am turīdūna an tasalū rasūlakum kamā su-ila mūsā min qablu waman yatabaddali l-kuf'ra bil-īmāni faqad ḍalla sawāa l-sabīli
Translation
Or do you intend to ask36 your Messenger as Moses was asked before? And whoever exchanges faith for disbelief has certainly strayed from the soundness of the way.
Notes
[36] i.e., persistently question or, as in the case of the disbelievers, demand a miracle of the Prophet (ﷺ) .
Verse 108 of Surah Al-Baqarah (2:108), a Medinan surah, is in juz 1, on page 17 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 69 reciters.
Listen to verse 108 of Surah Al-Baqarah
75 recitations by 69 reciters: pick one and it plays in the player.
All voices (75)
Tafsir of verse 108
Al-Mukhtasar
O believers, it is not right for you to question your Prophet, resisting and quarrelling with the revelation as the people of Moses questioned their prophet before, like when they said, ‘Show us Allah openly’ [ Sūrah Al-Nisā’: 153]. Whoever exchanges faith for disbelief has lost the balanced way, the right path.
Or would you like to question your Messenger as Moses was questioned before? Whoever exchanges faith for disbelief has indeed strayed from the sound path.
Or do you want to ask your Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) as Mûsâ (Moses) was asked before (i.e. show us openly our Lord)? And he who changes Faith for disbelief, verily, he has gone astray from the Right Way.
Or would ye question your messenger as Moses was questioned aforetime? He who chooseth disbelief instead of faith, verily he hath gone astray from a plain road.
Would ye question your Messenger as Moses was questioned of old? but whoever changeth from Faith to Unbelief, Hath strayed without doubt from the even way.
Rather you wish to put questions to your Apostle, as Musa was questioned before; and whoever adopts unbelief instead of faith, he indeed has lost the right direction of the way.
Or ever would you (i.e., the believers) ask your Messenger as Musa (Moses) was asked earlier? And whoever exchanges belief for disbelief, has readily erred (away from) the level way.
O you who have believed, do not ask about things which, if they are shown to you, will distress you. But if you ask about them while the Qur’ān is being revealed, they will be shown to you. Allāh has pardoned it [i.e., that which is past]; and Allāh is Forgiving and Forbearing.
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 …
They ask you about the sacred month - about fighting therein. Say, "Fighting therein is great [sin], but averting [people] from the way of Allāh and disbelief in Him and [preventing access to] al-Masjid al-Ḥarām and the expulsion of its people therefrom are greater [evil] in the sight of Allāh. And fitnah is greater than killing." And they will continue to fight you until they turn you back from your religion if they are able. And whoever of you reverts from his religion [to disbelief] and dies while he is a disbeliever - for those, their deeds have become worthless in this world and the Hereafter, and those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.
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.
And Allāh had already taken a covenant from the Children of Israel, and We delegated from among them twelve leaders. And Allāh said, "I am with you. If you establish prayer and give zakāh and believe in My messengers and support them and loan Allāh a goodly loan, I will surely remove from you your misdeeds and admit you to gardens beneath which rivers flow. But whoever of you disbelieves after that has certainly strayed from the soundness of the way."
O you who have believed, do not take My enemies and your enemies as allies, extending to them affection while they have disbelieved in what came to you of the truth, having driven out the Prophet and yourselves [only] because you believe in Allāh, your Lord. If you have come out for jihād [i.e., fighting or striving] in My cause and seeking means to My approval, [take them not as friends]. You confide to them affection [i.e., instruction], but I am most knowing of what you have concealed and what you have declared. And whoever does it among you has certainly strayed from the soundness of the way.
