Surah 5 Al-Maaida — Ayah 68
قُلْ يَٰٓأَهْلَ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ لَسْتُمْ عَلَىٰ شَىْءٍ حَتَّىٰ تُقِيمُوا۟ ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةَ وَٱلْإِنجِيلَ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُم مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ ۗ وَلَيَزِيدَنَّ كَثِيرًۭا مِّنْهُم مَّآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ طُغْيَٰنًۭا وَكُفْرًۭا ۖ فَلَا تَأْسَ عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ
Say, "O People of the Scripture, you are [standing] on nothing until you uphold [the law of] the Torah, the Gospel, and what has been revealed to you from your Lord." And that which has been revealed to you from your Lord will surely increase many of them in transgression and disbelief. So do not grieve over the disbelieving people.
qul yāahla l-kitābi lastum ʿalā shayin ḥattā tuqīmū l-tawrāta wal-injīla wamā unzila ilaykum min rabbikum walayazīdanna kathīran min'hum mā unzila ilayka min rabbika ṭugh'yānan wakuf'ran falā tasa ʿalā l-qawmi l-kāfirīna
Word by word
- قُلْ qul Say
- يَـٰٓأَهْلَ yāahla O People
- ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ l-kitābi (of) the Book
- لَسْتُمْ lastum You are not
- عَلَىٰ ʿalā on
- شَىْءٍ shayin anything
- حَتَّىٰ ḥattā until
- تُقِيمُوا۟ tuqīmū you stand firmly
- ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةَ l-tawrāta (by) the Taurat
- وَٱلْإِنجِيلَ wal-injīla and the Injeel
- وَمَآ wamā and what
- أُنزِلَ unzila has been revealed
- إِلَيْكُم ilaykum to you
- مِّن min from
- رَّبِّكُمْ ۗ rabbikum your Lord
- وَلَيَزِيدَنَّ walayazīdanna And surely increase
- كَثِيرًۭا kathīran many
- مِّنْهُم min'hum of them
- مَّآ mā what
- أُنزِلَ unzila has been revealed
- إِلَيْكَ ilayka to you
- مِن min from
- رَّبِّكَ rabbika your Lord
- طُغْيَـٰنًۭا ṭugh'yānan (in) rebellion
- وَكُفْرًۭا ۖ wakuf'ran and disbelief
- فَلَا falā So (do) not
- تَأْسَ tasa grieve
- عَلَى ʿalā over
- ٱلْقَوْمِ l-qawmi the people
- ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ l-kāfirīna the disbelieving
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
There is no Salvation Except through Faith in the Qur'an
Allah says: O Muhammad, say,
يَـأَهْلَ الْكِتَـبِ لَسْتُمْ عَلَى شَىْءٍ
(O People of the Scripture! You have nothing...) meaning no real religion until you adhere to and implement the Tawrah and the Injil. That is, until you believe in all the Books that you have that Allah revealed to the Prophets. These Books command following Muhammad and believing in his prophecy, all the while adhering to his Law. Before, we explained Allah's statement,
وَلَيَزِيدَنَّ كَثِيراً مِّنْهُم مَّآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ طُغْيَـناً وَكُفْراً
(Verily, the revelation that has come to you from your Lord makes many of them increase in rebellion and disbelief.)
فَلاَ تَأْسَ عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَـفِرِينَ
(So do not grieve for the people who disbelieve), Do not be sad or taken aback by their disbelief. Allah said next,
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ
(Surely, those who believe) referring to Muslims,
وَالَّذِينَ هَادُواْ
(those who are the Jews) who were entrusted with the Tawrah,
وَالصَّـبِئُونَ
(and the Sabians. ..) a sect from the Christians and Magians who did not follow any particular religion, as Mujahid stated. As for the Christians, they are known and were entrusted with the Injil. The meaning here is that if each of these groups believed in Allah and the Hereafter, which is the Day of Judgement and Reckoning, and performed good actions, which to be so, must conform to Muhammad's ﷺ Law, after Muhammad ﷺ was sent to all mankind and the Jinns. If any of these groups held these beliefs, then they shall have no fear of what will come or sadness regarding what they lost, nor will grief ever affect them. We discussed a similar Ayah before in Surat Al-Baqarah 2:62.