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Surah Ali 'Imran, Ayah 23 (3:23)

آلِ عِمْرَان

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ نَصِيبًا مِّنَ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَىٰ كِتَٰبِ ٱللَّهِ …

Quran 3:23 is ayah 23 of Surah Ali 'Imran (“Family of Imran”), a Medinan surah of 200 ayahs. It is in Juz 3, on page 53 of the Madani Mushaf.

3:23
أَلَمْتَرَإِلَىٱلَّذِينَأُوتُوا۟نَصِيبًامِّنَٱلْكِتَٰبِيُدْعَوْنَإِلَىٰكِتَٰبِٱللَّهِلِيَحْكُمَبَيْنَهُمْثُمَّيَتَوَلَّىٰفَرِيقٌمِّنْهُمْوَهُممُّعْرِضُونَ٢٣
alam tara ilā alladhīna ūtū naṣīban mina l-kitābi yud'ʿawna ilā kitābi l-lahi liyaḥkuma baynahum thumma yatawallā farīqun min'hum wahum muʿ'riḍūna

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

Word by word

  1. أَلَمْalamHave not
  2. تَرَtarayou seen
  3. إِلَىilā[to]
  4. ٱلَّذِينَalladhīnathose who
  5. أُوتُوا۟ūtūwere given
  6. نَصِيبًاnaṣībana portion
  7. مِّنَminaof
  8. ٱلْكِتَٰبِl-kitābithe Scripture
  9. يُدْعَوْنَyud'ʿawnaThey are invited
  10. إِلَىٰilāto
  11. كِتَٰبِkitābi(the) Book
  12. ٱللَّهِl-lahi(of) Allah
  13. لِيَحْكُمَliyaḥkumathat (it should) arbitrate
  14. بَيْنَهُمْbaynahumbetween them
  15. ثُمَّthummathen
  16. يَتَوَلَّىٰyatawallāturns away
  17. فَرِيقٌfarīquna party
  18. مِّنْهُمْmin'humof them
  19. وَهُمwahumand they (are)
  20. مُّعْرِضُونَmuʿ'riḍūnathose who are averse

Tafsir (commentary) of 3:23

Available in English, Bengali, Urdu, Arabic, Russian.

English · EnglishTafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

This commentary explains ayahs 3:23–25 together.

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.).

Read the full Surah Ali 'Imran