Tafsir for verse: 29:46
۞ وَلَا تُجَٰدِلُوٓاْ أَهۡلَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ إِلَّا بِٱلَّتِي هِيَ أَحۡسَنُ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ مِنۡهُمۡۖ وَقُولُوٓاْ ءَامَنَّا بِٱلَّذِيٓ أُنزِلَ إِلَيۡنَا وَأُنزِلَ إِلَيۡكُمۡ وَإِلَٰهُنَا وَإِلَٰهُكُمۡ وَٰحِدٞ وَنَحۡنُ لَهُۥ مُسۡلِمُونَ ٤٦ ﴿46﴾
46Do not debate with the people of the Book unless it is in the best manner, except with those of them who commit injustice. And say, “We believe in what is sent down to us and sent down to you, and our God and your God is One, and to Him we submit (ourselves).”
AI-Assisted Translation: This translation was produced by AI agents carefully trained over several months and thoroughly reviewed. It does NOT replace the scholarship of traditional scholars and is intended as a step in the right direction to make classical tafsir more accessible. There may still be inaccuracies—please report them promptly so we can improve the translation quality.

Commentary

By that which is best: it is responding to harshness with gentleness, and anger with restraint. And the surah is with patience, as he said. Repel by that which is best, except for those who have wronged. They have exceeded in aggression and obstinacy, and did not accept advice, and gentleness did not benefit them. Therefore, use harshness with them. It is said: except for those who harmed the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him. It is said: except for those who affirmed the child and the partner and said, 'The hand of Allah is tied.' It is said: its meaning is do not argue with those entering into the covenant who pay the jizyah except by that which is best, except for those who have wronged and abandoned the covenant and refused the jizyah. For those, arguing with them is by the sword. And from Qatadah: the verse is abrogated by His saying, 'Fight those who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day,' and there is no argument more severe than the sword. And His saying, 'Say, We have believed in that which has been revealed to us,' is of the same kind as arguing by that which is best. And from the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him: What the People of the Book tell you, do not believe them and do not deny them, but say, 'We have believed in Allah and His Books and His Messengers.' If it is false, you do not believe them, and if it is true, you do not deny them. [Narrated by Abu Dawood, Ibn Hibban, Ahmad, Ishaq, Ibn Abi Shaiba, Abu Ya'la, and Al-Tabarani, from the narration of Al-Zuhri who informed me from Ibn Abi Namlah Al-Ansari that his father Abu Namlah Al-Ansari informed him. He said, 'While he was sitting with the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, he mentioned this story in it.' This is the well-known chain of this hadith, and Al-Tabarani narrated it in the Musnad of the Syrians from the narration of Baqiyyah from Al-Zubair from Al-Zuhri from Salim from his father from Amir ibn Rabi'ah with it. The origin of the hadith is in Al-Bukhari from the hadith of Abu Huraira in brief.]

Explore Other Scholars on This Verse

Compare different scholarly perspectives on Surah Al-'Ankabut verse 46

Al-ZamakhshariAbū al-Qāsim Maḥmūd ibn ʿUmar al-Zamakhsharī
Learn more about Al-Zamakhshari →
1967 / 2978