وَعَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ هَادُوا۟ حَرَّمْنَا مَا قَصَصْنَا عَلَيْكَ مِن قَبْلُ ۖ وَمَا ظَلَمْنَـٰهُمْ وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ 118
Translations
And to those who are Jews We have prohibited that which We related to you before. And We did not wrong them [thereby], but they were wronging themselves.
Transliteration
Wa 'ala alladhīna hādū harramnā mā qasashnā 'alayka min qablu wa mā zalamnāhum wa lākin kānū anfusahum yazlimūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to the dietary restrictions (halal and haram) that Allah imposed upon the Jewish people as mentioned earlier in the Quran and Torah. The ayah emphasizes that Allah did not wrong the Jews by imposing these restrictions; rather, they wronged themselves by transgressing against Allah's commandments and not adhering to His laws. Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi note that this verse clarifies that divine punishment or restrictions are always just, and any suffering results from human disobedience and transgression.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah An-Nahl, which discusses various divine signs and blessings. The context references previously mentioned prohibitions given to the Jewish people (as discussed in Surah Al-An'am 6:146), establishing that the restrictions placed upon them were divine justice, not divine cruelty. This is part of a broader Quranic theme comparing the laws given to different communities.
Related Hadiths
The concept relates to the general principle in Hadith Qudsi: 'My servants, I have forbidden oppression (zulm) for Myself and have made it forbidden among you, so do not oppress one another' (Sahih Muslim 2577). Additionally, the Quran addresses self-inflicted harm through disobedience in multiple contexts, supporting the theme of personal responsibility.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that restrictions and difficulties in life often stem from our own choices and disobedience rather than from injustice on Allah's part, reminding us to examine our actions and take responsibility for our spiritual condition rather than blaming external circumstances.
Related Ayahs
فَٱلْيَوْمَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مِنَ ٱلْكُفَّارِ يَضْحَكُونَ
So Today those who believed are laughing at the disbelievers,
وَيَـٰقَوْمِ ٱعْمَلُوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَكَانَتِكُمْ إِنِّى عَـٰمِلٌ ۖ سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ مَن يَأْتِيهِ عَذَابٌ يُخْزِيهِ وَمَنْ هُوَ كَـٰذِبٌ ۖ وَٱرْتَقِبُوٓا۟ إِنِّى مَعَكُمْ رَقِيبٌ
And O my people, work according to your position; indeed, I am working. You are going to know to whom will come a punishment that will disgrace him and who is a liar. So watch; indeed, I am with you a watcher, [awaiting the outcome]."
وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمَ وَٱلْإِيمَـٰنَ لَقَدْ لَبِثْتُمْ فِى كِتَـٰبِ ٱللَّهِ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْبَعْثِ ۖ فَهَـٰذَا يَوْمُ ٱلْبَعْثِ وَلَـٰكِنَّكُمْ كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
But those who were given knowledge and faith will say, "You remained the extent of Allāh's decree until the Day of Resurrection, and this is the Day of Resurrection, but you did not used to know."
عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَّآ أَحْضَرَتْ
A soul will [then] know what it has brought [with it].