VERSE 40
Q: What is the Arabic text of verse 40?
A: يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتِيَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَأَوْفُوا بِعَهْدِي أُوفِ بِعَهْدِكُمْ وَإِيَّايَ فَارْهَبُونِ
Q: What does verse 40 mean?
A: “O Children of Israel! Remember My favour which I bestowed upon you, and fulfil your covenant (with Me) and I shall fulfil My covenant (with you), and of Me alone be afraid.”
Q: What blessings is Allah referring to when He says “Remember My favour”?
A: The countless blessings that formed the Children of Israel’s national identity: deliverance from Pharaoh, parting of the sea, manna and quails from heaven, and the Covenant at Mount Sinai. Maududi notes that forgetfulness of divine blessings is the first step toward ingratitude and transgression.
Q: What is the mutual covenant mentioned in this verse?
A: The covenant is bilateral. The Children of Israel’s covenant was to obey God’s law and uphold their prophetic mission. God’s covenant was to grant them leadership, security, and prosperity. Their history of suffering resulted not from divine abandonment, but from their own breach of this contract.
Q: What does “of Me alone be afraid” teach us?
A: True piety (Taqwa) means fearing God’s displeasure alone—not fearing other powers, peoples, or worldly losses. Much of their later corruption stemmed from fearing other nations more than God.
VERSE 41
Q: What is the Arabic text of verse 41?
A: وَآمِنُوا بِمَا أَنزَلْتُ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا مَعَكُمْ وَلَا تَكُونُوا أَوَّلَ كَافِرٍ بِهِ ۖ وَلَا تَشْتَرُوا بِآيَاتِي ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا وَإِيَّايَ فَاتَّقُونِ
Q: What does verse 41 mean?
A: “And believe in what I have sent down (the Qur’an), confirming that which is with you (the Torah), and be not the first to disbelieve in it. And do not exchange My signs for a small price, and fear Me alone.”
Q: Why should the Children of Israel believe in the Quran?
A: Since the Quran confirms the essential truths in their own scripture (the Torah), logic and fidelity demand they believe in it. Maududi states that their scholars recognized the prophecies about Muhammad (ﷺ) but concealed them.
Q: What does “be not the first to disbelieve in it” mean?
A: This is a severe warning. As the people of the Book, they should have been the first to accept a prophet confirming their own scripture. To be the first to reject him would be a supreme betrayal of their own legacy.
Q: What does “do not exchange My signs for a small price” refer to?
A: This refers to sacrificing truth for worldly gain—using religious knowledge for social status, wealth, or political power, and rejecting the truth of the Quran to protect vested interests. This is the central accusation according to Maududi.
VERSE 42
Q: What is the Arabic text of verse 42?
A: وَلَا تَلْبِسُوا الْحَقَّ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتَكْتُمُوا الْحَقَّ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
Q: What does verse 42 mean?
A: “And do not mix the truth with falsehood, nor conceal the truth while you know.”
Q: What does “mixing truth with falsehood” mean?
A: It refers to distorting religion by blending divine revelation with human interpretations, superstitions, and fabricated traditions, making it difficult for common people to distinguish pure guidance.
Q: What does “concealing the truth” refer to?
A: This points to the sin of their scholars hiding the clear prophecies about Muhammad (ﷺ) found in their own scriptures. They knew the truth but suppressed it for ulterior motives. This combination of distortion and concealment corrupts religion from within.
VERSE 43
Q: What is the Arabic text of verse 43?
A: وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَارْكَعُوا مَعَ الرَّاكِعِينَ
Q: What does verse 43 mean?
A: “And establish prayer and give zakah and bow with those who bow [in worship and obedience].”
Q: What is the significance of prayer and zakah in this context?
A: These are the pillars of individual piety and social responsibility, common to all Abrahamic faiths. After detailing their failures, the call returns to these core, universal acts of worship that were also central to their own law.
Q: What does “bow with those who bow” mean?
A: Maududi emphasizes this is a direct call to join the Muslim community (Ummah) in collective worship and submission. It is an invitation to move from theoretical recognition to practical alignment with the new bearers of divine truth.
VERSE 44
Q: What is the Arabic text of verse 44?
A: أَتَأْمُرُونَ النَّاسَ بِالْبِرِّ وَتَنسَوْنَ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ تَتْلُونَ الْكِتَابَ ۚ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
Q: What does verse 44 mean?
A: “Do you order righteousness of the people and forget yourselves, while you recite the Scripture? Then will you not reason?”
Q: What hypocrisy does this verse expose?
A: The hypocrisy of religious leaders (rabbis and priests) who would exhort others to good deeds and truth (including the truth about Muhammad ﷺ), yet would not act upon it themselves due to worldly concerns. They had knowledge (they recited the Book) but it did not translate into personal commitment.
Q: What is the significance of “Then will you not reason?”
A: This exposes the irrationality of knowing the truth but refusing to follow it—a spiritual and intellectual bankruptcy.
VERSE 45
Q: What is the Arabic text of verse 45?
A: وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ ۚ وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلَّا عَلَى الْخَاشِعِينَ
Q: What does verse 45 mean?
A: “And seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, it is a burden except for the humble—”
Q: What are the two aids prescribed for following the truth?
A: Patience (Sabr)—steadfastness in the face of hardship, ridicule, or loss; and prayer (Salat)—the constant connection to God that provides strength and humility.
Q: Why does submission feel burdensome to some but not to others?
A: Submitting to truth feels burdensome only to those whose hearts are not humble. For the humble (Khashi’un)—those whose hearts are softened before God’s greatness—submission becomes a source of peace and relief, not a burden. This directly contrasts with the arrogance of Iblis and the Jewish leaders.
VERSE 46
Q: What is the Arabic text of verse 46?
A: الَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُم مُّلَاقُو رَبِّهِمْ وَأَنَّهُمْ إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ
Q: What does verse 46 mean?
A: “Who are certain that they will meet their Lord and that they will return to Him.”
Q: Who are “the humble” described in the previous verse?
A: Those who live with unwavering certainty that they will meet their Lord and be returned to Him for accountability. This profound awareness of the afterlife makes worldly pride, status, and petty gains insignificant, enabling true submission to God’s commands.
Q: What does “Yazunnun” mean in this context?
A: Though it can mean “think” or “suppose,” here it means certainty, not doubt—certain conviction about meeting Allah.
SUMMARY QUESTIONS
Q: What is the main diagnosis of the spiritual diseases in these verses?
A: Forgetfulness of blessings, breaching covenants, valuing worldly gain over truth, hypocrisy of religious leaders, and mixing truth with falsehood.
Q: What is the prescription offered in these verses?
A: Remembrance of God’s favors, fulfilling covenants, fearing God alone, and embodying sincerity between knowledge and action. The ultimate cure lies in the certainty of the Hereafter, which fosters the humility needed to accept truth and the patience to uphold it.
Q: What lessons do these verses offer to the Muslim Ummah?
A: These verses serve as both a lesson about the Children of Israel and a warning for the Muslim nation about pitfalls to avoid: don’t exchange divine signs for worldly gain, don’t mix truth with falsehood, don’t be hypocritical leaders, and maintain certainty in the Hereafter to cultivate true humility and submission.
VERSES WITH TRANSLATION AND TAFSEER
Messages from Quran 