Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Ma'idah Verse 59

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Say, “O People of the Book, do you accuse us of anything else except that we have believed in Allah and in what has been sent down to us and what has been sent down earlier while most of you are sinners (and we do not follow you in your sins)

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “O People of the Book! Do you resent us only because we believe in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what was revealed before—while most of you are rebellious?”

Ruwwad Translation Center

Say, “O People of the Book, do you resent us only because we believe in Allah and what has been sent down to us and what was sent down before, and that most of you are rebellious?”

A. J. Arberry

Say: 'People of the Book, do you blame us for any other cause than that we believe in God, and what has been sent down to us, and what was sent down before, and that most of you are ungodly?'

Abdul Haleem

Say [Prophet], ‘People of the Book, do you resent us for any reason other than the fact that we believe in God, in what has been sent down to us, and in what was sent before us, while most of you are disobedient?’

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Say thou: O people of the Book! what is it that ye persecute us for save that we believe in Allah and in that which hath been sent down unto us and that which hath been sent down aforetime? and most of you are transgressors.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Say; "O people of the Book! Do ye disapprove of us for no other reason than that we believe in Allah, and the revelation that hath come to us and that which came before (us), and (perhaps) that most of you are rebellious and disobedient?"

Abul Ala Maududi

Say to them: 'People of the Book! Do you hate us for anything else except that we believe in Allah, and in the teaching which has been revealed to us and in the teaching which was revealed before? Indeed most of you are transgressors.'

Ahmed Ali

Say to them: "O people of the Book, what reason have you for disliking us other than that we believe in God and what has been sent down to us, and was sent down before, and because most of you are disobedient?"

Ahmed Raza Khan

Say, “O People given the Book(s)! What do you dislike in us – except that we believe in Allah and what is sent down to us and what was sent down before, and because most of you are disobedient?”

Ali Quli Qarai

Say, ‘O People of the Book! Are you vindictive toward us for any reason except that we have faith in Allah and in what has been sent down to us, and in what was sent down before, and that most of you are transgressors?’

Ali Ünal

Say: "O People of the Book! Is it not that you begrudge us only because we believe in God and what has been sent down to us and what was sent down before, and because most of you are transgressors?"

Amatul Rahman Omar

Say, `O People of the Scripture! do you find fault with us only because we believe in Allâh and in that which has been revealed to us, and in that which was revealed before (us)? Whereas most of you are disobedient (to God).´

English Literal

Say: "You The Book`s people, do (you) revenge/hate from us, except (because) that we believed with God, and what was descended to us, and what was descended from before, and that most of you (are) debauchers ."

Faridul Haque

Say, “O People given the Book(s)! What do you dislike in us - except that we believe in Allah and what is sent down to us and what was sent down before, and because most of you are disobedient?”

Hamid S. Aziz

Say, "Shall I declare unto you something much worse than this for retribution from Allah?" It is those whomsoever Allah has cursed and been wroth with - and he has made of them (as) apes and swine - and who worship Taghut (idols), they are in a worse plight and are more erring from the Even Path.

Hilali & Khan

Say: "O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Do you criticize us for no other reason than that we believe in Allah, and in (the revelation) which has been sent down to us and in that which has been sent down before (us), and that most of you are Fasiqun [rebellious and disobedient (to Allah)]?"

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And when you call to prayer they take it as a mockery and a sport. That is because they are a people who understand not.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Say: O followers of the Book! do you find fault with us (for aught) except that we believe in Allah and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed before, and that most of you are transgressors?

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Say: O People of the Scripture! Do ye blame us for aught else than that we believe in Allah and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed aforetime, and because most of you are evil-livers?

Muhammad Sarwar

(Muhammad), say to the People of the Book, "Do you take revenge on us because of our belief in God and what He has revealed to us and to others before us? Most of you are evil-doers".

Qaribullah & Darwish

Say: 'People of the Book, do you blame us for any reason other than that we believe in Allah and in what has been sent down to us, and what was sent down before us, and that most of you are evildoers'

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Say: "O People of the Scripture! Do you criticize us for no other reason than that we believe in Allah, and in what has been sent down to us and in that which has been sent down before (us), and that most of you are rebellious"

Wahiduddin Khan

Say, "People of the Book! Do you resent us only because we believe in God and in what has been revealed to us and to others before, and because most of you are disobedient?"

Talal Itani

Say, “O People of the Scripture! Do you resent us only because we believe in God, and in what was revealed to us, and in what was revealed previously; and most of you are sinners?”

Tafsir jalalayn

The following was revealed when the Jews said to the Prophet (s), `Whom among the messengers do you believe in?', and he replied; in God and in that which has been revealed to us [Q. 2;136], and when he mentioned Jesus they said, `We know of no religion worse than yours!' Say; `O People of the Scripture, do you spite, [do] you repudiate, us for any other cause than that we believe in God, and what has been revealed to us, and what was revealed, to the prophets, before, and that most of you are wicked?' (wa-anna aktharakum fsiqn is a supplement to an mann, `that we believe'), that is to say, `What you repudiate, in fact, is our faith and your opposition [to it], in refusing to accept it -- [a refusal] which is described as `wickedness', [this wickedness] itself being the necessary consequence of such [a refusal] -- but in fact this [faith of ours] is not something to be repudiated'.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The People of the Book are Enraged at the Believers Because of their Faith in Allah

Allah says;

قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ

Say;"O People of the Scripture!

Allah commands;Say, O Muhammad, to those who mock and jest about your religion from among the People of the Scriptures.

هَلْ تَنقِمُونَ مِنَّا إِلاَّ أَنْ امَنَّا بِاللّهِ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلُ

Do you criticize us for no other reason than that we believe in Allah, and in what has been sent down to us and in that which has been sent down before (us),

Do you have any criticism or cause of blame for us, other than this This, by no means, is cause of blame or criticism.

Allah said in other Ayat,

وَمَا نَقَمُواْ مِنْهُمْ إِلاَّ أَن يُوْمِنُواْ بِاللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَمِيدِ

And they had no fault except that they believed in Allah, the Almighty, Worthy of all praise! (85;8)

and,

وَمَا نَقَمُواْ إِلَا أَنْ أَغْنَاهُمُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ

and they could not find any cause to do so except that Allah and His Messenger had enriched them of His bounty. (9;74)

In an agreed upon Hadith, the Prophet said,

مَا يَنْقِمُ ابْنُ جَمِيلٍ إِلاَّ أَنْ كَانَ فَقِيرًا فَأَغْنَاهُ الله

What caused Ibn Jamil to Yanqim (refuse to give Zakah), although he was poor and Allah made him rich!

Allah's statement,

وَأَنَّ أَكْثَرَكُمْ فَاسِقُونَ



and that most of you are rebellious...

is connected to
أَنْ امَنَّا بِاللّهِ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلُ
(that we believe in Allah, and in that which has been sent down to us and in that which has been sent down before (us)). Therefore, the meaning of this part of the Ayah is;we also believe that most of you are rebellious and deviated from the straight path.
The People of the Scriptures Deserve the Worst Torment on the Day of Resurrection

Allah said next