Surah Al-Baqarah — Verse 113

Word Meanings:

• "Ala shay" (على شيء): Literally "on something," meaning upon any true and valid religion or sound belief.
• "Yatluna al-Kitab" (يتلون الكتاب): They recite and read the Book — i.e., the Torah for the Jews and the Gospel for the Christians.
• "Alladheena la ya'lamoon" (الذين لا يعلمون): Those who do not know — referring to the pagan Arabs and others who lacked divine knowledge.
• "Yahkumu baynahum" (يحكم بينهم): He will judge between them with perfect justice.

Tafsir (Explanation):

The verse unveils a painful reality of mutual arrogance and blind rejection. The Jews declared, "The Christians are upon nothing" — meaning they have no valid faith. And the Christians responded in kind, "The Jews are upon nothing." Both groups made these sweeping, dismissive claims while they were reciting their own Scriptures — the Torah and the Gospel — which commanded them to believe in all of Allah's prophets without distinction. Their own holy books affirmed the truth brought by the other's messengers, yet they contradicted what they read with what they said. This was not ignorance; it was deliberate stubbornness.

Then Allah draws a striking parallel: "Thus said those who do not know the like of their saying." The pagan Arabs and other ignorant nations, who had no revealed scripture, uttered the very same words of blanket rejection against all prophets and all divine books. So the People of the Book — despite their claim to knowledge — descended to the level of the ignorant polytheists. What a devastating indictment! Those who were given the light of revelation chose to behave like those who walked in darkness.

The verse concludes with a powerful promise of divine justice: "So Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that over which they used to differ." The ultimate arbitration belongs to Allah alone. On that Day, the truth will be fully manifest, and every soul will be recompensed according to what it truly believed and did — not according to empty claims or inherited prejudices.

A Call to Reflection and Action:

Dear reader, this verse carries a timeless lesson for all of us. How often do we see people — even among those who claim to follow divine guidance — dismiss others with sweeping judgments, declaring them "upon nothing"? This is not the way of the believers. Islam teaches us to judge fairly, to seek the truth with humility, and to recognize that ultimate judgment belongs to Allah alone.

The Qur'an, the final and unaltered revelation, calls us to a higher standard: to believe in all the prophets of Allah, to respect the divine message in its original form, and to unite upon the truth that was finally completed in this magnificent Book. It is a Book that does not ask you to follow blindly, but invites you to reflect, to reason, and to find in its verses the light that guides to every good.

So let us not be like those who traded knowledge for arrogance and scripture for sectarian pride. Let us be among those who read the Book of Allah, understand it, and live by it — for in that lies success in this life and salvation in the Hereafter. And let us leave all disputes to Allah, the Most Just of Judges, while we strive to be among those who worship Him with sincerity and knowledge.