وَإِن مِّنْ أَهْلِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ إِلَّا لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِۦ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِۦ ۖ وَيَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا 159
Translations
And there is none from the People of the Scripture but that he will surely believe in him [i.e., Jesus] before his death. And on the Day of Resurrection he will be against them a witness.
Transliteration
Wa-in min ahli al-kitabi illa la-yu'minunna bihi qabla mawtihi wa-yawma al-qiyamati yakunu alayhim shahidan
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms that every person from the People of the Book (Christians and Jews) will believe in Jesus ('Isa) before their death, and on the Day of Judgment he will bear witness against them. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari interpret this as referring to Jesus's return before the Day of Judgment, at which time all People of the Book will recognize his true status, and those who rejected him in life will be held accountable by his testimony on the Final Day.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah An-Nisa's discussion of Jesus ('Isa) and clarification of the Christian understanding of his nature. It responds to disputes about Jesus's divinity and his role, emphasizing that universal acknowledgment of his truth will occur, either in this life through his return or definitively on the Day of Judgment when all souls face divine justice.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim contain hadith reports about Jesus descending before the Day of Judgment and judging with justice. Related is the hadith: 'There is no prophet between me and him, that is, Jesus' (Tirmidhi), which connects to Jesus's prophetic role and his expected return.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that ultimate truth cannot remain hidden forever—all will eventually recognize and submit to God's reality, either in this world or when facing divine judgment. For believers, it reinforces faith in Jesus's true prophetic mission and serves as a reminder that sincere belief in divine truth, regardless of one's background, is essential for salvation.
Related Ayahs
وَلَا تُجَـٰدِلْ عَنِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَخْتَانُونَ أَنفُسَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ مَن كَانَ خَوَّانًا أَثِيمًا
And do not argue on behalf of those who deceive themselves. Indeed, Allāh loves not one who is a habitually sinful deceiver.
يَسْـَٔلُكَ أَهْلُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ أَن تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ كِتَـٰبًا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ ۚ فَقَدْ سَأَلُوا۟ مُوسَىٰٓ أَكْبَرَ مِن ذَٰلِكَ فَقَالُوٓا۟ أَرِنَا ٱللَّهَ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ ٱلصَّـٰعِقَةُ بِظُلْمِهِمْ ۚ ثُمَّ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ ٱلْعِجْلَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْهُمُ ٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتُ فَعَفَوْنَا عَن ذَٰلِكَ ۚ وَءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَىٰ سُلْطَـٰنًا مُّبِينًا
The People of the Scripture ask you to bring down to them a book from the heaven. But they had asked of Moses [even] greater than that and said, "Show us Allāh outright," so the thunderbolt struck them for their wrongdoing. Then they took the calf [for worship] after clear evidences had come to them, and We pardoned that. And We gave Moses a clear authority.
وَمَن يَكْسِبْ خَطِيٓـَٔةً أَوْ إِثْمًا ثُمَّ يَرْمِ بِهِۦ بَرِيٓـًٔا فَقَدِ ٱحْتَمَلَ بُهْتَـٰنًا وَإِثْمًا مُّبِينًا
But whoever earns an offense or a sin and then blames it on an innocent [person] has taken upon himself a slander and manifest sin.
فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّىٰ يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَجِدُوا۟ فِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُوا۟ تَسْلِيمًا
But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muḥammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission.