Verse. 476

٣ - آلِ عِمْرَان

3 - Al-Imran

اَلَّذِيْنَ قَالُوْۗا اِنَّ اللہَ عَہِدَ اِلَيْنَاۗ اَلَّا نُؤْمِنَ لِرَسُوْلٍ حَتّٰى يَاْتِيَنَا بِقُرْبَانٍ تَاْكُلُہُ النَّارُ۝۰ۭ قُلْ قَدْ جَاۗءَكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّنْ قَبْلِيْ بِالْبَيِّنٰتِ وَبِالَّذِيْ قُلْتُمْ فَلِمَ قَتَلْتُمُوْھُمْ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ صٰدِقِيْنَ۝۱۸۳
Allatheena qaloo inna Allaha AAahida ilayna alla numina lirasoolin hatta yatiyana biqurbanin takuluhu alnnaru qul qad jaakum rusulun min qablee bialbayyinati wabiallathee qultum falima qataltumoohum in kutum sadiqeena

English

Ahmed Ali

To those who say: "God has ordained that we should not believe an apostle who does not bring burnt offerings," say: "Many an apostle had come to you before me with manifest proofs, even with what you mention; then why did you kill them if you were men of truth?"

183

Tafseer

'Abdullāh Ibn 'Abbās / Muḥammad al-Fīrūzabādī

تفسير : ((the same are) those) i.e. the jews (who say: lo! allah hath charged us) allah has commanded us in the scripture (that we believe not in any messenger) we will not accept that anyone is sent with a message (until he bring us an offering which fire (from heaven) shall devour) that is until allah sends a fire which will devour this offering, as it happened in the time of the [jewish] prophets. (say) o muhammad: (messengers came unto you before me with miracles) with commands and prohibitions as well as signs, (and with that (very miracle) which ye describe) of an offering [devoured by fire], zachariah, john and jesus. (why then did ye slay them?) why did you kill john and zachariah, when such an offering [devoured by fire] took place during their time. ((answer that) if ye are truthful) in your claim.

Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī

تفسير : those (alladhīna, an adjectival qualification of the previous alladhīna, ‘those who’ [q. 3:181]) same who said, to muhammad (s), ‘god has already made covenant with us, in the torah, that we should not believe in any messenger, accepting his truthfulness, until he bring us an offering to be devoured by fire’, and so we will not believe in you until you bring us this [offering], namely, of grazing livestock or other [kind of animal] one offers [in sacrifice] to god. if it is accepted, a white fire will come down from the heaven and consume it, otherwise it will remain as it is. such a covenant was made with the children of israel, but not in the case of jesus and muhammad. god, exalted be he, says, say, to them in rebuke: ‘messengers have come to you before me with clear proofs, with miracles, and with that which you said, [messengers] such as zachariah and john, but you slew them: the address here is for those living at the time of our prophet muhammad (s), even though the deed was their forefathers’, for they [their descendants] are content with it. why did you slay them, then, if you are truthful?’, about [the fact] that you would believe if it [the offering] were brought [to you].

Ali ibn Ahmad al-Wahidi

تفسير : ((the same are) those who say: lo! allah hath charged us…) [3:183]. said al-kalbi: “this was revealed about ka‘b al-ashraf, malik ibn al-dayf, wahb ibn yahudha, zayd ibn tabuh, finhas ibn ‘azura and huyayy ibn akhtab who went to the messenger of allah, allah bless him and give him peace, and said: ‘you claim that allah has sent you to us as a messenger and that he revealed a scripture to you. well, allah has charged us in the torah that we do not believe in any messenger who claims to have been sent by allah until he brings us an offering which is devoured by fire. if you do that, we will believe in you’. and so allah, exalted is he revealed this verse”.