Surah Al Imran ayat 23 Tafsir Quran 3:23

﴿أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا نَصِيبًا مِّنَ الْكِتَابِ يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَىٰ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ يَتَوَلَّىٰ فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُمْ وَهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ﴾
[ آل عمران: 23]

3:23 Do you not consider, [O Muhammad], those who were given a portion of the Scripture? They are invited to the Scripture of Allah that it should arbitrate between them; then a party of them turns away, and they are refusing.

Have you not seen those who were given a portion a share of the Book the Torah being called to the Book of God yud‘awna ‘being called’ is a circumstantial qualifier that it might decide between them and then a party of them turned away opposed? to the acceptance of its rulings. This was revealed concerning the Jews two of them fornicated and they the Jews asked the Prophet s to adjudicate the case. He ruled that they be stoned but they the Jews refused to do so. When the Torah was brought and consulted the same verdict was found and so the two were stoned but they the Jews became wrathful.

Have you not seen, O Muhammad, the disposition of those who had their share of the Book and divine knowledge, how evasive they are! When the Quran is chosen as the arbiter in a dispute to settle all matters of difference, some of them pay no attention

Chastising the People of the Book for Not Referring to the Book of Allah for Judgment Allah criticizes the Jews and Christians who claim to follow their Books, the Tawrah and the Injil, because when they are called to refer to these Books where Allah commanded them to follow Muhammad , they turn away with aversion.
This censure and criticism from Allah was all because of their defiance and rejection.
Allah said next, ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُواْ لَن تَمَسَّنَا النَّارُ إِلاَ أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَتٍ ( This is because they say: "The Fire shall not touch us but for a number of days." ) meaning, what made them dare to challenge and defy the truth is their false claim that Allah will only punish them for seven days in the Fire, a day for every one thousand years in this life.
We mentioned this subject in the Tafsir of Surat Al-Baqarah. Allah then said, وَغَرَّهُمْ فِى دِينِهِم مَّا كَانُواْ يَفْتَرُونَ ( And that which they used to invent regarding their religion has deceived them. ) meaning, what caused them to remain on their false creed is that they deceived themselves, believing that the Fire will only touch them for a few days for their errors.
However, it is they who have invented this notion, and Allah did not grant them authority to support this claim.
Allah said, while threatening and warning them, فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جَمَعْنَـهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ لاَّ رَيْبَ فِيهِ ( How (will it be ) when We gather them together on the Day about which there is no doubt ( i.
e.
the Day of Resurrection ).) meaning, what will their condition be like after they have uttered this lie about Allah, rejected His Messengers and killed His Prophets and their scholars who enjoined righteousness and forbade evil Allah will ask them about all this and punish them for what they have done.
This is why Allah said, فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جَمَعْنَـهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ لاَّ رَيْبَ فِيهِ ( How (will it be ) when We gather them together on the Day about which there is no doubt.) meaning, there is no doubt that this Day will come, وَوُفِّيَتْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لاَ يُظْلَمُونَ ( And each person will be paid in full what he has earned And they will not be dealt with unjustly. ).

(3:23) Have you not noticed those who have been given a portion of the Book? Whenever their learned men are summoned to the Book of Allah to judge the differences between them, *22 a party of them turns away in aversion.

Do you not consider, [O Muhammad], those meaning

*22).
They are asked to acknowledge the Book of God as the final arbiter in all matters, and to submit to its judgement, accepting as right whatever this Book holds to be right, and as wrong whatever it holds to be wrong.
The Book of God referred to here is the Torah and the Injil, while the expression 'those who have been given a portion of the Book' refers to the Jewish and Christian religious scholars.
( For the Quranic view of the Torah and the Injil see n.
2 above - Ed. )
 

Chastising the People of the Book for Not Referring to the Book of Allah for Judgment Allah criticizes the Jews and Christians who claim to follow their Books, the Tawrah and the Injil, because when they are called to refer to these Books where Allah commanded them to follow Muhammad , they turn away with aversion.
This censure and criticism from Allah was all because of their defiance and rejection.
Allah said next, ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُواْ لَن تَمَسَّنَا النَّارُ إِلاَ أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَتٍ ( This is because they say: "The Fire shall not touch us but for a number of days." ) meaning, what made them dare to challenge and defy the truth is their false claim that Allah will only punish them for seven days in the Fire, a day for every one thousand years in this life.
We mentioned this subject in the Tafsir of Surat Al-Baqarah. Allah then said, وَغَرَّهُمْ فِى دِينِهِم مَّا كَانُواْ يَفْتَرُونَ ( And that which they used to invent regarding their religion has deceived them. ) meaning, what caused them to remain on their false creed is that they deceived themselves, believing that the Fire will only touch them for a few days for their errors.
However, it is they who have invented this notion, and Allah did not grant them authority to support this claim.
Allah said, while threatening and warning them, فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جَمَعْنَـهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ لاَّ رَيْبَ فِيهِ ( How (will it be ) when We gather them together on the Day about which there is no doubt ( i.
e.
the Day of Resurrection ).) meaning, what will their condition be like after they have uttered this lie about Allah, rejected His Messengers and killed His Prophets and their scholars who enjoined righteousness and forbade evil Allah will ask them about all this and punish them for what they have done.
This is why Allah said, فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جَمَعْنَـهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ لاَّ رَيْبَ فِيهِ ( How (will it be ) when We gather them together on the Day about which there is no doubt.) meaning, there is no doubt that this Day will come, وَوُفِّيَتْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لاَ يُظْلَمُونَ ( And each person will be paid in full what he has earned And they will not be dealt with unjustly. ).

Allah mentions after this the rejection of stoning by the Banu Qurayzah and Banu’l-Nadir from among the people of Khaybar, saying: ( Hast thou not seen ) O Muhammad! ( how those who have received the Scripture ) were given knowledge about what is in the Torah regarding stoning and other things ( invoke the Scripture of Allah ) the Qur’an ( (in their disputes ) that it may judge between them) about stoning the married man and married woman who committed adultery in Khaybar, as is in their Scripture; ( then a faction of them ) from Banu Qurayzah and the people of Khaybar ( turn away ) from the judgement, ( being opposed (to it )) denying that judgement.

Have you not seen those who have been given a portion of the Scripture? They are being invited to the Book of Allah to settle their dispute, then a party of them turn away, and they are averse.

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