Surah Nisa ayat 153 Tafsir Quran 4:153

﴿يَسْأَلُكَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ أَن تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ كِتَابًا مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ ۚ فَقَدْ سَأَلُوا مُوسَىٰ أَكْبَرَ مِن ذَٰلِكَ فَقَالُوا أَرِنَا اللَّهَ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ بِظُلْمِهِمْ ۚ ثُمَّ اتَّخَذُوا الْعِجْلَ مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ فَعَفَوْنَا عَن ذَٰلِكَ ۚ وَآتَيْنَا مُوسَىٰ سُلْطَانًا مُّبِينًا﴾
[ النساء: 153]

4:153 The People of the Scripture ask you to bring down to them a book from the heaven. But they had asked of Moses [even] greater than that and said, "Show us Allah outright," so the thunderbolt struck them for their wrongdoing. Then they took the calf [for worship] after clear evidences had come to them, and We pardoned that. And We gave Moses a clear authority.

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.

And insolently do Ahl al-Kitab (the Jews) ask you O Muhammad for a Book that you would cause to descend upon them from heaven! But greater was their irreverence to Mussa (Moses) whom they asked to show them Allah personally so that they perceive Him by sight. There and then did heaven thunder against them and the fearful echoes thundered in their ears in consequence of their blasphemy against Allah. And worse was the reverence and veneration they paid to the calf which they worshipped and adored besides Allah. And this odd disposition, strangely ran in their heads after they had received enough signs to guide them out of want of spiritual and intellectual sight into illumination and enlightenment Yet We pardoned them and remitted the penalty of their serious offence and We conferred on Mussa delegated power and made him stand manifest of authority

The Stubbornness of the Jews Muhammad bin Ka`b Al-Qurazi, As-Suddi and Qatadah said that the Jews asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to cause a book to come down to them from heaven, just as the Tawrah was sent down to Musa.
Ibn Jurayj said that the Jews asked the Messenger to cause books to come down to them addressed to so-and-so among them, testifying to the truth of what he was sent with.
The Jews only asked for this because of their stubbornness, defiance, rejection and disbelief.
The disbelievers of Quraysh also asked for similar things from the Prophet, as is mentioned in Surat Al-Isra', وَقَالُواْ لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّى تَفْجُرَ لَنَا مِنَ الاٌّرْضِ يَنْبُوعًا ( And they say: "We shall not believe in you, until you cause a spring to gush forth from the earth for us; ) ( 17:90 ) Allah said, فَقَدْ سَأَلُواْ مُوسَى أَكْبَرَ مِن ذلِكَ فَقَالُواْ أَرِنَا اللَّهِ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّـعِقَةُ بِظُلْمِهِمْ ( Indeed, they asked Musa for even greater than that, when they said, "Show us Allah in public," but they were struck with a bolt of lightning for their wickedness. ) injustice, transgression, defiance and rebellion.
This part was explained in Surat Al-Baqarah, وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَـمُوسَى لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّى نَرَى اللَّهَ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْكُمُ الصَّـعِقَةُ وَأَنتُمْ تَنظُرُونَ - ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَـكُم مِّن بَعْدِ مَوْتِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ( And (remember ) when you said: "O Musa! We shall never believe in you until we see Allah plainly." But you were struck by a bolt of lightning while you were looking.
Then We raised you up after your death, so that you might be grateful.) ( 2:55,56 ) Allah's statement, ثُمَّ اتَّخَذُواْ الْعِجْلَ مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَـتُ ( Then they worshipped the calf even after Al-Bayyinat had come to them. ) meaning, after they witnessed the tremendous miracles and unequivocal proofs at the hand of Musa in Egypt.
They also witnessed the demise of their enemy, Fir`awn and his soldiers, when they all drowned in the sea.
Yet soon after, when they passed by a people who were worshipping idols, they said to Musa, اجْعَلْ لَّنَآ إِلَـهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ ءَالِهَةٌ ( Make for us a god as they have gods. ) Allah explains the story of the Jews worshipping the calf in Surat Al-A`raf ( 7 ) and Surah Ta Ha ( 20 ) after Musa went to meet with his Lord.
When Musa returned, Allah decreed that in order for the Jews to earn accepted repentance, then those who did not worship the calf would have to kill those who worshipped it.
They complied with this command, and Allah resurrected them afterwards.
Allah said here, فَعَفَوْنَا عَن ذلِكَ وَءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى سُلْطَـناً مُّبِيناً ( (Even ) so We forgave them.
And We gave Musa a clear proof of authority.
) Allah then said, وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَهُمُ الطُّورَ بِمِيثَـقِهِمْ ( And for their covenant, We raised over them the mount, ) This was when they refrained from implementing the rulings of the Tawrah and refused what Musa brought them from Allah.
So Allah raised the mountain above their heads and they were ordered to prostrate, which they did.
Even so, they were looking above when they were prostrating for fear that the mountain might fall on them, وَإِذ نَتَقْنَا الْجَبَلَ فَوْقَهُمْ كَأَنَّهُ ظُلَّةٌ وَظَنُّواْ أَنَّهُ وَاقِعٌ بِهِمْ خُذُواْ مَآ ءَاتَيْنَاكُم بِقُوَّةٍ ( And (remember ) when We raised the mountain over them as if it had been a canopy, and they thought that it was going to fall on them.
( We said ): "Hold firmly to what We have given you.") Allah then said, وَقُلْنَا لَهُمُ ادْخُلُواْ الْبَابَ سُجَّداً ( and We said, "Enter the gate prostrating (or bowing ) with humility;") meaning that they also defied this command in word and action.
They were commanded to enter Bayt Al-Quds ( in Jerusalem ) while bowing and saying "Hittah", meaning: `O Allah! take from us our sin of abandoning Jihad.' This was the cause of their wandering in the desert of Tih for forty years.
Yet, they entered the House while crawling on their rear ends and saying `Hintah ( a wheat grain ) in Sha`rah ( the hair )'. وَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ لاَ تَعْدُواْ فِى السَّبْتِ ( and We commanded them, "Transgress not the Sabbath (Saturday ).") meaning, We commanded them to honor the Sabbath and honor what Allah prohibited them on that day. وَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُمْ مِّيثَـقاً غَلِيظاً t( And We took from them a firm covenant. ) meaning, strong covenant.
They rebelled, transgressed and committed what Allah prohibited by using deceit and trickery, as is mentioned in Surat Al-A`raf ( 7 ), وَسْئَلْهُمْ عَنِ الْقَرْيَةِ الَّتِى كَانَتْ حَاضِرَةَ الْبَحْرِ ( And ask them about the town that was by the sea. ) فَبِمَا نَقْضِهِمْ مَّيثَـقَهُمْ وَكُفْرِهِم بَـَايَـتِ اللَّهِ وَقَتْلِهِمُ الاٌّنْبِيَآءَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ وَقَوْلِهِمْ قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌ بَلْ طَبَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهَا بِكُفْرِهِمْ فَلاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً - وَبِكُفْرِهِمْ وَقَوْلِهِمْ عَلَى مَرْيَمَ بُهْتَـناً عَظِيماً - وَقَوْلِهِمْ إِنَّا قَتَلْنَا الْمَسِيحَ عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَـكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُواْ فِيهِ لَفِى شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ مَا لَهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِلاَّ اتِّبَاعَ الظَّنِّ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ يَقِيناً - بَل رَّفَعَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَزِيزاً حَكِيماً

