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سُورَةُ البَقَرَةِ · 2:104
MedinanRevelation order ٨٧Juzʾ ١Page ١٦

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَقُولُوا۟ رَٰعِنَا وَقُولُوا۟ ٱنظُرْنَا وَٱسْمَعُوا۟ ۗ وَلِلْكَٰفِرِينَ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۭ

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Saheeh International · EN

O you who have believed, say not [to Allah 's Messenger], "Ra'ina" but say, "Unthurna" and listen. And for the disbelievers is a painful punishment.

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Introduction

This is āyah 104 of Sūrat Al-Baqara (The Cow), the 87th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Medinan period and sits within Juzʾ 1. Medinan verses often address community life, law, and the building of society.

This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.

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Revelation & occasion

Asbāb al-Nuzūl
Period
Medinan
Order revealed
87 of 114
Surah
Al-Baqara (2)
Occasion of revelation · Al-Wahidi

(O ye who believe, say not (unto the Prophet): �Listen to us� [ra�ina] �) [2:104]. Said Ibn �Abbas according to the narration of �Ata�: �This is because the Arabs used to employ this expression [ra�ina], so when the Jews heard them using it with the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, they liked it. This same expression in the parlance of the Jews had the connotation of vile abusive language. They said: �Before, we used to abuse Muhammad (s)ecretly. Now, you can abuse him openly because this expression is used in their speech�. Therefore, they used to come to Allah�s Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and say: �O Muhammad! ra�ina�, and the they would laugh. A man from the Helpers � Sa�d ibn �Ubadah who understood well the language of the Jews�understood the reason. He said to them: �O enemies of Allah! May Allah�s curse be on you. By Him in Whose Hand is Muhammad�s soul, I will cut the head of any man of you who utters this expression�. They objected, saying: �But do you not use the same expression with him?� And therefore Allah, exalted is He, revealed: (O ye who believe, say not (unto the Prophet): �Listen to us� [ra�ina]) but say �Look upon us� [unzurna]�).

Commentary

Tafsir

4 works

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

O you who believe! Say not (to the Messenger ﷺ) Ra'ina but say Unzurna (make us understand) and hear. And for the disbelievers there is a painful torment (104)Neither those who disbelieve among the People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) nor Al-Mushrikin (the idolaters) like that there should be sent down unto you any good from your Lord. But Allah chooses for His mercy whom He wills. And Allah is the Owner of great bounty (105) Manners in Speech Allah forbade His believing servants from imitating the behavior and deeds of the disbelievers. The Jews used to use devious words that hide what they really meant. May Allah's curse be upon them. When they wanted to say, 'hear us,' they would use the word Ra'ina, which is an insult (in Hebrew, but means 'hear us' in Arabic). Allah said, مِّنَ الَّذِينَ هَادُوا يُحَرِّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ عَن مَّوَاضِعِهِ وَيَقُولُونَ سَمِعْنَا وَعَصَيْنَا و…
Provenance

Chains of transmission

Oral — isnād

  1. ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation

    Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.

  2. 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation

    Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.

  3. TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation

    Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.

Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.

Written — the manuscript record

  1. ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation

    The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).

  2. 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation

    Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.

  3. Modern printModern printawaiting curation

    The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.

A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.

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Provenance

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