وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَقَفَّيْنَا مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ بِٱلرُّسُلِ ۖ وَءَاتَيْنَا عِيسَى ٱبْنَ مَرْيَمَ ٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ وَأَيَّدْنَـٰهُ بِرُوحِ ٱلْقُدُسِ ۗ أَفَكُلَّمَا جَآءَكُمْ رَسُولٌۢ بِمَا لَا تَهْوَىٰٓ أَنفُسُكُمُ ٱسْتَكْبَرْتُمْ فَفَرِيقًا كَذَّبْتُمْ وَفَرِيقًا تَقْتُلُونَ 87
Translations
And We did certainly give Moses the Scripture [i.e., the Torah] and followed up after him with messengers. And We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, clear proofs and supported him with the Pure Spirit [i.e., the angel Gabriel]. But is it [not] that every time a messenger came to you, [O Children of Israel], with what your souls did not desire, you were arrogant? And a party [of messengers] you denied and another party you killed.
Transliteration
Wa-laqad ātaynā Mūsā al-kitāba wa-qaffaynā min ba'dihi bi-ar-rusuli wa-ātaynā 'Īsā ibna Maryama al-bayyināti wa-ayyaddnāhu bi-rūḥi al-Qudusi a-fa-kullammā jā'akum rasūlun bi-mā lā tahwā anfusukum istakbartum fa-farīqan kadhdhabtum wa-farīqan taqtulūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes the divine continuity of prophethood from Musa (Moses) through successive messengers to 'Isa (Jesus), emphasizing that Allah granted each prophet clear signs and miraculous support. The verse then rebukes the Bani Isra'il (Children of Israel) for their pattern of rejecting and even killing messengers whose message contradicted their desires and worldly inclinations. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this addresses the hypocrisy and arrogance of the Jewish communities in Medina who denied Muhammad's prophethood despite possessing knowledge of previous scriptures.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of a broader Medinan passage (2:40-103) addressing the Bani Isra'il and their covenant with Allah. It was revealed in the context of the Jewish tribes of Medina (Banu Qaynuqa', Banu an-Nadir, and Banu Qurayza) who had broken their covenants and rejected the Prophet Muhammad. The ayah reminds them of their historical pattern of rejecting prophets to motivate them toward acceptance of the final message.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The Jews were divided into seventy-one sects, and the Christians into seventy sects, and my Ummah will be divided into seventy-three sects' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2641), which relates to the theme of differing responses to divine guidance. Additionally, Surah Al-Baqarah 2:91 directly follows with the statement 'And when it was said to them, "Believe in what Allah has sent down," they said, "We believe [only] in what was sent down to us."'
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that rejection of divine truth often stems from ego and attachment to worldly desires rather than intellectual doubt, and that following such inclinations leads to spiritual destruction. We must examine our hearts for similar patterns of resistance to truth and cultivate humility before the signs of Allah, recognizing that the temptation to reject divine guidance has afflicted nations throughout history.