وَءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَجَعَلْنَـٰهُ هُدًى لِّبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ أَلَّا تَتَّخِذُوا۟ مِن دُونِى وَكِيلًا 2
Translations
And We gave Moses the Scripture and made it a guidance for the Children of Israel that you not take other than Me as Disposer of affairs,
Transliteration
Wa ātaynā Mūsā al-Kitāba wa ja'alnāhu hudan li-banī Isrā'īl allā tattakhidhū min dūnī wakīlā
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah granted Musa (Moses) the Torah (al-Kitab) and made it a guidance for the Children of Israel, with the explicit command that they should not take any protector or guardian besides Allah. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this ayah underscores the exclusivity of Allah's authority and the sufficiency of divine guidance, warning against reliance on other deities, intermediaries, or false protectors. The Torah itself was meant to direct people away from shirk (associating partners with Allah) and toward complete dependence upon Him alone.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-Isra, a Meccan surah that chronicles the Prophet Muhammad's Night Journey (Isra and Mi'raj). The surah emphasizes monotheism and divine guidance through the examples of previous prophets. This particular verse references the gift of the Torah to Musa as a parallel to the Quran's role as guidance, establishing the continuity of Allah's message across generations while reaffirming the principle of tawhid (monotheism).
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: 'Whoever dies while associating partners with Allah shall enter the Fire' (Sahih Muslim 93). Additionally, the hadith 'Seek help in your affairs through patience and prayer' (Sahih Bukhari 4636) reflects the theme of relying upon Allah alone rather than false protectors.
Themes
Key Lesson
In our modern age of plural influences and competing authorities, this ayah reminds believers to prioritize Allah's guidance above all else and to guard against subtle forms of shirk—whether through excessive reliance on human intermediaries, worldly powers, or systems that contradict divine law. True security and success come only through exclusive dependence on Allah and adherence to His guidance.