Quran Universe
4:136

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ ءَامِنُواْ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَٱلۡكِتَٰبِ ٱلَّذِي نَزَّلَ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِۦ وَٱلۡكِتَٰبِ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَنزَلَ مِن قَبۡلُۚ وَمَن يَكۡفُرۡ بِٱللَّهِ وَمَلَـٰٓئِكَتِهِۦ وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَرُسُلِهِۦ وَٱلۡيَوۡمِ ٱلۡأٓخِرِ فَقَدۡ ضَلَّ ضَلَٰلَۢا بَعِيدًا

Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo aminoo biAllahi warasoolihi waalkitabi allathee nazzala AAala rasoolihi waalkitabi allathee anzala min qablu waman yakfur biAllahi wamalaikatihi wakutubihi warusulihi waalyawmi alakhiri faqad dalla dalalan baAAeedan

O you who have believed, believe in Allah and His Messenger and the Book that He sent down upon His Messenger and the Scripture which He sent down before. And whoever disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day has certainly gone far astray.

Word by word
  1. يَـٰٓأَيُّهَاO you
  2. ٱلَّذِينَwho
  3. ءَامَنُوٓاْbelieve [d]
  4. ءَامِنُواْBelieve
  5. بِٱللَّهِin Allah
  6. وَرَسُولِهِۦand His Messenger
  7. وَٱلۡكِتَٰبِand the Book
  8. ٱلَّذِيwhich
  9. نَزَّلَHe revealed
  10. عَلَىٰupon
  11. رَسُولِهِۦHis Messenger
  12. وَٱلۡكِتَٰبِand the Book
  13. ٱلَّذِيٓwhich
  14. أَنزَلَHe revealed
  15. مِنfrom
  16. قَبۡلُۚbefore
  17. وَمَنAnd whoever
  18. يَكۡفُرۡdisbelieves
  19. بِٱللَّهِin Allah
  20. وَمَلَـٰٓئِكَتِهِۦand His Angels
  21. وَكُتُبِهِۦand His Books
  22. وَرُسُلِهِۦand His Messengers
  23. وَٱلۡيَوۡمِand the Day
  24. ٱلۡأٓخِرِthe Last
  25. فَقَدۡthen surely
  26. ضَلَّhe (has) lost (the) way
  27. ضَلَٰلَۢاstraying
  28. بَعِيدًاfar away
An-Nisa · 4:136Madinah

You believe already. Now believe again, and keep believing.

Faith that is renewed, not just held

What to keep believing in
Allah
His Messenger
the Quran
earlier Bookssent before
What faith is
a box I tickedonce, long ago
something I maintainrenewed every day

The verse calls people who already believe to believe. Ibn Kathir says this is not repetition but completion: keeping faith alive and whole. He compares it to the believer asking in every prayer, guide us to the straight path, which means keep us on it and increase us.

You said the shahada years ago, or were born into it. Since then it has sat in the background like an app you never open. Faith can go stale without anyone noticing. The verse asks you to renew it, today, on purpose.

I am already a believer, so this verse is not for me.

Belief is something I keep feeding, or it quietly fades.

Try this

In your next prayer, say guide us to the straight path slowly and mean it as a fresh request.

Related1:657:28
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

O you who believe! Believe in Allah, and His Messenger, and the Book (the Qur'an) which He has sent down to His Messenger, and the Scripture which He sent down to those before; and whosoever disbelieves in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Last Day, then indeed he has strayed far away (136)

The Order to Have Faith after Believing

Allah commands His faithful servants to adhere to all the elements of faith, its branches, pillars and cornerstones. This is not stated as mere redundancy, but from the view of completing faith and the continual maintenence of it. For instance, the believer proclaims in every prayer,

اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ

(Guide us to the straight way.)[1:6] which means, make us aware of the straight path and increase us in guidance and strengthen us on it.

In this Ayah [4:136], Allah commands the believers to believe in Him and in His Messenger, just as He said elsewhere,

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَآمِنُوا بِرَسُولِهِ

(O you who believe! Have Taqwa of Allah, and believe in His Messenger,)[57:28]. Allah's statement,

وَالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِ

(and the Book which He has sent down to His Messenger,) refers to the Qur'an, while,

وَالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ مِن قَبْلُ

(and the Scripture which He sent down to those before (him);) refers to the previously revealed divine Books. Allah then said,

وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا

(and whosoever disbelieves in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Last Day, then indeed he has strayed far away.) meaning, he will have deviated from the correct guidance and strayed far away from its path.