Quran Universe
3:21

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَكۡفُرُونَ بِـَٔايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَقۡتُلُونَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ بِغَيۡرِ حَقّٖ وَيَقۡتُلُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَأۡمُرُونَ بِٱلۡقِسۡطِ مِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ فَبَشِّرۡهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ

Inna allatheena yakfuroona biayati Allahi wayaqtuloona alnnabiyyeena bighayri haqqin wayaqtuloona allatheena yamuroona bialqisti mina alnnasi fabashshirhum biAAathabin aleemin

Those who disbelieve in the signs of Allah and kill the prophets without right and kill those who order justice from among the people - give them tidings of a painful punishment.

Word by word
  1. إِنَّIndeed
  2. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  3. يَكۡفُرُونَdisbelieve
  4. بِـَٔايَٰتِin (the) Signs (of)
  5. ٱللَّهِAllah
  6. وَيَقۡتُلُونَand they kill
  7. ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَthe Prophets
  8. بِغَيۡرِwithout
  9. حَقّٖright
  10. وَيَقۡتُلُونَand they kill
  11. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  12. يَأۡمُرُونَorder
  13. بِٱلۡقِسۡطِ[with] justice
  14. مِنَamong
  15. ٱلنَّاسِthe people
  16. فَبَشِّرۡهُمthen give them tidings
  17. بِعَذَابٍof a punishment
  18. أَلِيمٍpainful
Ali 'Imran · 3:21Madinah

Silencing the one who calls for justice.

Arrogance that rejects the truth and its messengers

The past crime
prophetscalled to the truth
those who order justiceordinary people
killed by
arrogancerefusing the truth
What arrogance is
thinking highly of myselfjust ego
refusing truthand looking down on people

Ibn Kathir explains this censures those among the People of the Book who denied Allah's signs and killed prophets who only called them to the truth, and people who ordered justice. He cites the hadith: arrogance is refusing the truth and degrading people.

In a meeting, someone points out a fair problem with your plan. You roll your eyes and talk over them. That small move is the seed of what this verse describes. The fix is listening when someone calls for fairness.

Arrogance is about bragging, and I do not brag.

Arrogance is refusing truth and dismissing people, even quietly.

Try this

The next time someone corrects you today, thank them before you answer.

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

Verily, those who disbelieve in the Ayat of Allah and kill the Prophets without right, and kill those men who order just dealings, then announce to them a painful torment (21)They are those whose works will be lost in this world and in the Hereafter, and they will have no helpers (22)

Chastising the Jews for Their Disbelief and for Killing the Prophets and Righteous People

This Ayah chastises the People of the Book for the transgression and prohibitions they committed by their denials in the past and more recent times, of Allah's Ayat and the Messengers. They did this due to their defiance and rejection of the Messengers, denial of the truth and refusal to follow it. They also killed many Prophets when they conveyed to them what Allah legislated for them, without cause or criminal behavior committed by these Prophets, for they only called them to the truth,

وَيَقْتُلُونَ الَّذِينَ يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْقِسْطِ مِنَ النَّاسِ

(And kill those men who order just dealings) thus, demonstrating the worst type of arrogance. Indeed, the Prophet ﷺ said,

الْكِبْرُ بَطَرُ الْحَقِّ وَغَمْطُ النَّاسِ

(Kibr (arrogance) is refusing the truth and degrading people)

This is why when they rejected the truth and acted arrogantly towards the creation, Allah punished them with humiliation and disgrace in this life, and humiliating torment in the Hereafter. Allah said,

فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ

(then announce to them a painful torment) meaning, painful and humiliating,

أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن نَّاصِرِينَ

(They are those whose works will be lost in this world and in the Hereafter, and they will have no helpers.).