Al-Baqarah: (91) And when it is said to them...

Translation and Exegesis

[91] And when it is said to them: This refers to the Jews.

"What has been revealed (by God)," they say: Meaning, they claim belief in all that God has revealed. Those who argue for the generality of the term (in the following verse) use this verse as proof that the particle (مَا) (mā) here means "that which" (الذي), implying generality.

They argue: God Almighty commanded them to believe in what God revealed. When they believed in some parts but rejected others, He criticized them for it. If the particle (مَا) did not imply generality, this criticism would not be appropriate.

They say: "We believe in what was revealed to us." Meaning, the Torah and the books of the other Prophets who upheld the law of Moses (peace be upon him).

Then God informed us that they disbelieve in what comes after that (i.e., the Gospel and the Qur'an). God recounts this statement of theirs as a form of censure.

It is not permissible for them to be commanded, "Believe in what God has revealed," unless they have a means to know that it is truly revealed from God; otherwise, this would be imposing an unbearable burden (taklīf mā lā yuṭāq). If evidence proves it is revealed from God, belief in it becomes obligatory. Thus, believing in some of what God revealed while rejecting other parts is proven to be a contradiction.

And it is the Truth, confirming what is with them: This points to the obligation of believing in Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in two ways:

1. The meaning of "And it is the Truth": Since the prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was established through the miracles that appeared through him, and he informed people that this Qur'an was revealed from God and commanded the accountable to believe in it, belief in him was inevitably obligatory. At this point, it becomes clear that believing in some Prophets and some Books while disbelieving in others is impossible.

2. The meaning of "confirming what is with them": This is further explained in two ways:
   • First: Muhammad (peace and blessings of God and peace be upon him) learned no knowledge and had no teacher. When he presented narratives and stories exactly matching those in the Torah without any discrepancy, we knew that he must have derived them from revelation and descent (from God).
   • Second: The Qur'an testifies to the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him). Since God informed us that the Qur'an confirms the Torah, the Torah must necessarily contain a testimony to his prophethood. Otherwise, the Qur'an would not be confirming the Torah, but rather denying it. If the Torah contains testimony to the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him), and they (the Jews) acknowledged the obligation to believe in the Torah, then by this reasoning, belief in the Qur'an and the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) becomes obligatory upon them.

Then why do you kill the Prophets of God before? This verse contains several issues:

The Almighty clarified, from another angle, that their claim of believing in the Torah is contradictory in other ways. The Torah indicated that miracles prove truthfulness, and it indicated that killing someone who is truthful in claiming prophethood constitutes disbelief (kufr). If this is the case, then striving to kill John, Zechariah, and Jesus (peace be upon them) was disbelief. So, why did you strive to do that if you are truthful in your claim of believing in the Torah?

This verse indicates that engaging in religious debate with the Prophets (peace be upon them) is permissible, and presenting counter-arguments to an opponent is allowed.

Although the address "Why do you kill" is in the present tense, it refers to their predecessors. This is indicated by several points:

1. The Prophets mentioned were not alive at that time.
2. They (the current audience) did not commit those acts.
3. The phrase "from before" (min qabl) necessitates reference to the past.

If one asks: The command "Believe" addresses those present, while "Why do you kill" recounts the actions of their ancestors. How can these two be reconciled? The answer is: It means that through this denial (of the Qur'an), you have departed from the faith you claimed to hold, just as your ancestors departed from belief in the remaining Prophets by killing some of them.

It is asked: Why is it permissible to say, "Why do you kill from before?" but not permissible to say, "I hit you yesterday"?

There are two answers:

1. It is permissible when referring to an action that has become like an inherent characteristic or trait. Similar to saying to someone whose past evil deeds you know: "Woe to you, why do you lie?"—as if you mean, "Lying is not characteristic of you." God Almighty says: "And they followed what the devils recited" (Al-Baqarah: 102), and did not say "what the devils recited (in the past)," because He intended the characteristic of recitation.
2. It is as if He meant: "Why do you consent to the killing of the Prophets from before, if you truly believed in the Torah?" And God knows best.

[92] And when We gave Moses the Book and the clear proofs, then you took the calf (for worship) after him, while you were wrongdoers.