Quran 4:153 — An-Nisaa, verse 153
M. A. S. Abdel Haleem · selected translation
The People of the Book demand that you [Prophet] make a book physically come down to them from heaven, but they demanded even more than that of Moses when they said, ‘Show us God face to face,’ and were struck by the thunderbolt for their presumption. Even after clear revelations had come down to them, they took the calf as an object of worship, yet We pardoned this, and gave Moses clear authority;
يَسْأَلُكَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ أَنْ تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ كِتَابًا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ ۚ فَقَدْ سَأَلُوا مُوسَىٰ أَكْبَرَ مِنْ ذَٰلِكَ فَقَالُوا أَرِنَا اللَّهَ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ بِظُلْمِهِمْ ۚ ثُمَّ اتَّخَذُوا الْعِجْلَ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ فَعَفَوْنَا عَنْ ذَٰلِكَ ۚ وَآتَيْنَا مُوسَىٰ سُلْطَانًا مُبِينًا
yasaluka ahlu l-kitābi an tunazzila ʿalayhim kitāban mina l-samāi faqad sa-alū mūsā akbara min dhālika faqālū arinā l-laha jahratan fa-akhadhathumu l-ṣāʿiqatu biẓul'mihim thumma ittakhadhū l-ʿij'la min baʿdi mā jāathumu l-bayinātu faʿafawnā ʿan dhālika waātaynā mūsā sul'ṭānan mubīnan
Other translations
- A. J. Arberry
- The People of the Book will ask thee to bring down upon them a Book from heaven; and they asked Moses for greater than that, for they said, 'Show us God openly.' And the thunderbolt took them for their evildoing. Then they took to themselves the Calf, after the clear signs had come to them; yet We pardoned them that, and We bestowed upon Moses a clear authority.
- Muhammad Asad
- THE FOLLOWERS of the Old Testament demand of thee [O Prophet] that thou cause a revelation to be sent down to them from heaven. And an even greater thing than this did they demand of Moses when they said, "Make us see God face to face" - whereupon the thunderbolt of punishment overtook them for this their wickedness. After that, they took to worshipping the [golden] calf - and this after all evidence of the truth had come unto them! None the less, We effaced this [sin of theirs], and vouchsafed unto Moses a clear proof [of the truth],
- Sahih International
- The People of the Scripture ask you to bring down to them a book from the heaven. But they had asked of Moses [even] greater than that and said, "Show us Allāh outright," so the thunderbolt struck them for their wrongdoing. Then they took the calf [for worship] after clear evidences had come to them, and We pardoned that. And We gave Moses a clear authority.
Words
| # | Word | Meaning | Root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | يَسْـَٔلُكَyasaluka | Ask you | سأل |
| 2 | أَهْلُahlu | (the) People | أهل |
| 3 | ٱلْكِتَـٰبِl-kitābi | (of) the Book | كتب |
| 4 | أَنan | that | — |
| 5 | تُنَزِّلَtunazzila | you bring down | نزل |
| 6 | عَلَيْهِمْʿalayhim | to them | — |
| 7 | كِتَـٰبًۭاkitāban | a book | كتب |
| 8 | مِّنَmina | from | — |
| 9 | ٱلسَّمَآءِ ۚl-samāi | the heaven | سمو |
| 10 | فَقَدْfaqad | Then indeed | — |
| 11 | سَأَلُوا۟sa-alū | they (had) asked | سأل |
| 12 | مُوسَىٰٓmūsā | Musa | — |
| 13 | أَكْبَرَakbara | greater | كبر |
| 14 | مِنmin | than | — |
| 15 | ذَٰلِكَdhālika | that | — |
| 16 | فَقَالُوٓا۟faqālū | for they said | قول |
| 17 | أَرِنَاarinā | Show us | رأي |
| 18 | ٱللَّهَl-laha | Allah | أله |
| 19 | جَهْرَةًۭjahratan | manifestly | جهر |
| 20 | فَأَخَذَتْهُمُfa-akhadhathumu | so struck them | أخذ |
| 21 | ٱلصَّـٰعِقَةُl-ṣāʿiqatu | the thunderbolt | صعق |
| 22 | بِظُلْمِهِمْ ۚbiẓul'mihim | for their wrongdoing | ظلم |
| 23 | ثُمَّthumma | Then | — |
| 24 | ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ittakhadhū | they took | أخذ |
| 25 | ٱلْعِجْلَl-ʿij'la | the calf (for worship) | عجل |
| 26 | مِنۢmin | from | — |
| 27 | بَعْدِbaʿdi | after | بعد |
| 28 | مَاmā | [what] | — |
| 29 | جَآءَتْهُمُjāathumu | came to them | جيأ |
| 30 | ٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتُl-bayinātu | the clear proofs | بين |
| 31 | فَعَفَوْنَاfaʿafawnā | then We forgave them | عفو |
| 32 | عَنʿan | for | — |
| 33 | ذَٰلِكَ ۚdhālika | that | — |
| 34 | وَءَاتَيْنَاwaātaynā | And We gave | أتي |
| 35 | مُوسَىٰmūsā | Musa | — |
| 36 | سُلْطَـٰنًۭاsul'ṭānan | an authority | سلط |
| 37 | مُّبِينًۭاmubīnan | clear | بين |