وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ ءَامِنُوا۟ بِمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ قَالُوا۟ نُؤْمِنُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا وَيَكْفُرُونَ بِمَا وَرَآءَهُۥ وَهُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا مَعَهُمْ ۗ قُلْ فَلِمَ تَقْتُلُونَ أَنۢبِيَآءَ ٱللَّهِ مِن قَبْلُ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ 91
Translations
And when it is said to them, "Believe in what Allāh has revealed," they say, "We believe [only] in what was revealed to us." And they disbelieve in what came after it, while it is the truth confirming that which is with them. Say, "Then why did you kill the prophets of Allāh before, if you are [indeed] believers?"
Transliteration
Wa-iza qila lahum aminu bima anzala Allahu qalu nu'minu bima unzila alayna wa-yakfuruna bima wara'ahu wa-huwa al-haqqu musaddiqan lima ma'ahum. Qul falima taqtuluna anbiya' Allahi min qablu in kuntum mu'minin.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses the hypocrisy of certain People of the Book (particularly some Jewish groups) who claimed to believe only in their own scriptures while rejecting the Qur'an, despite the Qur'an confirming and fulfilling what came before it. Allah challenges their contradiction by asking why, if they truly believed in the previous revelations, they killed the prophets sent to them—an act that directly contradicts genuine faith. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari note this illustrates how selective belief and rejection of divine truth, despite clear evidence, constitutes disbelief (kufr).
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in Medina during the period of intensified interaction between the Prophet (ﷺ) and the Jewish communities of Medina. It addresses the refusal of certain Jewish scholars to accept the Qur'an and the Prophet Muhammad, despite their own scriptures containing prophecies about his coming. The reference to killing prophets connects to historical acts of the Children of Israel documented in earlier scriptures.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The most severely punished people on the Day of Judgment are those who killed the prophets of Allah' (Sahih Bukhari). Additionally, Surah 2:87 and 2:61 contain related hadiths regarding the killing of prophets and rejection of messengers by the People of the Book.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that true faith requires complete submission to all of Allah's revelations without selective acceptance, and that our actions must align with our stated beliefs—hypocrisy that contradicts our professed values is a form of disbelief. It warns against allowing cultural, tribal, or scholarly biases to prevent us from recognizing divine truth when it clearly arrives.