Q: What is the overall context of this passage (verses 99–103)?
A: This brief but powerful section concludes the sustained historical and theological argument against the obstinacy of the Children of Israel. It shifts from recounting their past failures to stating an eternal, objective truth about the Quran and its inevitable impact, while also warning against a final, desperate form of corruption — seeking magic instead of guidance.
Verse 99 | آية ٩٩
وَلَقَدْ أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ آيَاتٍ بَيِّنَاتٍ ۖ وَمَا يَكْفُرُ بِهَا إِلَّا الْفَاسِقُونَ
“And We have certainly sent down to you clear verses, and no one denies them except the defiantly disobedient.”
Q: Who is Allah addressing in this verse, and what is the significance of that address?
A: Allah is addressing Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) directly and, through him, all believers. It is a pivotal, declarative statement meant to reassure the Prophet and clarify the nature of those who reject the revelation.
Q: What does “clear verses” mean here?
A: It refers to the Quranic revelations themselves — self-evident in their truth, wisdom, and miraculous nature. Their clarity is so complete that they leave no room for honest doubt.
Q: Why does the verse say only “the defiantly disobedient” (al-Fasiqun) reject these verses?
A: Because denial of such clear signs is not an intellectual stance — it is a moral one. Fisq (disobedience) here implies willfully stepping outside the bounds of truth and righteousness. This categorically places those who reject the Quran in the category of moral transgressors, not sincere skeptics.
Verse 100 | آية ١٠٠
أَوَكُلَّمَا عَاهَدُوا عَهْدًا نَّبَذَهُ فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُم ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
“Is it not [true] that every time they took a covenant, a party of them threw it away? But, [in fact], most of them do not believe.”
Q: What does this verse reveal about the character of the Children of Israel?
A: It summarizes their historical character as covenant-breakers. Every time a covenant was made, a party among them would discard it. This was not a rare failing but an ingrained pattern.
Q: Does this verse refer only to past covenants?
A: No. Maududi notes that it also includes their current breach — the covenant inherent in their own scriptures to believe in the final Prophet. The conclusion is damning: “most of them do not believe” — their disbelief is the norm, not the exception.
Verse 101 | آية ١٠١
وَلَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ مُصَدِّقٌ لِّمَا مَعَهُمْ نَبَذَ فَرِيقٌ مِّنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ وَرَاءَ ظُهُورِهِمْ كَأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
“And when a messenger from Allah came to them confirming that which was with them, a party of those who had been given the Scripture threw the Scripture of Allah behind their backs as if they did not know [what it contained].”
Q: In what sense did the coming of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) “confirm” their scriptures?
A: His coming was the fulfillment of prophecies already contained in the Torah. Rather than a contradiction of their book, his arrival was a validation of it.
Q: What does it mean that they “threw the Scripture of Allah behind their backs”?
A: Maududi explains this as a metaphor for willful abandonment. They consciously disregarded the very truths in their own book that testified to the Prophet’s truthfulness. It was not ignorance — it was deliberate rejection.
Q: Why does the verse say they acted “as if they did not know”?
A: To expose the depth of their dishonesty. Their scholars knew exactly what their scriptures contained, yet they feigned ignorance. Their own knowledge condemned them, making their pretense all the more blameworthy.
Verse 102 | آية ١٠٢
وَاتَّبَعُوا مَا تَتْلُو الشَّيَاطِينُ عَلَىٰ مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَانَ ۖ وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَلَٰكِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ كَفَرُوا يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ عَلَى الْمَلَكَيْنِ بِبَابِلَ هَارُوتَ وَمَارُوتَ ۚ وَمَا يُعَلِّمَانِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ حَتَّىٰ يَقُولَا إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلَا تَكْفُرْ ۖ فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِ ۚ وَمَا هُم بِضَارِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ۚ وَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنفَعُهُمْ ۚ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمُوا لَمَنِ اشْتَرَاهُ مَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلَاقٍ ۚ وَلَبِئْسَ مَا شَرَوْا بِهِه أَنفُسَهُمْ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ
“And they followed what the devils had recited during the reign of Solomon. It was not Solomon who disbelieved, but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic and that which was revealed to the two angels at Babylon, Harut and Marut. But they do not teach anyone unless they say, ‘We are a trial, so do not disbelieve.’ And they learn from them that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife. But they do not harm anyone through it except by permission of Allah. And they learn what harms them and does not benefit them. But they certainly knew that whoever purchased it would have no share in the Hereafter. And wretched is that for which they sold themselves, if they only knew.”
Q: Why does the verse begin by clearing Prophet Solomon (عليه السلام) of any connection to magic?
A: Because the corrupt sources attributed magical practices to Solomon’s reign to give them legitimacy. The Quran categorically refutes this. It was not Solomon who practiced or sanctioned magic — it was the devils, rebellious humans or jinn, who introduced this corruption and falsely associated it with his kingdom.
Q: Who were Harut and Marut, and why were they sent?
A: Maududi explains that these two angels were sent to Babylon as a divine test. Their purpose was to teach people the difference between magic and a true miracle — so that people could distinguish one from the other — and crucially, they always warned before teaching: “We are a trial, so do not disbelieve.” Their mission was to separate those who would seek harmful sorcery from those who would turn to God.
Q: What specifically did the Jewish tribes misuse this knowledge for?
A: Rather than heeding the warning, they learned from it specifically to cause harm — most vilely, to “cause separation between a man and his wife.” This represents the most malicious possible application, targeting the most sacred of social bonds.
Q: Does magic have real, independent power according to this verse?
A: No. The verse is explicit: “they do not harm anyone through it except by permission of Allah.” Magic has no autonomous power. Whatever effect it appears to have operates only within Allah’s permissive will as a test for humanity.
Q: What is the ultimate consequence for those who pursue magic, according to this verse?
A: Three devastating consequences are stated. First, it is knowledge that harms and does not benefit. Second, whoever “purchases” it (i.e., chooses it over faith) will have no share in the Hereafter. Third, they knowingly made this choice — making their trade of their souls all the more “wretched.”
Verse 103 | آية ١٠٣
وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَمَثُوبَةٌ مِّنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ ۖ لَّوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ
“And if they had believed and feared Allah, then a reward from Allah would have been better, if they only knew.”
Q: What does this closing verse offer as the alternative to all the failures described?
A: Simply this — iman (faith) and taqwa (God-consciousness). Had they believed and feared Allah, they would have received a divine reward far better than any worldly gain, tribal power, or corrupt knowledge they pursued instead.
Q: What is the tone of the final phrase “if they only knew,” and what does it imply?
A: The tone is one of profound regret and lament. It implies that their catastrophic choices were rooted in spiritual blindness — not in any lack of outward information. Had they possessed true insight into reality, they would have seen that belief and piety lead to the only true and lasting good. The phrase functions as a final, sorrowful indictment of their priorities.
Summary Q&A | الخلاصة
Q: What are the four key lessons Maududi draws from verses 99–103 as a whole?
A: Maududi identifies four closing lessons from this passage:
1. The clarity of the proof is absolute. The Quran’s verses are unequivocally clear. Rejecting them is therefore an act of willful transgression (Fisq), not intellectual confusion.
2. Their pattern was consistent throughout history. Their habit of covenant-breaking ultimately manifested in the greatest betrayal of all — discarding their own scripture to avoid acknowledging the final Prophet.
3. Their deviation reached its lowest point. Their spiritual decline culminated when they forsook divine guidance entirely in favor of the malicious practice of magic, knowingly choosing what would harm their eternal souls.
4. The tragedy of the choice is total. Their entire history boils down to a single, foolish exchange — they traded the immense divine reward of belief and piety for the worthless pursuits of tribal pride, worldly gain, and corrupt power. Verse 103 stands as an eternal reminder of this catastrophic miscalculation.
Based on Tafheemul Quran by Sayyid Abul A’la Maududi
Messages from Quran 