إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَشْتَرُونَ بِعَهْدِ ٱللَّهِ وَأَيْمَـٰنِهِمْ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَا خَلَـٰقَ لَهُمْ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَلَا يُكَلِّمُهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَلَا يَنظُرُ إِلَيْهِمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ وَلَا يُزَكِّيهِمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ 77
Translations
Indeed, those who exchange the covenant of Allāh and their [own] oaths for a small price will have no share in the Hereafter, and Allāh will not speak to them or look at them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them; and they will have a painful punishment.
Transliteration
Inna alladhina yashtarun bi'ahdi allahi wa-aymanihim thanaman qalilan ula'ika la khalaq lahum fi al-akhirah wa la yukallimuhum allahu wa la yandhuru ilayhim yawm al-qiyamah wa la yuzakkihim wa lahum adhab alim
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah condemns those who sell their covenant with Allah and their oaths for a small worldly gain, emphasizing the grave spiritual consequences of breaking sacred promises. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi interpret this as referring to those who violate their pledges to Allah—whether through apostasy, breaking oaths, or abandoning Islamic commitments—for trivial material benefits. The fourfold punishment mentioned (no share in the Hereafter, Allah's silence toward them, His turning away on the Day of Judgment, and painful torment) underscores the severity of covenant-breaking.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Ali 'Imran's discussion of the People of the Book and those who violate their pledges to Allah. It appears in the context of addressing believers about maintaining their covenants and warns against the behavior of those who abandon their religious commitments for worldly advantages, likely referencing hypocrites and oath-breakers during the Medinan period.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever takes an oath and then finds something else better than it, let him do what is better and expiate for his oath' (Sahih Muslim 1647). Additionally, the Prophet emphasized: 'The signs of a hypocrite are three: when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is trusted, he betrays' (Sahih Bukhari 33), relating to the serious sin of breaking covenants.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches Muslims that honoring their pledges to Allah is infinitely more valuable than any temporary worldly benefit, and that breaking sacred oaths results in spiritual desolation and divine rejection. The lesson reminds believers to examine their commitments to Islam and ensure they never compromise their faith or integrity for fleeting material gains.
Related Ayahs
شَهِدَ ٱللَّهُ أَنَّهُۥ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ وَأُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمِ قَآئِمًۢا بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۚ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ
Allāh witnesses that there is no deity except Him, and [so do] the angels and those of knowledge - [that He is] maintaining [creation] in justice. There is no deity except Him, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
۞ وَمِنْ أَهْلِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ مَنْ إِن تَأْمَنْهُ بِقِنطَارٍ يُؤَدِّهِۦٓ إِلَيْكَ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ إِن تَأْمَنْهُ بِدِينَارٍ لَّا يُؤَدِّهِۦٓ إِلَيْكَ إِلَّا مَا دُمْتَ عَلَيْهِ قَآئِمًا ۗ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا۟ لَيْسَ عَلَيْنَا فِى ٱلْأُمِّيِّـۧنَ سَبِيلٌ وَيَقُولُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلْكَذِبَ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ
And among the People of the Scripture is he who, if you entrust him with a great amount [of wealth], he will return it to you. And among them is he who, if you entrust him with a [single] coin, he will not return it to you unless you are constantly standing over him [demanding it]. That is because they say, "There is no blame upon us concerning the unlearned." And they speak untruth about Allāh while they know [it].
وَلَقَدْ صَدَقَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَعْدَهُۥٓ إِذْ تَحُسُّونَهُم بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا فَشِلْتُمْ وَتَنَـٰزَعْتُمْ فِى ٱلْأَمْرِ وَعَصَيْتُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ مَآ أَرَىٰكُم مَّا تُحِبُّونَ ۚ مِنكُم مَّن يُرِيدُ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَمِنكُم مَّن يُرِيدُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةَ ۚ ثُمَّ صَرَفَكُمْ عَنْهُمْ لِيَبْتَلِيَكُمْ ۖ وَلَقَدْ عَفَا عَنكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
And Allāh had certainly fulfilled His promise to you when you were killing them [i.e., the enemy] by His permission until [the time] when you lost courage and fell to disputing about the order [given by the Prophet (ﷺ)] and disobeyed after He had shown you that which you love. Among you are some who desire this world, and among you are some who desire the Hereafter. Then He turned you back from them [defeated] that He might test you. And He has already forgiven you, and Allāh is the possessor of bounty for the believers.
إِنَّ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱخْتِلَـٰفِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ لِّأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ
Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding -