قُلْ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ هَادُوٓا۟ إِن زَعَمْتُمْ أَنَّكُمْ أَوْلِيَآءُ لِلَّهِ مِن دُونِ ٱلنَّاسِ فَتَمَنَّوُا۟ ٱلْمَوْتَ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ 6
Translations
Say, "O you who are Jews, if you claim that you are allies of Allāh, excluding the [other] people, then wish for death, if you should be truthful."
Transliteration
Qul yā ayyuha alladhīna hādū in za'amtum annakum awliyā'u lillāhi min dūni al-nās fatamannaw al-mawta in kuntum sādiqīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah commands the Prophet Muhammad to address the Jews (those who claim to follow the Torah) with a challenge: if they truly believe they are the exclusive allies and chosen people of Allah, then let them wish for death to prove their sincerity, since the righteous do not fear death and would welcome meeting their Lord. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir note this ayah exposes the hypocrisy of those who boast of divine favor while simultaneously fearing death and clinging to worldly life, revealing the falsehood of their claims through a decisive test of their true beliefs.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Jumu'ah (Medinan), revealed in the context of addressing the People of the Book in Madinah who claimed exclusive relationship with Allah. The broader surah discusses the rejection of the message by certain Jewish tribes and their refusal to accept the Prophet Muhammad, making this a direct rhetorical challenge to their unsubstantiated claims of superiority and special divine favor.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari (hadith on the virtue of the Companions): The Prophet said, 'The best of my Ummah are those of my generation, then those who follow them.' This contrasts with those who falsely claim divine selection without corresponding righteous action. Also relevant: Sunan Ibn Majah records that the Prophet said, 'None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself,' highlighting that true faith manifests in actions, not empty claims.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that sincere faith in Allah manifests through courage in facing reality, including mortality, and that merely claiming divine favor without corresponding righteous action and acceptance of truth is hollow pretense. For modern readers, it serves as a reminder that authentic spirituality is demonstrated through genuine submission to God's will and truthfulness, not through inherited status or verbal claims alone.
Related Ayahs
مَثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ حُمِّلُوا۟ ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَحْمِلُوهَا كَمَثَلِ ٱلْحِمَارِ يَحْمِلُ أَسْفَارًۢا ۚ بِئْسَ مَثَلُ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
The example of those who were entrusted with the Torah and then did not take it on is like that of a donkey who carries volumes [of books]. Wretched is the example of the people who deny the signs of Allāh. And Allāh does not guide the wrongdoing people.
قُلْ إِنَّ ٱلْمَوْتَ ٱلَّذِى تَفِرُّونَ مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُۥ مُلَـٰقِيكُمْ ۖ ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَـٰلِمِ ٱلْغَيْبِ وَٱلشَّهَـٰدَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
Say, "Indeed, the death from which you flee - indeed, it will meet you. Then you will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you about what you used to do."
وَإِذَا رَأَوْا۟ تِجَـٰرَةً أَوْ لَهْوًا ٱنفَضُّوٓا۟ إِلَيْهَا وَتَرَكُوكَ قَآئِمًا ۚ قُلْ مَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ خَيْرٌ مِّنَ ٱللَّهْوِ وَمِنَ ٱلتِّجَـٰرَةِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ خَيْرُ ٱلرَّٰزِقِينَ
But [on one occasion] when they saw a transaction or a diversion, [O Muḥammad], they rushed to it and left you standing. Say, "What is with Allāh is better than diversion and than a transaction, and Allāh is the best of providers."
فَإِذَا قُضِيَتِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةُ فَٱنتَشِرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱبْتَغُوا۟ مِن فَضْلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرًا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
And when the prayer has been concluded, disperse within the land and seek from the bounty of Allāh, and remember Allāh often that you may succeed.