ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ نَزَّلَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۗ وَإِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ فِى ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَفِى شِقَاقٍۭ بَعِيدٍ 176
Translations
That is [deserved by them] because Allāh has sent down the Book in truth. And indeed, those who differ over the Book are in extreme dissension.
Transliteration
Dhālika bi-anna Allāha nazzala al-Kitāba bi-al-ḥaqq, wa-inna alladhīna ikhtalafu fī al-Kitābi la-fī shiqāq ba'īd
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah states that Allah revealed the Book (Qur'an) with truth, and those who dispute and differ about the Book are in severe discord and opposition. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this verse condemns those who reject the clear truth of the Qur'an and engage in baseless argumentation, emphasizing that disagreement stemming from denial of divine revelation leads to profound spiritual schism. The verse establishes that the Qur'an's truth is absolute, and deliberate disagreement with it represents a fundamental breach from the straight path.
Revelation Context
This ayah is situated within Surah Al-Baqarah's discussion of the People of the Book (Ahl al-Kitab) and their contradictions regarding the Qur'an. The broader context addresses how some Jews and Christians distorted their own scriptures and rejected the Qur'an despite its clarity, making it a Medinan ayah responding to specific interfaith disputes the Muslim community encountered.
Related Hadiths
Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: 'The best of you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it' (Sahih Bukhari 5027), emphasizing proper understanding of the Book. Additionally, the Hadith Qudsi: 'Indeed, those who dispute about My ayat have gone far astray' reflects the gravity of quarreling about divine revelation (Tirmidhi).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that true knowledge comes from accepting the Qur'an's truth without needless disputation, and that disagreement rooted in denial of divine guidance creates profound spiritual distance from Allah's path. For modern readers, it emphasizes the importance of studying scripture with sincere intention to understand rather than to argue or find faults.
Related Ayahs
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَقُولُوا۟ رَٰعِنَا وَقُولُوا۟ ٱنظُرْنَا وَٱسْمَعُوا۟ ۗ وَلِلْكَـٰفِرِينَ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
O you who have believed, say not [to Allāh's Messenger], "Rāʿinā" but say, "Unẓurnā" and listen. And for the disbelievers is a painful punishment.
لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا ٱكْتَسَبَتْ ۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَآ إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦ ۖ وَٱعْفُ عَنَّا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَٱرْحَمْنَآ ۚ أَنتَ مَوْلَىٰنَا فَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
Allāh does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned. "Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred. Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people."
تِلْكَ أُمَّةٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ ۖ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَلَكُم مَّا كَسَبْتُمْ ۖ وَلَا تُسْـَٔلُونَ عَمَّا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
That was a nation which has passed on. It will have [the consequence of] what it earned, and you will have what you have earned. And you will not be asked about what they used to do.
قُولُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا بِٱللَّهِ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَىٰٓ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمَ وَإِسْمَـٰعِيلَ وَإِسْحَـٰقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَٱلْأَسْبَاطِ وَمَآ أُوتِىَ مُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰ وَمَآ أُوتِىَ ٱلنَّبِيُّونَ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّنْهُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُۥ مُسْلِمُونَ
Say, [O believers], "We have believed in Allāh and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants [al-Asbāṭ] and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him."