سُوْرَةُ اٰلِ عِمْرٰنَ
Surah Aal-i-Imraan (3) — Ayah 75
۞ وَمِنْ أَهْلِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ مَنْ إِن تَأْمَنْهُ بِقِنطَارٍ يُؤَدِّهِۦٓ إِلَيْكَ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ إِن تَأْمَنْهُ بِدِينَارٍ لَّا يُؤَدِّهِۦٓ إِلَيْكَ إِلَّا مَا دُمْتَ عَلَيْهِ قَآئِمًا ۗ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا۟ لَيْسَ عَلَيْنَا فِى ٱلْأُمِّيِّـۧنَ سَبِيلٌ وَيَقُولُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلْكَذِبَ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿75﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) is he who, if entrusted with a Qintâr (a great amount of wealth, etc.), will readily pay it back; and among them there is he who, if entrusted with a single silver coin, will not repay it unless you constantly stand demanding, because they say: "There is no blame on us to betray and take the properties of the illiterates (Arabs)." But they tell a lie against Allâh while they know it.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
۞ وَمِنْ
wamin
And from
أَهْلِ
ahli
(the) People
ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ
l-kitābi
(of) the Book
مَنْ
man
(is he) who
إِن
in
if
تَأْمَنْهُ
tamanhu
you entrust him
بِقِنطَارٍۢ
biqinṭārin
with a great amount of wealth
يُؤَدِّهِۦٓ
yu-addihi
he will return it
إِلَيْكَ
ilayka
to you
وَمِنْهُم
wamin'hum
And from them
مَّنْ
man
(is he) who
إِن
in
if
تَأْمَنْهُ
tamanhu
you entrust him
بِدِينَارٍۢ
bidīnārin
with a single coin
لَّا
lā
not
يُؤَدِّهِۦٓ
yu-addihi
he will return it
إِلَيْكَ
ilayka
to you
إِلَّا
illā
except
مَا
mā
that
دُمْتَ
dum'ta
you keep constantly
عَلَيْهِ
ʿalayhi
over him
قَآئِمًۭا ۗ
qāiman
standing
ذَٰلِكَ
dhālika
That
بِأَنَّهُمْ
bi-annahum
(is) because they
قَالُوا۟
qālū
said
لَيْسَ
laysa
Not
عَلَيْنَا
ʿalaynā
on us
فِى
fī
concerning
ٱلْأُمِّيِّـۧنَ
l-umiyīna
the unlettered people
سَبِيلٌۭ
sabīlun
any [way] (accountability)
وَيَقُولُونَ
wayaqūlūna
And they say
عَلَى
ʿalā
about
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
Allah
ٱلْكَذِبَ
l-kadhiba
the lie
وَهُمْ
wahum
while they
يَعْلَمُونَ
yaʿlamūna
know
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
75. Among the People of the Book are some who, if you entrust them with a treasure of wealth, will return it to you; and among them are some who, if you entrust them with a single dinar, will not return it to you unless you keep standing over them. This is because they say, "There is no blame upon us regarding the unlettered (non-Jews)." Thus they knowingly [66] attribute lies to Allah.
[66] Usury was also forbidden to the Jews. But their jurists made such subtle distinctions and invented such interpretations by which they declared it permissible to take usury from non-Jews (just as nowadays there is a group among Muslims who, by creating legalistic subtleties, consider it permissible to take usury from Harbi disbelievers). Then, their habit of usury was not limited to usury alone, but they used to say that it is permissible to seize the wealth of non-Jews by any means possible. Allah Almighty has mentioned this kind of unlawful consumption by the Jews at several places. Thus, in this way, they committed a double crime: one, the consumption of what is unlawful, and second, declaring it permissible by deriving it as a legal ruling from the Shariah. In other words, they would attribute their own inventions to Allah. The effects that usury has on a person's nature are selfishness, hard-heartedness, miserliness, extraordinary love for wealth, and then the concern to accumulate wealth through unlawful means. In this verse, the example Allah Almighty has given of such a person that if you give him even a single dinar, it becomes difficult to get it back from him, is the example of a person caught in this kind of love for wealth. As for the example of an honest person, there are always some good people in every nation and every community, though they are few. Among the Jews, such people were those who truly considered usury and other unlawful means to be forbidden. Abdullah bin Salam ؓ was such a person. Someone had deposited twelve uqiyah of gold with him as a trust, and when the owner demanded his trust, he immediately returned it. In contrast, there was a Jew named Fihas. Someone had deposited a single gold coin with him as a trust. When he demanded his trust from him, he simply denied it.
