Quran Universe
5:68

قُلۡ يَـٰٓأَهۡلَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ لَسۡتُمۡ عَلَىٰ شَيۡءٍ حَتَّىٰ تُقِيمُواْ ٱلتَّوۡرَىٰةَ وَٱلۡإِنجِيلَ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيۡكُم مِّن رَّبِّكُمۡۗ وَلَيَزِيدَنَّ كَثِيرٗا مِّنۡهُم مَّآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيۡكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ طُغۡيَٰنٗا وَكُفۡرٗاۖ فَلَا تَأۡسَ عَلَى ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ

Qul ya ahla alkitabi lastum AAala shayin hatta tuqeemoo alttawrata waalinjeela wama onzila ilaykum min rabbikum walayazeedanna katheeran minhum ma onzila ilayka min rabbika tughyanan wakufran fala tasa AAala alqawmi alkafireena

Say, "O People of the Scripture, you are [standing] on nothing until you uphold [the law of] the Torah, the Gospel, and what has been revealed to you from your Lord." And that which has been revealed to you from your Lord will surely increase many of them in transgression and disbelief. So do not grieve over the disbelieving people.

Word by word
  1. قُلۡSay
  2. يَـٰٓأَهۡلَO People
  3. ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ(of) the Book
  4. لَسۡتُمۡYou are not
  5. عَلَىٰon
  6. شَيۡءٍanything
  7. حَتَّىٰuntil
  8. تُقِيمُواْyou stand firmly
  9. ٱلتَّوۡرَىٰةَ(by) the Taurat
  10. وَٱلۡإِنجِيلَand the Injeel
  11. وَمَآand what
  12. أُنزِلَhas been revealed
  13. إِلَيۡكُمto you
  14. مِّنfrom
  15. رَّبِّكُمۡۗyour Lord
  16. وَلَيَزِيدَنَّAnd surely increase
  17. كَثِيرٗاmany
  18. مِّنۡهُمof them
  19. مَّآwhat
  20. أُنزِلَhas been revealed
  21. إِلَيۡكَto you
  22. مِنfrom
  23. رَّبِّكَyour Lord
  24. طُغۡيَٰنٗا(in) rebellion
  25. وَكُفۡرٗاۖand disbelief
  26. فَلَاSo (do) not
  27. تَأۡسَgrieve
  28. عَلَىover
  29. ٱلۡقَوۡمِthe people
  30. ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَthe disbelieving
Al-Ma'idah · 5:68Madinah

Holding a book is not standing on it.

Having scripture versus living by it

Two ways to have a book
possess itthe name, the shelf
versus
uphold itact on all of it
What you stand on
the labelI belong, so I am fine
the practiceyou stand on nothing until

The Prophet ﷺ is told to say that holding scripture means standing on nothing until it is truly upheld. He is also told: do not grieve over those who refuse. Ibn Kathir explains this as: do not be sad or shaken by their rejection.

You have the app on your phone, the framed verse in the hallway, the Muslim name on your ID. Then you ask what you actually did with the Book this week. A label is ground that is not there until you walk on it. And when people you love turn away, you are allowed to let the sadness go.

Being a Muslim on paper is my firm ground.

I only have ground under me when I live what I say I believe.

Try this

Choose one verse you know by heart and do one thing today that it asks.

Related2:62
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Say: "O People of the Scripture! You have nothing till you act according to the Tawrah, the Injil, and what has (now) been sent down to you from your Lord (the Qur'an)." Verily, the revelation that has come to you from your Lord makes many of them increase in rebellion and disbelief. So do not grieve for the people who disbelieve (68)Surely, those who believe, and those who are the Jews and the Sabians and the Christians, whosoever believed in Allah and the Last Day, and worked righteousness, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve (69)

There is no Salvation Except through Faith in the Qur'an

Allah says: O Muhammad, say,

يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لَسْتُمْ عَلَىٰ شَيْءٍ

(O People of the Scripture! You have nothing...) meaning no real religion until you adhere to and implement the Tawrah and the Injil. That is, until you believe in all the Books that you have that Allah revealed to the Prophets. These Books command following Muhammad ﷺ and believing in his prophecy, all the while adhering to his Law. Before, we explained Allah's statement,

وَلَيَزِيدَنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنْهُم مَّا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ طُغْيَانًا وَكُفْرًا

(Verily, the revelation that has come to you from your Lord makes many of them increase in rebellion and disbelief.)

 فَلَا تَأْسَ عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ

(So do not grieve for the people who disbelieve), Do not be sad or taken aback by their disbelief. Allah said next,

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا

(Surely, those who believe) referring to Muslims,

وَالَّذِينَ هَادُوا

(those who are the Jews) who were entrusted with the Tawrah,

وَالصَّابِئُونَ 

(and the Sabians...) a sect from the Christians and Magians who did not follow any particular religion, as Mujahid stated. As for the Christians, they are known and were entrusted with the Injil. The meaning here is that if each of these groups believed in Allah and the Hereafter, which is the Day of Judgement and Reckoning, and performed good actions, which to be so, must conform to Muhammad's Law, after Muhammad ﷺ was sent to all mankind and the Jinns. If any of these groups held these beliefs, then they shall have no fear of what will come or sadness regarding what they lost, nor will grief ever affect them. We discussed a similar Ayah before in Surat Al-Baqarah [2:62].