Authored by: Sheikh al-Islam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him)Translated by: Maulana Mukhtar Ahmad Nadwi (may Allah protect him)
One of the habits of the people of ignorance was that they would only accept the truth if their group also accepted it. As mentioned in the verse:
“And when it is said to them, ‘Believe in what Allah has revealed,’ they say, ‘We believe in what was revealed to us.’ But they disbelieve in what came after it, while it is the truth confirming what is with them. Say, ‘Why then did you kill the prophets of Allah before, if you were believers?’”
— (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:91)
Their intention was to say that they would remain steadfast in their belief in the Torah and the rulings that it confirmed. This verse points out that their refusal to believe in the Qur'an was driven by personal desires and envy—how could the Qur'an be revealed to those who were not from the Children of Israel? By saying "we believe in what was revealed to us," they meant that they were obligated to follow the commands revealed to them, which they believed applied exclusively to them.
The verse condemns their attitude, as their refusal to accept the Qur'an was a form of mockery. They misinterpreted the general command to believe in all that Allah revealed and restricted it only to the scripture revealed to them. This was a common trait of theirs—they would distort the meanings of Allah's verses to suit their own interpretations, contrary to the intent of the scripture.
They knew well the truth of the divine scripture they were rejecting, as it confirmed their own scripture. All divine books affirm one another, and thus it was necessary to believe in this new revelation. Their claim “We believe in what was revealed to us” is refuted because whoever does not affirm the book that confirms the Torah is not truly affirming the Torah either. Therefore, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was commanded to remind them: “If you claim to believe in the Torah, why did you kill the prophets who conveyed its teachings?” The Torah never permitted such actions.
Thus, their denial of the Qur'an was not due to any lack of evidence but stemmed from their envy and rejection of a revelation that came to those outside their own group.
One of the habits of the people of ignorance was that they would only accept the truth if their group also accepted it. As mentioned in the verse:
“And when it is said to them, ‘Believe in what Allah has revealed,’ they say, ‘We believe in what was revealed to us.’ But they disbelieve in what came after it, while it is the truth confirming what is with them. Say, ‘Why then did you kill the prophets of Allah before, if you were believers?’”
— (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:91)
Their intention was to say that they would remain steadfast in their belief in the Torah and the rulings that it confirmed. This verse points out that their refusal to believe in the Qur'an was driven by personal desires and envy—how could the Qur'an be revealed to those who were not from the Children of Israel? By saying "we believe in what was revealed to us," they meant that they were obligated to follow the commands revealed to them, which they believed applied exclusively to them.
The verse condemns their attitude, as their refusal to accept the Qur'an was a form of mockery. They misinterpreted the general command to believe in all that Allah revealed and restricted it only to the scripture revealed to them. This was a common trait of theirs—they would distort the meanings of Allah's verses to suit their own interpretations, contrary to the intent of the scripture.
They knew well the truth of the divine scripture they were rejecting, as it confirmed their own scripture. All divine books affirm one another, and thus it was necessary to believe in this new revelation. Their claim “We believe in what was revealed to us” is refuted because whoever does not affirm the book that confirms the Torah is not truly affirming the Torah either. Therefore, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was commanded to remind them: “If you claim to believe in the Torah, why did you kill the prophets who conveyed its teachings?” The Torah never permitted such actions.
Thus, their denial of the Qur'an was not due to any lack of evidence but stemmed from their envy and rejection of a revelation that came to those outside their own group.