Al-Baqarah · Ayah 108

أَمْ تُرِيدُونَ أَن تَسْـَٔلُوا۟ رَسُولَكُمْ كَمَا سُئِلَ مُوسَىٰ مِن قَبْلُ ۗ وَمَن يَتَبَدَّلِ ٱلْكُفْرَ بِٱلْإِيمَـٰنِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ سَوَآءَ ٱلسَّبِيلِ 108

Translations

Or do you intend to ask your Messenger as Moses was asked before? And whoever exchanges faith for disbelief has certainly strayed from the soundness of the way.

Transliteration

Am turīdūna an tas'alū rasūlakum kamā su'ila Mūsā min qablu wa man yatabaddal al-kufra bil-īmān faqad dalla sawā' al-sabīl

Tafsir (Explanation)

This ayah rebukes the Muslims for wanting to question and make excessive demands of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the same manner that the Israelites questioned Prophet Musa (Moses). The ayah warns that whoever exchanges faith (īmān) for disbelief (kufr) has indeed strayed far from the right path. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir explain that this addresses the tendency of some to seek miraculous signs or make unreasonable requests of the Prophet, similar to how the Children of Israel tested Musa with constant questions and demands.

Revelation Context

This ayah was revealed in the Medinan period and addresses the Muslims' community directly regarding proper conduct with their Prophet. It appears in the context of Surah Al-Baqarah's discussion of faith, obedience, and the covenant between Allah and His servants, particularly drawing parallels to the experiences of previous prophets and their nations.

Related Hadiths

The hadith of Jundub ibn Abdullah (Sahih Bukhari, Book of Belief) describes the Prophet's forbearance when faced with difficult questions, exemplifying the patience required of a messenger. Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Muslim regarding the seventy thousand who will enter Paradise without reckoning relates to accepting the Prophet's message without excessive questioning.

Themes

Prophet's authority and respectDangers of disbelief and apostasyLearning from previous nationsProper adab (etiquette) with the ProphetExchange of faith for disbeliefStraying from the straight path

Key Lesson

Believers should maintain proper respect and trust in their Prophet's guidance without making excessive demands or questioning, understanding that testing faith through constant skepticism mirrors the mistakes of previous communities. Exchanging true belief for doubt or disbelief represents a fundamental loss of spiritual direction that leads one far astray from righteousness.

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Related Ayahs

2:182Al-Baqarah

فَمَنْ خَافَ مِن مُّوصٍ جَنَفًا أَوْ إِثْمًا فَأَصْلَحَ بَيْنَهُمْ فَلَآ إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

But if one fears from the bequeather [some] error or sin and corrects that which is between them [i.e., the concerned parties], there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.

2:5Al-Baqarah

أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ عَلَىٰ هُدًى مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ

Those are upon [right] guidance from their Lord, and it is those who are the successful.

2:115Al-Baqarah

وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْمَشْرِقُ وَٱلْمَغْرِبُ ۚ فَأَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّوا۟ فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ

And to Allāh belongs the east and the west. So wherever you [might] turn, there is the Face of Allāh. Indeed, Allāh is all-Encompassing and Knowing.

2:61Al-Baqarah

وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَـٰمُوسَىٰ لَن نَّصْبِرَ عَلَىٰ طَعَامٍ وَٰحِدٍ فَٱدْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُخْرِجْ لَنَا مِمَّا تُنۢبِتُ ٱلْأَرْضُ مِنۢ بَقْلِهَا وَقِثَّآئِهَا وَفُومِهَا وَعَدَسِهَا وَبَصَلِهَا ۖ قَالَ أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ ٱلَّذِى هُوَ أَدْنَىٰ بِٱلَّذِى هُوَ خَيْرٌ ۚ ٱهْبِطُوا۟ مِصْرًا فَإِنَّ لَكُم مَّا سَأَلْتُمْ ۗ وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلذِّلَّةُ وَٱلْمَسْكَنَةُ وَبَآءُو بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ يَكْفُرُونَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ بِغَيْرِ ٱلْحَقِّ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوا۟ وَّكَانُوا۟ يَعْتَدُونَ

And [recall] when you said, "O Moses, we can never endure one [kind of] food. So call upon your Lord to bring forth for us from the earth its green herbs and its cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions." [Moses] said, "Would you exchange what is better for what is less? Go into [any] settlement and indeed, you will have what you have asked." And they were covered with humiliation and poverty and returned with anger from Allāh [upon them]. That was because they [repeatedly] disbelieved in the signs of Allāh and killed the prophets without right. That was because they disobeyed and were [habitually] transgressing.