Surah 3 Aal-i-Imraan — Ayah 21
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَكْفُرُونَ بِـَٔايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ ٱلنَّبِيِّۦنَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّۢ وَيَقْتُلُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْقِسْطِ مِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ
Those who disbelieve in the signs of Allah and kill the prophets without right and kill those who order justice from among the people - give them tidings of a painful punishment.
inna alladhīna yakfurūna biāyāti l-lahi wayaqtulūna l-nabiyīna bighayri ḥaqqin wayaqtulūna alladhīna yamurūna bil-qis'ṭi mina l-nāsi fabashir'hum biʿadhābin alīmin
Word by word
- إِنَّ inna Indeed
- ٱلَّذِينَ alladhīna those who
- يَكْفُرُونَ yakfurūna disbelieve
- بِـَٔايَـٰتِ biāyāti in (the) Signs (of)
- ٱللَّهِ l-lahi Allah
- وَيَقْتُلُونَ wayaqtulūna and they kill
- ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ l-nabiyīna the Prophets
- بِغَيْرِ bighayri without
- حَقٍّۢ ḥaqqin right
- وَيَقْتُلُونَ wayaqtulūna and they kill
- ٱلَّذِينَ alladhīna those who
- يَأْمُرُونَ yamurūna order
- بِٱلْقِسْطِ bil-qis'ṭi [with] justice
- مِنَ mina among
- ٱلنَّاسِ l-nāsi the people
- فَبَشِّرْهُم fabashir'hum then give them tidings
- بِعَذَابٍ biʿadhābin of a punishment
- أَلِيمٍ alīmin painful
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
Chastising the Jews for Their Disbelief and for Killing the Prophets and Righteous People
This Ayah chastises the People of the Book for the transgression and prohibitions they committed by their denials in the past and more recent times, of Allah's Ayat and the Messengers. They did this due to their defiance and rejection of the Messengers, denial of the truth and refusal to follow it. They also killed many Prophets when they conveyed to them what Allah legislated for them, without cause or criminal behavior committed by these Prophets, for they only called them to the truth,
(And kill those men who order just dealings) thus, demonstrating the worst type of arrogance. Indeed, the Prophet said,
(Kibr (arrogance) is refusing the truth and degrading people)
This is why when they rejected the truth and acted arrogantly towards the creation, Allah punished them with humiliation and disgrace in this life, and humiliating torment in the Hereafter. Allah said,
(then announce to them a painful torment) meaning, painful and humiliating,
(They are those whose works will be lost in this world and in the Hereafter, and they will have no helpers. ).