The Jews Considering the Wealth of Non-Israelites as Permissible:
The justification by the Jews for seizing the wealth of non-Israelites by any lawful or unlawful means is proven from their own books. It is stated in the Talmud that if the ox of an Israelite injures the ox of a non-Israelite, there is no compensation for it. But if the ox of a non-Israelite injures the ox of an Israelite, then there is compensation. Also, if someone finds a lost item, he should see what kind of people live in the surrounding area. If it is inhabited by Israelites, he should announce it. And if it is inhabited by non-Israelites, he should keep the item without announcing it. Rabbi Shmuel says that if a case between a gentile and an Israelite comes before a judge, and if the judge can make his religious brother win according to the Israelite law, he should do so and say, "This is our law." And if he can make him win according to the law of the gentiles, he should do so and say, "This is your law." And if neither law supports him, then by whatever trick he can make the Israelite win, he should do so. Rabbi Shmuel says that one should take advantage of every mistake of a non-Israelite. [تفهيم القرآن، ج 1 ص 266، حاشيه نمبر 64]
[66] Usury was also forbidden to the Jews. But their jurists made such subtle distinctions and invented such interpretations by which they declared it permissible to take usury from non-Jews (just as nowadays there is a group among Muslims who, by creating legalistic subtleties, consider it permissible to take usury from Harbi disbelievers). Then, their habit of usury was not limited to usury alone, but they used to say that it is permissible to seize the wealth of non-Jews by any means possible. Allah Almighty has mentioned this kind of unlawful consumption by the Jews at several places. Thus, in this way, they committed a double crime: one, the consumption of what is unlawful, and second, declaring it permissible by deriving it as a legal ruling from the Shariah. In other words, they would attribute their own inventions to Allah. The effects that usury has on a person's nature are selfishness, hard-heartedness, miserliness, extraordinary love for wealth, and then the concern to accumulate wealth through unlawful means. In this verse, the example Allah Almighty has given of such a person that if you give him even a single dinar, it becomes difficult to get it back from him, is the example of a person caught in this kind of love for wealth. As for the example of an honest person, there are always some good people in every nation and every community, though they are few. Among the Jews, such people were those who truly considered usury and other unlawful means to be forbidden. Abdullah bin Salam ؓ was such a person. Someone had deposited twelve uqiyah of gold with him as a trust, and when the owner demanded his trust, he immediately returned it. In contrast, there was a Jew named Fihas. Someone had deposited a single gold coin with him as a trust. When he demanded his trust from him, he simply denied it.
The Jews Considering the Wealth of Non-Israelites as Permissible:
The justification by the Jews for seizing the wealth of non-Israelites by any lawful or unlawful means is proven from their own books. It is stated in the Talmud that if the ox of an Israelite injures the ox of a non-Israelite, there is no compensation for it. But if the ox of a non-Israelite injures the ox of an Israelite, then there is compensation. Also, if someone finds a lost item, he should see what kind of people live in the surrounding area. If it is inhabited by Israelites, he should announce it. And if it is inhabited by non-Israelites, he should keep the item without announcing it. Rabbi Shmuel says that if a case between a gentile and an Israelite comes before a judge, and if the judge can make his religious brother win according to the Israelite law, he should do so and say, "This is our law." And if he can make him win according to the law of the gentiles, he should do so and say, "This is your law." And if neither law supports him, then by whatever trick he can make the Israelite win, he should do so. Rabbi Shmuel says that one should take advantage of every mistake of a non-Israelite. [تفهيم القرآن، ج 1 ص 266، حاشيه نمبر 64]