(4:153) The People of the Book now ask of you to have a Book come down on them from heaven; *181 indeed they asked of Moses even greater things than this, for they said: 'Make us see Allah with our own eyes' - whereupon the thunderbolt suddenly smote them for their wickedness. *182 Then they took to worshipping the calf after clear signs had come to them. *183 Still, We forgave them, and conferred a manifest commandment upon Moses,

The People of the Scripture ask you meaning

*181).
One of the odd demands which the Jews of Madina made to the Prophet ( peace be on him ) was that if he wanted them to accept his claim to prophethood he should have them either witness a book descending from the heavens or that each one of them should receive a writ from on high, confirming Muhammad's prophethood and the absolute necessity of believing in him.

*182).
The purpose here is not to describe the details of any particular event, but merely to mention, in brief, the crimes of the Jews.
Hence passing references are made to the main incidents in the national history of the Jews.
The particular event referred to has been mentioned earlier in Surah al-Baqarah.
( See Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol.
I, Surah 2: 55; also n.
71. )
*183).
'Clear signs' refer here to the signs which people had constantly witnessed from the time of Moses' appointment to his prophetic office, to the drowning of Pharaoh and the deliverance of the Israelites out of Egypt.
It is clear that He Who had secured the deliverance of the Israelites from the clutches of the powerful Egyptian empire was not the calf, but God, the Lord of the Universe.
One is simply staggered at the overpowering predisposition of the Jews to error, as evidenced by the fact that at that very juncture in their history when they had experienced the most illustrious signs of God's power and grace they bowed down before the image of the calf, rather than before God, their Benefactor.

 

The Stubbornness of the Jews Muhammad bin Ka`b Al-Qurazi, As-Suddi and Qatadah said that the Jews asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to cause a book to come down to them from heaven, just as the Tawrah was sent down to Musa.
Ibn Jurayj said that the Jews asked the Messenger to cause books to come down to them addressed to so-and-so among them, testifying to the truth of what he was sent with.
The Jews only asked for this because of their stubbornness, defiance, rejection and disbelief.
The disbelievers of Quraysh also asked for similar things from the Prophet, as is mentioned in Surat Al-Isra', وَقَالُواْ لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّى تَفْجُرَ لَنَا مِنَ الاٌّرْضِ يَنْبُوعًا ( And they say: "We shall not believe in you, until you cause a spring to gush forth from the earth for us; ) ( 17:90 ) Allah said, فَقَدْ سَأَلُواْ مُوسَى أَكْبَرَ مِن ذلِكَ فَقَالُواْ أَرِنَا اللَّهِ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّـعِقَةُ بِظُلْمِهِمْ ( Indeed, they asked Musa for even greater than that, when they said, "Show us Allah in public," but they were struck with a bolt of lightning for their wickedness. ) injustice, transgression, defiance and rebellion.
This part was explained in Surat Al-Baqarah, وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَـمُوسَى لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّى نَرَى اللَّهَ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْكُمُ الصَّـعِقَةُ وَأَنتُمْ تَنظُرُونَ - ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَـكُم مِّن بَعْدِ مَوْتِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ( And (remember ) when you said: "O Musa! We shall never believe in you until we see Allah plainly." But you were struck by a bolt of lightning while you were looking.
Then We raised you up after your death, so that you might be grateful.) ( 2:55,56 ) Allah's statement, ثُمَّ اتَّخَذُواْ الْعِجْلَ مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَـتُ ( Then they worshipped the calf even after Al-Bayyinat had come to them. ) meaning, after they witnessed the tremendous miracles and unequivocal proofs at the hand of Musa in Egypt.
They also witnessed the demise of their enemy, Fir`awn and his soldiers, when they all drowned in the sea.
Yet soon after, when they passed by a people who were worshipping idols, they said to Musa, اجْعَلْ لَّنَآ إِلَـهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ ءَالِهَةٌ ( Make for us a god as they have gods. ) Allah explains the story of the Jews worshipping the calf in Surat Al-A`raf ( 7 ) and Surah Ta Ha ( 20 ) after Musa went to meet with his Lord.
When Musa returned, Allah decreed that in order for the Jews to earn accepted repentance, then those who did not worship the calf would have to kill those who worshipped it.
They complied with this command, and Allah resurrected them afterwards.
Allah said here, فَعَفَوْنَا عَن ذلِكَ وَءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى سُلْطَـناً مُّبِيناً ( (Even ) so We forgave them.
And We gave Musa a clear proof of authority.
) Allah then said, وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَهُمُ الطُّورَ بِمِيثَـقِهِمْ ( And for their covenant, We raised over them the mount, ) This was when they refrained from implementing the rulings of the Tawrah and refused what Musa brought them from Allah.
So Allah raised the mountain above their heads and they were ordered to prostrate, which they did.
Even so, they were looking above when they were prostrating for fear that the mountain might fall on them, وَإِذ نَتَقْنَا الْجَبَلَ فَوْقَهُمْ كَأَنَّهُ ظُلَّةٌ وَظَنُّواْ أَنَّهُ وَاقِعٌ بِهِمْ خُذُواْ مَآ ءَاتَيْنَاكُم بِقُوَّةٍ ( And (remember ) when We raised the mountain over them as if it had been a canopy, and they thought that it was going to fall on them.
( We said ): "Hold firmly to what We have given you.") Allah then said, وَقُلْنَا لَهُمُ ادْخُلُواْ الْبَابَ سُجَّداً ( and We said, "Enter the gate prostrating (or bowing ) with humility;") meaning that they also defied this command in word and action.
They were commanded to enter Bayt Al-Quds ( in Jerusalem ) while bowing and saying "Hittah", meaning: `O Allah! take from us our sin of abandoning Jihad.' This was the cause of their wandering in the desert of Tih for forty years.
Yet, they entered the House while crawling on their rear ends and saying `Hintah ( a wheat grain ) in Sha`rah ( the hair )'. وَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ لاَ تَعْدُواْ فِى السَّبْتِ ( and We commanded them, "Transgress not the Sabbath (Saturday ).") meaning, We commanded them to honor the Sabbath and honor what Allah prohibited them on that day. وَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُمْ مِّيثَـقاً غَلِيظاً t( And We took from them a firm covenant. ) meaning, strong covenant.
They rebelled, transgressed and committed what Allah prohibited by using deceit and trickery, as is mentioned in Surat Al-A`raf ( 7 ), وَسْئَلْهُمْ عَنِ الْقَرْيَةِ الَّتِى كَانَتْ حَاضِرَةَ الْبَحْرِ ( And ask them about the town that was by the sea. ) فَبِمَا نَقْضِهِمْ مَّيثَـقَهُمْ وَكُفْرِهِم بَـَايَـتِ اللَّهِ وَقَتْلِهِمُ الاٌّنْبِيَآءَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ وَقَوْلِهِمْ قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌ بَلْ طَبَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهَا بِكُفْرِهِمْ فَلاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً - وَبِكُفْرِهِمْ وَقَوْلِهِمْ عَلَى مَرْيَمَ بُهْتَـناً عَظِيماً - وَقَوْلِهِمْ إِنَّا قَتَلْنَا الْمَسِيحَ عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَـكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُواْ فِيهِ لَفِى شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ مَا لَهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِلاَّ اتِّبَاعَ الظَّنِّ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ يَقِيناً - بَل رَّفَعَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَزِيزاً حَكِيماً

( 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--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.

The people of the Scripture (Jews) ask you to cause a book to descend upon them from heaven. Indeed they asked Musa (Moses) for even greater than that, when they said: "Show us Allah in public," but they were struck with thunder clap and lightning for their wickedness. Then they worshipped the calf even after clear proofs, evidences, and signs had come to them. (Even) so We forgave them. And We gave Musa (Moses) a clear proof of authority.

Page 102 English transliteration