سُوْرَةُ النِّسَآءِ
Surah An-Nisaa (4) — Ayah 51
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ نَصِيبًا مِّنَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْجِبْتِ وَٱلطَّـٰغُوتِ وَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ أَهْدَىٰ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ سَبِيلًا ﴿51﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Have you not seen those who were given a portion of the Scripture? They believe in Jibt and Tâghût and say to the disbelievers that they are better guided as regards the way than the believers (Muslims).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
أَلَمْ
alam
Do not
تَرَ
tara
you see
إِلَى
ilā
[towards]
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
those who
أُوتُوا۟
ūtū
were given
نَصِيبًۭا
naṣīban
a portion
مِّنَ
mina
of
ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ
l-kitābi
the Book
يُؤْمِنُونَ
yu'minūna
They believe
بِٱلْجِبْتِ
bil-jib'ti
in the superstition
وَٱلطَّـٰغُوتِ
wal-ṭāghūti
and the false deities
وَيَقُولُونَ
wayaqūlūna
and they say
لِلَّذِينَ
lilladhīna
for those who
كَفَرُوا۟
kafarū
disbelieve[d]
هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ
hāulāi
These
أَهْدَىٰ
ahdā
(are) better guided
مِنَ
mina
than
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
those who
ءَامَنُوا۟
āmanū
believe[d]
سَبِيلًا
sabīlan
(as to the) way
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.
51. Have you not considered those who were given a portion of the Book? They believe in Jibt [83] and Taghut, and say about the disbelievers that they are better guided than the believers.
[83] Jibt and Taghut
Jibt is, in fact, a comprehensive term for superstitions and false beliefs, which includes magic, charms, amulets, incantations, the effects of planets on human life, fortune-telling, talismans, inscriptions, and amulets, etc. Taghut is every false power and system to whose obedience people are compelled, and in opposition to obedience to Allah, they are forced or made to obey that individual, institution, or government, and people accept them in defiance of divine commands. These can be village chiefs, spiritual leaders and elders, false systems like socialism or democracy, or tyrannical kings like Pharaoh and Nimrod.
The Jews Considered the Polytheists Better Than the Muslims:
That is, the majority of these Jews and Christians are engrossed in superstitions and charms, and instead of believing in Allah, they submit to Taghut. Despite being in such a misguided state themselves, they say to other disbelievers (such as polytheists) that you are better than these believers (Muslims) and more rightly guided than them. That is, while they themselves are completely immersed in misguidance, they are giving certificates of being more rightly guided to the polytheists than to the Muslims. Remember that whenever the polytheists of Makkah attacked Madinah, the Jews always supported them verbally and practically. On such an occasion, the polytheists asked the Jews, "Tell us truthfully, are these Muslims better or are we?" And they were asked this because the Jews had an intellectual reputation throughout Arabia. But these faithless ones, merely to please the polytheists, would give such an answer. Whereas, in reality, they knew very well that shirk is an unforgivable crime in the sight of Allah, and Muslims, being monotheists, are a thousand times better than the polytheists.
[83] Jibt and Taghut
Jibt is, in fact, a comprehensive term for superstitions and false beliefs, which includes magic, charms, amulets, incantations, the effects of planets on human life, fortune-telling, talismans, inscriptions, and amulets, etc. Taghut is every false power and system to whose obedience people are compelled, and in opposition to obedience to Allah, they are forced or made to obey that individual, institution, or government, and people accept them in defiance of divine commands. These can be village chiefs, spiritual leaders and elders, false systems like socialism or democracy, or tyrannical kings like Pharaoh and Nimrod.
The Jews Considered the Polytheists Better Than the Muslims:
That is, the majority of these Jews and Christians are engrossed in superstitions and charms, and instead of believing in Allah, they submit to Taghut. Despite being in such a misguided state themselves, they say to other disbelievers (such as polytheists) that you are better than these believers (Muslims) and more rightly guided than them. That is, while they themselves are completely immersed in misguidance, they are giving certificates of being more rightly guided to the polytheists than to the Muslims. Remember that whenever the polytheists of Makkah attacked Madinah, the Jews always supported them verbally and practically. On such an occasion, the polytheists asked the Jews, "Tell us truthfully, are these Muslims better or are we?" And they were asked this because the Jews had an intellectual reputation throughout Arabia. But these faithless ones, merely to please the polytheists, would give such an answer. Whereas, in reality, they knew very well that shirk is an unforgivable crime in the sight of Allah, and Muslims, being monotheists, are a thousand times better than the polytheists.
