سُوْرَةُ البَقَرَةِ
Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 55
وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَـٰمُوسَىٰ لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّىٰ نَرَى ٱللَّهَ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْكُمُ ٱلصَّـٰعِقَةُ وَأَنتُمْ تَنظُرُونَ ﴿55﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And (remember) when you said: "O Mûsâ (Moses)! We shall never believe in you until we see Allâh plainly." But you were seized with a thunder-bolt (lightning) while you were looking.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِذْ
wa-idh
And when
قُلْتُمْ
qul'tum
you said
يَـٰمُوسَىٰ
yāmūsā
O Musa
لَن
lan
Never
نُّؤْمِنَ
nu'mina
(will) we believe
لَكَ
laka
in you
حَتَّىٰ
ḥattā
until
نَرَى
narā
we see
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
جَهْرَةًۭ
jahratan
manifestly
فَأَخَذَتْكُمُ
fa-akhadhatkumu
So seized you
ٱلصَّـٰعِقَةُ
l-ṣāʿiqatu
the thunderbolt
وَأَنتُمْ
wa-antum
while you
تَنظُرُونَ
tanẓurūna
(were) looking
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 56,55) Most commentators say that those who said this were the seventy men mentioned in Surah Al-A'raf (155), whom Musa (peace be upon him) had chosen for the appointed time set by Allah. When Allah spoke to Musa (peace be upon him), they said, "We will never believe you that Allah spoke to you until we ourselves see Allah with our own eyes." Upon this, they fell unconscious and died due to the earthquake (rajfah) and the thunderbolt (sa'iqah). Then, by the prayer of Musa (peace be upon him), they were brought back to life. Here, it is not correct to interpret "death" as unconsciousness, because here «{ مِنْۢ بَعْدِ مَوْتِكُمْ }» is clearly mentioned, and in Surah Al-A'raf (155), in the prayer of Musa (peace be upon him): «{ لَوْ شِئْتَ اَهْلَكْتَهُمْ مِّنْ قَبْلُ وَ اِيَّايَ }» (If You had willed, You could have destroyed them and me before this.) is mentioned. It is thus clear that demanding to see Allah as a condition for faith is a great act of insolence. See Surah An-Nisa (153) and Al-Furqan (21).
