يَسْـَٔلُكَ أَهْلُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ أَن تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ كِتَـٰبًا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ ۚ فَقَدْ سَأَلُوا۟ مُوسَىٰٓ أَكْبَرَ مِن ذَٰلِكَ فَقَالُوٓا۟ أَرِنَا ٱللَّهَ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ ٱلصَّـٰعِقَةُ بِظُلْمِهِمْ ۚ ثُمَّ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ ٱلْعِجْلَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْهُمُ ٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتُ فَعَفَوْنَا عَن ذَٰلِكَ ۚ وَءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَىٰ سُلْطَـٰنًا مُّبِينًا 153
Translations
The People of the Scripture ask you to bring down to them a book from the heaven. But they had asked of Moses [even] greater than that and said, "Show us Allāh outright," so the thunderbolt struck them for their wrongdoing. Then they took the calf [for worship] after clear evidences had come to them, and We pardoned that. And We gave Moses a clear authority.
Transliteration
Yas'aluka ahlu al-kitabi an tunazzila alayhim kitaban mina as-sama'. Faqad sa'alu Musa akbara min dhalik faqalu arina Allah jahratan fa-akhaddhatuhum as-sa'iqatu bidhulumihin. Thumma ittakhadhu al-'ijla min ba'da ma ja'athum al-bayyinat fa-'afawna 'an dhalik. Wa atawna Musa sultanan mubina.
Tafsir (Explanation)
The People of the Book (Jews and Christians) ask the Prophet Muhammad to bring down a written scripture from heaven as a sign, but Allah reminds them that their predecessors made even greater demands of Prophet Moses—asking to see Allah directly. When they persisted in their disbelief and arrogance after witnessing clear signs, they were seized by the thunderbolt (al-sa'iqah), yet Allah pardoned them and gave Moses clear authority and miracles. This ayah illustrates the pattern of human stubbornness and Allah's mercy: the demand for miracles often stems from hearts already inclined to rejection, and those who witness signs yet disbelieve face divine punishment, though Allah's forgiveness remains available.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in Madinah in response to the Jews and Christians of that era who made excessive demands for miraculous proof of Muhammad's prophethood, similar to how the Israelites demanded signs from Moses. The surah addresses the People of the Book throughout, correcting their theological errors and reminding them of their own scriptural history. This particular ayah uses historical precedent to illustrate that demanding signs from a messenger, especially with hardened hearts, is not a new phenomenon.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari (4:55:622) records that when the Jews asked the Prophet for a sign, he pointed to the moon splitting. Additionally, Muslim (1:134) contains traditions about the People of the Book's skepticism and their testing of the prophets, which contextualizes the historical pattern mentioned in this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that insincere demands for miraculous proof often reflect a heart unwilling to believe rather than genuine spiritual seeking; true faith comes from humble hearts open to guidance, not from multiplication of signs. For modern believers, it serves as a reminder that history demonstrates a pattern: those who reject truth do so from arrogance, not lack of evidence, and that Allah's patience with human weakness is vast, yet accountability for willful rejection remains.