Verse. 646

٤ - ٱلنِّسَاء

4 - An-Nisa

يَسْــَٔــلُكَ اَہْلُ الْكِتٰبِ اَنْ تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْہِمْ كِتٰبًا مِّنَ السَّمَاۗءِ فَقَدْ سَاَلُوْا مُوْسٰۗى اَكْبَرَ مِنْ ذٰلِكَ فَقَالُوْۗا اَرِنَا اللہَ جَہْرَۃً فَاَخَذَتْہُمُ الصّٰعِقَۃُ بِظُلْمِہِمْ۝۰ۚ ثُمَّ اتَّخَذُوا الْعِجْلَ مِنْۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَاۗءَتْہُمُ الْبَيِّنٰتُ فَعَفَوْنَا عَنْ ذٰلِكَ۝۰ۚ وَاٰتَيْنَا مُوْسٰى سُلْطٰنًا مُّبِيْنًا۝۱۵۳
Yasaluka ahlu alkitabi an tunazzila AAalayhim kitaban mina alssamai faqad saaloo moosa akbara min thalika faqaloo arina Allaha jahratan faakhathathumu alssaAAiqatu bithulmihim thumma ittakhathoo alAAijla min baAAdi ma jaathumu albayyinatu faAAafawna AAan thalika waatayna moosa sultanan mubeenan

English

Ahmed Ali

The people of the Book demand of you to bring for them a book from heaven. But of Moses they had asked a bigger thing, and demanded: "Show us God face to face." They were struck by lightning then as punishment for their wickedness. Even then they made the calf, when clear signs had reached them. Still We forgave them and gave Moses clear authority.

153

Tafseer

'Abdullāh Ibn 'Abbās / Muḥammad al-Fīrūzabādī

تفسير : (the people of the scripture) ka'b and his followers (ask of thee that thou shouldst cause an (actual) book to descend upon them from heaven) in one bulk just as the torah was sent down; it is also said that this means: they ask you to bring down for them a book that contains all that is good for them and all that is bad for them, their rewards and punishments. (they asked a greater thing of moses aforetime) greater than what they have asked you, (for they said: show us allah plainly) such that they could see him with their own eyes. (the storm of lightning seized them) the fire burnt them (for their wickedness) for their rejection of moses and their boldness vis-à-vis allah. (then (even after that) they chose the calf) they worshipped the calf (after clear proofs) commands and prohibitions (had come unto them. and we forgave them that!) we left them and did not exterminate them. (and we bestowed on moses evident authority) evident proof: the staff and the white hand.

Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī

تفسير : the people of the scripture, the jews, will ask of you, o muhammad (s), to cause a book to be revealed to them from the heaven, all at once, as was revealed to moses, merely to harass [you]. if you consider this shocking, then [know that], they, their forefathers, asked moses for something greater than that, for they said, ‘show us god openly’, before our eyes; so the thunderbolt, death, seized them, as punishment for them, for their evildoing, when they harassed him [moses] with this demand. they then took to themselves the [golden] calf, for a god, after clear proofs, the miracles testifying to god’s oneness, had come to them; yet we pardoned that, and did not annihilate them; and we bestowed upon moses clear authority, evident and manifest sway over them, for when he commanded them to slay themselves in repentance, they obeyed him.

Ali ibn Ahmad al-Wahidi

تفسير : (the people of the scripture ask of thee that thou shouldst cause an (actual) book to descend upon them from heaven…) [4:153]. this was revealed about the jews. they said to the prophet, allah bless him and give him peace: “if you are truly a prophet, bring us an actual book from heaven as moses did”, and so this verse was revealed.