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Surah Ali ’Imran, Verse 103

سورة آل عمران، الآية ١٠٣

3:103 Juz 4 Hizb 7 Page 63 of the mushaf Medinan surah

Text of verse 3:103

وَٱعْتَصِمُوا۟ بِحَبْلِ ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا۟ وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنتُمْ أَعْدَآءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِۦٓ إِخْوَٰنًا وَكُنتُمْ عَلَىٰ شَفَا حُفْرَةٍ مِّنَ ٱلنَّارِ فَأَنقَذَكُم مِّنْهَا كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ ۝١٠٣

Transliteration

wa-iʿ'taṣimū biḥabli l-lahi jamīʿan walā tafarraqū wa-udh'kurū niʿ'mata l-lahi ʿalaykum idh kuntum aʿdāan fa-allafa bayna qulūbikum fa-aṣbaḥtum biniʿ'matihi ikh'wānan wakuntum ʿalā shafā ḥuf'ratin mina l-nāri fa-anqadhakum min'hā kadhālika yubayyinu l-lahu lakum āyātihi laʿallakum tahtadūna

Translation

And hold firmly to the rope142 of Allāh all together and do not become divided. And remember the favor of Allāh upon you - when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allāh make clear to you His verses that you may be guided.

Notes

[142] Referring either to His covenant or the Qur’ān.

Translation in another language
Mahmoud Khalil Al-Hussary Read in the surah

Verse 103 of Surah Ali ’Imran (3:103), a Medinan surah, is in juz 4, on page 63 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 71 reciters.

Listen to verse 103 of Surah Ali ’Imran

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Tafsir of verse 103

Al-Mukhtasar

Hold tightly, O you who have faith, to the Book and the traditions of the Prophet, and do not do that which will bring division amongst you. Remember the blessings of Allah upon you when you were enemies before Islam, fighting each other for the slightest reason, and He brought your hearts together through Islam, so that you became brothers in your faith through His grace, showing each other love and respect and listening to each other’s advice. Before that you were on the brink of entering the fire of Hell because of your disbelief. Allah saved you from the fire of Hell through Islam and guided you to faith. In the way that Allah has made this clear to you, He also makes clear to you what will put things right for you in this world and the Afterlife, so that you are guided to the right way of life.

Tafsir of the whole Surah Ali ’Imran

Other translations of verse 103

And hold fast to the rope of Allah48 all together and do not be divided. Remember the favor of Allah upon you when you were enemies, then He reconciled your hearts, making you brethren by His grace. And you were on the brink of a fiery pit and He delivered you49 from it. This is how Allah makes His verses clear to you, so that you may be guided.

Notes

[48] The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “I will leave with you after me two grave matters. The first is the Book of Allah. It is the rope of Allah; whoever follows it, is guided and whoever does not, has gone astray”. [Muslim: 2408]
[49] The Prophet (ﷺ) addressed his Anṣār Companions after the Battle of Ḥunayn by saying: “Have I not found you: lost and Allah guided you by me? Destitute and Allah made you well-off by me? Divided and Allah united you by me?” [Muslim: 1061]

And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allâh (i.e. this Qur’ân), and be not divided among yourselves20, and remember Allâh’s Favour on you, for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became brethren (in Islâmic Faith), and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allâh makes His Ayât (proofs, evidence, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.,) clear to you, that you may be guided.

Notes

[20] (V.3:103) It has been narrated by Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه in the Hadîth Books (At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Mâjah and Abu Dâwûd) that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "The Jews and Christians were divided into seventy-one or seventy-two religious sects, and this nation will be divided into seventy-three religious sects - all in Hell, except one, and that one is the one on which I and my Companions are today [i.e. following the Qur’ân and the Prophet’s Sunnah (legal ways, orders, acts of worship, statements of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)]."

And hold fast, all of you together, to the cable of Allah, and do not separate. And remember Allah's favour unto you: How ye were enemies and He made friendship between your hearts so that ye became as brothers by His grace; and (how) ye were upon the brink of an abyss of fire, and He did save you from it. Thus Allah maketh clear His revelations unto you, that haply ye may be guided,

And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah's favour on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, ye became brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus doth Allah make His Signs clear to you: That ye may be guided.

And hold fast by the covenant of Allah all together and be not disunited, and remember the favor of Allah on you when you were enemies, then He united your hearts so by His favor you became brethren; and you were on the brink of a pit of fire, then He saved you from it, thus does Allah make clear to you His communications that you may follow the right way.

And adhere firmly to the Rope (i.e. the Covenant of Allah=the Qur'an) of Allah, altogether, and do not be disunited; and remember the favor of Allah upon you as you were enemies, then He brought your hearts together, (Literally: joined "between") so you have become brethren by His favor. And you were upon the brink of a hole of the Fire, so He rescued you from it. Thus Allah makes evident His signs to you, that possibly you would be guided.

Verse 103 word by word

  1. وَٱعْتَصِمُوا۟ wa-iʿ'taṣimū And hold firmly ع ص م
  2. بِحَبْلِ biḥabli to (the) rope ح ب ل
  3. ٱللَّهِ l-lahi (of) Allah
  4. جَمِيعًا jamīʿan all together ج م ع
  5. وَلَا walā and (do) not
  6. تَفَرَّقُوا۟ tafarraqū be divided ف ر ق
  7. وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ wa-udh'kurū And remember ذ ك ر
  8. نِعْمَتَ niʿ'mata (the) Favor ن ع م
  9. ٱللَّهِ l-lahi (of) Allah
  10. عَلَيْكُمْ ʿalaykum on you
  11. إِذْ idh when
  12. كُنتُمْ kuntum you were ك و ن
  13. أَعْدَآءً aʿdāan enemies ع د و
  14. فَأَلَّفَ fa-allafa then He made friendship أ ل ف
  15. بَيْنَ bayna between ب ي ن
  16. قُلُوبِكُمْ qulūbikum your hearts ق ل ب
  17. فَأَصْبَحْتُم fa-aṣbaḥtum then you became ص ب ح
  18. بِنِعْمَتِهِۦٓ biniʿ'matihi by His Favor ن ع م
  19. إِخْوَٰنًا ikh'wānan brothers أ خ و
  20. وَكُنتُمْ wakuntum And you were ك و ن
  21. عَلَىٰ ʿalā on
  22. شَفَا shafā (the) brink ش ف و
  23. حُفْرَةٍ ḥuf'ratin (of) pit ح ف ر
  24. مِّنَ mina of
  25. ٱلنَّارِ l-nāri the Fire ن و ر
  26. فَأَنقَذَكُم fa-anqadhakum then He saved you ن ق ذ
  27. مِّنْهَا min'hā from it
  28. كَذَٰلِكَ kadhālika Thus
  29. يُبَيِّنُ yubayyinu makes clear ب ي ن
  30. ٱللَّهُ l-lahu Allah
  31. لَكُمْ lakum for you
  32. ءَايَٰتِهِۦ āyātihi His Verses أ ي ي
  33. لَعَلَّكُمْ laʿallakum so that you may
  34. تَهْتَدُونَ tahtadūna (be) guided ه د ي

Hadiths that cite this verse

Good (hasan) Sunan Abu Dawud 3230

Bashir's name in pre-Islamic days was Zahm ibn Ma'bad. When he migrated to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He asked: What is your name? He replied: Zahm. He said: No, you are Bashir. He (Bashir) said: When I was walking with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) he passed by the graves of the polytheists. He…

مَا اسْمُكَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ زَحْمٌ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ بَلْ أَنْتَ بَشِيرٌ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ بَيْنَمَا أَنَا أُمَاشِي رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مَرَّ بِقُبُورِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ لَقَدْ سَبَقَ هَؤُلاَءِ خَيْرًا…

Narrated by Bashīr ibn al-Khasāsiya + 1 other version

Verses related to verse 103

Cited by Ibn Kathir in his explanation of this verse

  • Ali ’Imran 3:112

    ضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلذِّلَّةُ أَيْنَ مَا ثُقِفُوٓا۟ إِلَّا بِحَبْلٍ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَحَبْلٍ مِّنَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَبَآءُو بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْمَسْكَنَةُ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ يَكْفُرُونَ بِـَٔايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ ٱلْأَنۢبِيَآءَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ ذَٰلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوا۟ وَّكَانُوا۟ يَعْتَدُونَ

    They have been put under humiliation [by Allāh] wherever they are overtaken, except for a rope [i.e., covenant] from Allāh and a rope [i.e., treaty] from the people [i.e., the Muslims]. And they have drawn upon themselves anger from Allāh and have been put under destitution. That is because they disbelieved in [i.e., rejected] the verses of Allāh and killed the prophets without right. That is because they disobeyed and [habitually] transgressed.

  • Al-Anfal 8:62

    وَإِن يُرِيدُوٓا۟ أَن يَخْدَعُوكَ فَإِنَّ حَسْبَكَ ٱللَّهُ هُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَيَّدَكَ بِنَصْرِهِۦ وَبِٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

    But if they intend to deceive you - then sufficient for you is Allāh. It is He who supported you with His help and with the believers

Verses with similar wording

They share a sequence of words with this verse: useful for telling them apart when memorising.

  • Al-Baqarah 2:242

    كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

    Thus does Allāh make clear to you His verses [i.e., laws] that you might use reason.

  • An-Nur 24:59

    وَإِذَا بَلَغَ ٱلْأَطْفَٰلُ مِنكُمُ ٱلْحُلُمَ فَلْيَسْتَـْٔذِنُوا۟ كَمَا ٱسْتَـْٔذَنَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ

    And when the children among you reach puberty, let them ask permission [at all times] as those before them have done. Thus does Allāh make clear to you His verses; and Allāh is Knowing and Wise.

  • Al-Ma’idah 5:89

    لَا يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِٱللَّغْوِ فِىٓ أَيْمَٰنِكُمْ وَلَٰكِن يُؤَاخِذُكُم بِمَا عَقَّدتُّمُ ٱلْأَيْمَٰنَ فَكَفَّٰرَتُهُۥٓ إِطْعَامُ عَشَرَةِ مَسَٰكِينَ مِنْ أَوْسَطِ مَا تُطْعِمُونَ أَهْلِيكُمْ أَوْ كِسْوَتُهُمْ أَوْ تَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ فَمَن لَّمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ ثَلَٰثَةِ أَيَّامٍ ذَٰلِكَ كَفَّٰرَةُ أَيْمَٰنِكُمْ إِذَا حَلَفْتُمْ وَٱحْفَظُوٓا۟ أَيْمَٰنَكُمْ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

    Allāh will not impose blame upon you for what is meaningless in your oaths, but He will impose blame upon you for [breaking] what you intended of oaths. So its expiation is the feeding of ten needy people from the average of that which you feed your [own] families or clothing them or the freeing of a slave. But whoever cannot find [or afford it] - then a fast of three days [is required]. That is the expiation for oaths when you have sworn. But guard your oaths. Thus does Allāh make clear to you His verses [i.e., revealed law] that you may be grateful.

  • Al-Ma’idah 5:11

    يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ هَمَّ قَوْمٌ أَن يَبْسُطُوٓا۟ إِلَيْكُمْ أَيْدِيَهُمْ فَكَفَّ أَيْدِيَهُمْ عَنكُمْ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَعَلَى ٱللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ

    O you who have believed, remember the favor of Allāh upon you when a people determined to extend their hands [in aggression] against you, but He withheld their hands from you; and fear Allāh. And upon Allāh let the believers rely.

  • Al-Baqarah 2:219

    يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلْخَمْرِ وَٱلْمَيْسِرِ قُلْ فِيهِمَآ إِثْمٌ كَبِيرٌ وَمَنَٰفِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَإِثْمُهُمَآ أَكْبَرُ مِن نَّفْعِهِمَا وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنفِقُونَ قُلِ ٱلْعَفْوَ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمُ ٱلْـَٔايَٰتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ

    They ask you about wine and gambling. Say, "In them is great sin and [yet, some] benefit for people. But their sin is greater than their benefit." And they ask you what they should spend. Say, "The excess [beyond needs]." Thus Allāh makes clear to you the verses [of revelation] that you might give thought

  • Al-Baqarah 2:231

    وَإِذَا طَلَّقْتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَبَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَأَمْسِكُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ سَرِّحُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ وَلَا تُمْسِكُوهُنَّ ضِرَارًا لِّتَعْتَدُوا۟ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ فَقَدْ ظَلَمَ نَفْسَهُۥ وَلَا تَتَّخِذُوٓا۟ ءَايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ هُزُوًا وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَمَآ أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنَ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ وَٱلْحِكْمَةِ يَعِظُكُم بِهِۦ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

    And when you divorce women and they have [nearly] fulfilled their term, either retain them according to acceptable terms or release them according to acceptable terms, and do not keep them, intending harm, to transgress [against them]. And whoever does that has certainly wronged himself. And do not take the verses of Allāh in jest. And remember the favor of Allāh upon you and what has been revealed to you of the Book [i.e., the Qur’ān] and wisdom [i.e., the Prophet's sunnah] by which He instructs you. And fear Allāh and know that Allāh is Knowing of all things.

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