Al-Baqara 2:91

"And when it is said to them, "Believe in what Allāh has revealed," they say, "We believe [only] in what was revealed to us." And they disbelieve in what came after it, while it is the truth confirming that which is with them. Say, "Then why did you kill the prophets of Allāh before, if you are [indeed] believers?""

Although The Jews denied the Truth, They claimed to be Believers!

Allah said,

وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ

(And when it is said to them), meaning, the Jews and the People of the Book,

ءَامِنُواْ بِمَآ أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ

(Believe in what Allah has sent down) to Muhammad , believe in and follow him,

قَالُواْ نُؤْمِنُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا

(They say, "We believe in what was sent down to us.") meaning, it is enough for us to believe in what was revealed to us in the Tawrah and the Injil, and this is the path that we choose,

وَيَكْفُرونَ بِمَا وَرَآءَهُ

(And they disbelieve in that which came after it).

وَهُوَ الْحَقُّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا مَعَهُمْ

(while it is the truth confirming what is with them) meaning, while knowing that what was revealed to Muhammad ,

الْحَقُّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا مَعَهُمْ

(it is the truth confirming what is with them). This means that since what was sent to Muhammad conforms to what was revealed to the People of the Book, then this fact constitutes a proof against them. Similarly, Allah said,

الَّذِينَ آتَيْنَـهُمُ الْكِتَـبَ يَعْرِفُونَهُ كَمَا يَعْرِفُونَ أَبْنَآءَهُمْ

(Those to whom We gave the Scripture (Jews and Christians) recognize him (Muhammad ) as they recognize their sons) (2:146). Allah said next,

فَلِمَ تَقْتُلُونَ أَنبِيَآءَ اللَّهِ مِن قَبْلُ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

("Why then have you killed the Prophets of Allah aforetime, if you indeed have been believers").

This means, "If your claim that you believe in what was revealed to you is true, then why did you kill the Prophets who came to you affirming the Tawrah's Law, although you knew they were true Prophets You killed them simply out of transgression, stubbornness and injustice with Allah's Messengers. Therefore, you only follow your lusts, opinions and desires." Similarly, Allah said,

أَفَكُلَّمَا جَآءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ بِمَا لاَ تَهْوَى أَنفُسُكُم اسْتَكْبَرْتُمْ فَفَرِيقًا كَذَّبْتُمْ وَفَرِيقًا تَقْتُلُونَ

(Is it that whenever there came to you a Messenger with what you yourselves desired not, you grew arrogant Some you disbelieved and some you killed.)

Also, As-Suddi said, "In this Ayah, Allah chastised the People of the Book,

قُلْ فَلِمَ تَقْتُلُونَ أَنبِيَآءَ اللَّهِ مِن قَبْلُ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

(Say (O Muhammad to them): "Why then have you killed the Prophets of Allah aforetime, if you indeed have been believers")."

وَلَقَدْ جَآءَكُم مُّوسَى بِالْبَيِّنَـتِ

(And indeed Musa came to you with clear proofs) meaning, with clear signs and clear proofs that he was the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah. The clear signs -or miracles- mentioned here are the flood, the locusts, the lice, the frogs, the blood, the staff and the hand. Musa's miracles also include parting the sea, shading the Jews with clouds, the manna and quails, the gushing stone, etc.

ثُمَّ اتَّخَذْتُمُ الْعِجْلَ

(yet you worshipped the calf) meaning, as a deity instead of Allah, during the time of Musa. Allah's statement,

مِن بَعْدِهِ

(after he left) after Musa went to Mount Tur to speak to Allah. Similarly, Allah said,

وَاتَّخَذَ قَوْمُ مُوسَى مِن بَعْدِهِ مِنْ حُلِيِّهِمْ عِجْلاً جَسَداً لَّهُ خُوَارٌ

(And the people of Musa made in his absence, out of their ornaments, the image of a calf (for worship). It had a sound (as if it was mooing)) (7:148).

وَأَنتُمْ ظَـلِمُونَ

(and you were Zalimun) meaning, you were unjust in this behavior of worshipping the calf, although you knew that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah. Similarly, Allah said,

وَلَمَّا سُقِطَ فَى أَيْدِيهِمْ وَرَأَوْاْ أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ ضَلُّواْ قَالُواْ لَئِن لَّمْ يَرْحَمْنَا رَبُّنَا وَيَغْفِرْ لَنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَـسِرِينَ

(And when they regretted and saw that they had gone astray, they (repented and) said: "If our Lord have not mercy upon us and forgive us, we shall certainly be of the losers") (7:149).

О Посланник! Они оправдывают свое неверие в твое учение тем, что их сердца покрыты завесой, мешающей им понять твои слова. Они полагают, что так они смогут обосновать свою неосведомленность и оправдать свое неверие. Однако они - лжецы, которых Всевышний Аллах проклял и отдалил от Своей милости. Причина же этого проклятия кроется в их неверии, ведь среди них очень мало правоверных, и большинство из них - маловеры или неверующие. Аллах отправил к ним лучшего из людей и последнего из посланников, который принес им Писание, подтверждающее истинность Торы. Они узнали в нем того самого Посланника, пришествием которого они угрожали язычникам, с которыми им приходилось сражаться во времена невежества. Они надеялись на его поддержку и предупреждали язычников, что будут воевать против них вместе с Божьим пророком. Когда же к ним явились Небесное Писание и Пророк, которого они узнали, они отказались уверовать и преступили границы дозволенного из зависти к правоверным. Они не смирились с тем, что Аллах одаряет Своей милостью того из Своих рабов, кого пожелает, и поэтому Он проклял их и разгневался на них. Они заслужили это, ведь они всегда отказывались от веры, испытывали сомнения и приобщали сотоварищей к Аллаху. Вот почему в Последней жизни они обречены на унизительное и болезненное наказание. Они будут ввергнуты в Преисподнюю и лишены вечного блаженства. Как же скверно их положение! Как же отвратительно то, что они обменяли на веру в Аллаха, Его писания и Его посланников! Как же отвратительно то, что они приобрели благодаря неверию в Аллаха, Его писания и Его посланников! И тяжесть их наказания будет усугублена тем, что они поступили так сознательно.

The Jews flatly refused to believe in any Book of Allah -- like the Evangel or the Holy Qur'an - except in the Torah. This denial is a clear evidence of their infidelity (Kufr کفر). Moreover, they also used to add that they believe in the Torah, for it had been sent down to them. This comes to mean that they denied the other Books just because they had not been sent down to them. Such an argument betrays their envy and malice.

The Holy Qur'an refutes their argument in three ways:

(1) When the truth and authenticity of the other Books has been established on the basis of irrefutable arguments, what does, then, this denial mean? If they had any doubts as to the arguments on the basis of which authenticity was being claimed for these Books, they could very well have voiced this doubt, and satisfied themselves on this point. But why this flat refusal to believe?

(2) The other Books, like the Holy Qur'an, confirm the Torah..If one denies them, one at the same time denies the Torah itself.

(3) To slay a prophet is tantamount to infidelity (Kufr), according to all the Divine Books. Moreover, the prophets whom the Jews had killed were themselves Israelites, and their teachings, were based on the injunctions of the Torah. But the Jews not only killed these prophets, but also accepted the killers as their chiefs. This is a direct denial of the Torah, and falsifies their claim that they believe in the Torah.

In short, nothing that the Jews say or do is acceptable and valid from any possible point of view.

The next verses proceed to refute the Jews on several other counts.

Other English translations

Tafsīr · classical commentary

Although The Jews denied the Truth, They claimed to be Believers!