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
وَٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا۟ فَـٰحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ فَٱسْتَغْفَرُوا۟ لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَن يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُوا۟ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ
And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allāh and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allāh? - and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know.
مَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَن يُؤْتِيَهُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلْحُكْمَ وَٱلنُّبُوَّةَ ثُمَّ يَقُولَ لِلنَّاسِ كُونُوا۟ عِبَادًا لِّى مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَـٰكِن كُونُوا۟ رَبَّـٰنِيِّـۧنَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تُعَلِّمُونَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَبِمَا كُنتُمْ تَدْرُسُونَ
It is not for a human [prophet] that Allāh should give him the Scripture and authority and prophethood and then he would say to the people, "Be servants to me rather than Allāh," but [instead, he would say], "Be pious scholars of the Lord because of what you have taught of the Scripture and because of what you have studied."
إِذْ قَالَتِ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ يَـٰمَرْيَمُ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُبَشِّرُكِ بِكَلِمَةٍ مِّنْهُ ٱسْمُهُ ٱلْمَسِيحُ عِيسَى ٱبْنُ مَرْيَمَ وَجِيهًا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَمِنَ ٱلْمُقَرَّبِينَ
[And mention] when the angels said, "O Mary, indeed Allāh gives you good tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary - distinguished in this world and the Hereafter and among those brought near [to Allāh].
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِن تُطِيعُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ يَرُدُّوكُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَعْقَـٰبِكُمْ فَتَنقَلِبُوا۟ خَـٰسِرِينَ
O you who have believed, if you obey those who disbelieve, they will turn you back on your heels, and you will [then] become losers.