alam tara ilā alladhīna ūtū naṣīban mina l-kitābi yud'ʿawna ilā kitābi l-lahi liyaḥkuma baynahum thumma yatawallā farīqun min'hum wahum muʿ'riḍūna
Translation
Do you not consider, [O Muḥammad], those who were given a portion of the Scripture? They are invited to the Scripture of Allāh that it should arbitrate between them;120 then a party of them turns away, and they are refusing.
Notes
[120] Referring to the Jews of Madīnah who refused to implement the rulings given by Allāh in the Torah or to acknowledge the Prophet (ﷺ), whose coming was mentioned therein.
Verse 23 of Surah Ali ’Imran (3:23), a Medinan surah, is in juz 3, on page 53 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 71 reciters.
Listen to verse 23 of Surah Ali ’Imran
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Tafsir of verse 23
Al-Mukhtasar
O Prophet, did you not see the Jews who were given knowledge of the Torah proving your prophethood? When they are called to refer to the book of Allah, the Torah, so that it can decide about what they differ in, a group of their scholars and leaders turn away, ignoring the judgement of the Torah because it does not agree with their desires. The right thing for them to have done, having claimed that they follow the Torah, is to accept its judgement without hesitation.
Have you not considered those who were given a portion of the Scripture? They are invited to the Book of Allah to judge between them, and then a group of them turns away in aversion11.
Notes
[11] Referring to the Jews of Madinah who refused to implement the rulings of Allah in the Torah or to acknowledge the Prophet (ﷺ), whose coming was mentioned therein.
Have you not seen those who have been given a portion of the Scripture? They are being invited to the Book of Allâh to settle their dispute, then a party of them turn away, and they are averse.
Hast thou not seen how those who have received a portion of the Scripture invoke the Scripture of Allah (in their disputes) that it may judge between them; then a faction of them turn away, being opposed (to it)?
Hast thou not turned Thy vision to those who have been given a portion of the Book? They are invited to the Book of Allah, to settle their dispute, but a party of them Turn back and decline (The arbitration).
Have you not considered those (Jews) who are given a portion of the Book? They are invited to the Book of Allah that it might decide between them, then a part of them turn back and they withdraw.
Have you not regarded the ones who were brought an assignment of the Book, being called to the Book of Allah, that it may judge between them? Thereafter a group of them turn back, and they are veering away (from it).
Have you not seen those who were given a portion of the Scripture, who believe in jibt [superstition] and ṭāghūt [false objects of worship] and say about the disbelievers, "These are better guided than the believers as to the way"?
Have you not seen those who claim themselves to be pure? Rather, Allāh purifies whom He wills, and injustice is not done to them, [even] as much as a thread [inside a date seed].
But they [i.e., the hypocrites] say, "We have believed in Allāh and in the Messenger, and we obey"; then a party of them turns away after that. And those are not believers.
