وَدَّت طَّآئِفَةٌ مِّنْ أَهْلِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَوْ يُضِلُّونَكُمْ وَمَا يُضِلُّونَ إِلَّآ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ 69
Translations
A faction of the People of the Scripture wish they could mislead you. But they do not mislead except themselves, and they perceive [it] not.
Transliteration
Waddat ta'ifatun min ahli al-kitabi law yudillunakum wa ma yudilluna illa anfusahum wa ma yash'urun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah warns that a faction of the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) desire to lead the Muslims astray from the path of Allah, but their deception ultimately harms only themselves. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this refers to the hostile groups among the People of the Book who attempted to undermine Islamic teachings through theological arguments and false claims, yet they remain unaware that their plotting returns upon their own souls. The ayah emphasizes that Allah's guidance cannot be diverted by human machinations, and those who reject truth inflict spiritual loss upon themselves.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Ali 'Imran's discussion of the relationship between Muslims and the People of the Book, revealed in Madinah during the period of intense theological and political tensions between the Muslim community and certain Jewish tribes and Christian delegations. The broader context addresses the attempts by some among the People of the Book to create discord and sow doubt among newly converted Muslims regarding Islamic doctrine.
Related Hadiths
The principle reflected here aligns with the hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated that no one is harmed by the plots of others except themselves, emphasizing divine protection over the believers' faith.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that malicious attempts to lead them away from faith ultimately fail and rebound upon those who devise them, providing comfort that Allah protects His guidance from being overturned by human plots and deceptions.
Related Ayahs
وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
And to Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and Allāh is over all things competent.
لَيْسَ لَكَ مِنَ ٱلْأَمْرِ شَىْءٌ أَوْ يَتُوبَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَوْ يُعَذِّبَهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ ظَـٰلِمُونَ
Not for you, [O Muḥammad, but for Allāh], is the decision whether He should [cut them down] or forgive them or punish them, for indeed, they are wrongdoers.
وَيُكَلِّمُ ٱلنَّاسَ فِى ٱلْمَهْدِ وَكَهْلًا وَمِنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ
He will speak to the people in the cradle and in maturity and will be of the righteous."
وَإِذْ أَخَذَ ٱللَّهُ مِيثَـٰقَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ لَمَآ ءَاتَيْتُكُم مِّن كِتَـٰبٍ وَحِكْمَةٍ ثُمَّ جَآءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مُّصَدِّقٌ لِّمَا مَعَكُمْ لَتُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهِۦ وَلَتَنصُرُنَّهُۥ ۚ قَالَ ءَأَقْرَرْتُمْ وَأَخَذْتُمْ عَلَىٰ ذَٰلِكُمْ إِصْرِى ۖ قَالُوٓا۟ أَقْرَرْنَا ۚ قَالَ فَٱشْهَدُوا۟ وَأَنَا۠ مَعَكُم مِّنَ ٱلشَّـٰهِدِينَ
And [recall, O People of the Scripture], when Allāh took the covenant of the prophets, [saying], "Whatever I give you of the Scripture and wisdom and then there comes to you a messenger confirming what is with you, you [must] believe in him and support him." [Allāh] said, "Have you acknowledged and taken upon that My commitment?" They said, "We have acknowledged it." He said, "Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses."