been revealed to you and had been to others before you, yet desire to turn for judgement to evil powers, even though they have been commanded to disbelieve in them? Satan only wishes to lead them astray, far away.

Ahmed Raza Khan

Did you not see those whose claim is that they believe in what has been sent down on you and what was sent down before you, and they then wish to make the devil their judge, whereas they were ordered to completely reject him? And the devil wishes to mislead them far astray.

Ali Quli Qarai

Have you not regarded those who claim that they believe in what has been sent down to you and what was sent down before you? They desire to seek the judgment of fake deities, though they were commanded to reject them, and Satan desires to lead them astray into far error.

Ali Ünal

Do you not consider those who assert that they believe in what has been sent down to you and what was sent before you, and yet desire to go for judgment in their disputes to (the rule of) the powers of evil (who institute patterns of rule in defiance of God), when they were expressly commanded to reject it. Truly, Satan desires to lead them far astray.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Have you not considered the case of those who assert that they believe in what has been revealed to you and what has been revealed before you? On the contrary they desire to refer (their disputes) for judgment to the transgressor, whereas they were commanded to reject him, and satan desires to lead them astray to a far off straying.

English Literal

Did you not see to those who claim that they believed with what was descended to you (S/M), and what was descended from before you, they want that to be judged to the anything worshipped other than God/the devil , and they were ordered/commanded that to disbelieve with it, and the devil wants that to misguide them, (a) far/distant misguidance.

Faridul Haque

Did you not see those whose claim is that they believe in what has been sent down on you and what was sent down before you, and they then wish to make the devil their judge, whereas they were ordered to completely reject him? And the devil wishes to mislead them far astray.

Hamid S. Aziz

How then when there befalls them a misfortune through their own actions? Then will they come to you, and swear by Allah, "We meant naught but good and concord (harmony, reconciliation)."

Hilali & Khan

Have you seen those (hyprocrites) who claim that they believe in that which has been sent down to you, and that which was sent down before you, and they wish to go for judgement (in their disputes) to the Taghut (false judges, etc.) while they have been ordered to reject them. But Shaitan (Satan) wishes to lead them far astray.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

O you who believe, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority from among you; then if you quarrel about any thing, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day. This is best and more suitable to (achieve) the end.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Have you not seen those who assert that they believe in what has been revealed to you and what was revealed before you? They desire to summon one another to the judgment of the Shaitan, though they were commanded to deny him, and the Shaitan desires to lead them astray into a remote error.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Hast thou not seen those who pretend that they believe in that which is revealed unto thee and that which was revealed before thee, how they would go for judgment (in their disputes) to false deities when they have been ordered to abjure them? Satan would mislead them far astray.

Muhammad Sarwar

(Muhammad), have you seen those who think that they have faith in what is revealed to you and to others before you, yet choose to take their affairs to Satan for judgment even though they are commanded to deny him. Satan wants to lead them far away from the right path.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Have you not seen those who claim that they believe in what has been sent down to you and what was sent down before you? They desire to be judged by the idol, although they have been commanded to disbelieve it. But satan desires to lead them astray into far error.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Have you not seen those (hyprocrites) who claim that they believe in that which has been sent down to you, and that which was sent down before you, and they wish to go for judgment (in their disputes) to the Taghut while they have been ordered to reject them. But Shaytan wishes to lead them far astray.

Wahiduddin Khan

Have you not seen those who profess to believe in what has been revealed to you and [to other prophets] before you? They seek the judgement of evil people, although they were commanded not to obey them. And Satan wants to lead them far astray.

Talal Itani

Have you not observed those who claim that they believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, yet they seek Satanic sources for legislation, in spite of being commanded to reject them? Satan means to mislead them far away.

Tafsir jalalayn

The following verse was revealed when a Jew and a hypocrite fell into a dispute. The hypocrite called on Ka`b b. al-Ashraf, to arbitrate between them, while the Jew called on the Prophet (s). When they came to him, the Prophet ruled in favour of the Jew. But the hypocrite was not satisfied, and so they went before `Umar. The Jew told him what had happened, whereupon he [`Umar] turned to the hypocrite and asked him, `Is this true?', and when he replied, `Yes', he [`Umar] killed him. Have you not seen those who claim that they believe in what has been revealed to you, and what was revealed before you, desiring to take their disputes to a false deity (tght), one excessive in tempting [others] to falsehood (tughyn), namely, Ka`b b. al-Ashraf, when they have been commanded to renounce him?, and not to associate with him. But Satan desires to mislead them, far astray, from the truth.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Referring to Other than the Qur'an and Sunnah for Judgment is Characteristic of Non-Muslims

Allah

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّهُمْ امَنُواْ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ يُرِيدُونَ أَن يَتَحَاكَمُواْ إِلَى الطَّاغُوتِ وَقَدْ أُمِرُواْ أَن يَكْفُرُواْ بِهِ وَيُرِيدُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَن يُضِلَّهُمْ ضَلَلاً بَعِيدًا



Have you not seen those (hypocrites) who claim that they believe in that which has been sent down to you, and that which was sent down before you, and they wish to go for judgment (in their disputes) to the Taghut while they have been ordered to reject them. But Shaytan wishes to lead them far astray.

Allah chastises those who claim to believe in what Allah has sent down to His Messenger and to the earlier Prophets, yet they refer to other than the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger for judgment in various disputes.

It was reported that the reason behind revealing this Ayah was that;

a man from the Ansar and a Jew had a dispute, and the Jew said, "Let us refer to Muhammad to judge between us."

However, the Muslim man said, "Let us refer to Ka`b bin Al-Ashraf (a Jew) to judge between us."

It was also reported that;

the Ayah was revealed about some hypocrites who pretended to be Muslims, yet they sought to refer to the judgment of Jahiliyyah.

Other reasons were also reported behind the revelation of the Ayah.

However, the Ayah has a general meaning, as it chastises all those who refrain from referring to the Qur'an and Sunnah for judgment and prefer the judgment of whatever they chose of falsehood, which befits the description of Taghut here. This is why Allah said,
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّهُمْ امَنُواْ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ
(and they wish to go for judgment to the Taghut) until the end of the Ayah.

Allah's statement,

وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَعَالَوْاْ إِلَى مَا أَنزَلَ اللّهُ وَإِلَى الرَّسُولِ رَأَيْتَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ يَصُدُّونَ عَنكَ صُدُودًا