أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱشْتَرَوُا۟ ٱلضَّلَـٰلَةَ بِٱلْهُدَىٰ وَٱلْعَذَابَ بِٱلْمَغْفِرَةِ ۚ فَمَآ أَصْبَرَهُمْ عَلَى ٱلنَّارِ 175
Translations
Those are the ones who have exchanged guidance for error and forgiveness for punishment. How patient they are for [i.e., in pursuit of] the Fire!
Transliteration
Ulā'ika alladhīna ishtaraw-u ad-dalāla bil-hudā wa al-'adhāba bil-maghfirah. Famā asbarahum 'alā an-nār.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to those who deliberately exchange guidance for misguidance and forgiveness for punishment—a description of the Jewish scholars mentioned in the preceding verses who distorted the Torah and rejected the Prophet Muhammad. Ibn Kathir emphasizes that this is a severe indictment of those who knowingly turn away from truth, while Al-Qurtubi notes the rhetorical force of 'Famā asbarahum' (how patient they are), expressing astonishment at their willingness to endure the Fire of Hell. The ayah highlights the irrationality and spiritual blindness of rejecting clear truth in exchange for falsehood and eternal torment.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of a passage (2:174-176) discussing the People of the Book, particularly those Jewish scholars who concealed the clear descriptions of the Prophet Muhammad found in their scriptures and sold this knowledge for worldly gain. The context is the broader Medinan discussion of those who reject truth despite its clarity, set against the backdrop of the Prophet's interactions with the Jewish tribes of Madinah.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The example of guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is like abundant rain falling on the earth; some of which was fertile soil that absorbed water and brought forth vegetation and grass in abundance.' (Sahih Bukhari 79). This hadith parallels the ayah's theme of accepting or rejecting divine guidance.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that rejecting clear truth for worldly desires or pride leads to spiritual destruction; we must examine our hearts regularly to ensure we are not trading guidance for misguidance through compromise with our ego, societal pressures, or material gain.