4:162

لَّـٰكِنِ ٱلرَّـٰسِخُونَ فِي ٱلۡعِلۡمِ مِنۡهُمۡ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ يُؤۡمِنُونَ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيۡكَ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ مِن قَبۡلِكَۚ وَٱلۡمُقِيمِينَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَۚ وَٱلۡمُؤۡتُونَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلۡيَوۡمِ ٱلۡأٓخِرِ أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ سَنُؤۡتِيهِمۡ أَجۡرًا عَظِيمًا

Lakini alrrasikhoona fee alAAilmi minhum waalmuminoona yuminoona bima onzila ilayka wama onzila min qablika waalmuqeemeena alssalata waalmutoona alzzakata waalmuminoona biAllahi waalyawmi alakhiri olaika sanuteehim ajran AAatheeman

But those firm in knowledge among them and the believers believe in what has been revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what was revealed before you. And the establishers of prayer [especially] and the givers of zakah and the believers in Allah and the Last Day - those We will give a great reward.

Word by word
  1. لَّـٰكِنِBut
  2. ٱلرَّـٰسِخُونَthe ones who are firm
  3. فِيin
  4. ٱلۡعِلۡمِthe knowledge
  5. مِنۡهُمۡamong them
  6. وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَand the believers
  7. يُؤۡمِنُونَbelieve
  8. بِمَآin what
  9. أُنزِلَ(is) revealed
  10. إِلَيۡكَto you
  11. وَمَآand what
  12. أُنزِلَwas revealed
  13. مِنfrom
  14. قَبۡلِكَۚbefore you
  15. وَٱلۡمُقِيمِينَAnd the ones who establish
  16. ٱلصَّلَوٰةَۚthe prayer
  17. وَٱلۡمُؤۡتُونَand the ones who give
  18. ٱلزَّكَوٰةَthe zakah
  19. وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَand the ones who believe
  20. بِٱللَّهِin Allah
  21. وَٱلۡيَوۡمِand the Day
  22. ٱلۡأٓخِرِthe Last
  23. أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَthose
  24. سَنُؤۡتِيهِمۡWe will give them
  25. أَجۡرًاa reward
  26. عَظِيمًاgreat
An-Nisa · 4:162Madinah

Deep knowledge leads to faith, prayer, and giving.

Those firm in knowledge who recognised the truth


Who is praised
firm in knowledgeamong them
the believers
they
pray, give, believein Allah and the Day
great reward
What real knowledge does
knowledge to argueto win debates
knowledge that bowsleads to prayer

After the long list of wrongs, the verse turns. Not everyone was the same. Ibn Abbas said it was revealed about Abdullah bin Salam and others from the People of the Scripture who embraced Islam. Their knowledge was deep enough to recognize the truth.

You know a lot. Hadith references, debates, scholars' names. But knowing is not the same as bowing. The verse praises knowledge that ends in prayer, charity, and certainty about the Day. That is how you tell if it is rooted.

Knowing a lot about religion means I am close to Allah.

Knowledge is rooted when it shows up in my prayer and my giving.

Try this

Take one thing you learned about the deen this month and act on it today.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 4:160)

For the wrongdoing of the Jews, We made unlawful for them certain good foods which had been lawful for themـand for their hindering many from Allah's way (160)And their taking of Riba though they were forbidden from taking it, and their devouring men's substance wrongfully. And We have prepared for the disbelievers among them a painful torment (161)But those among them who are well-grounded in knowledge, and the believers, believe in what has been sent down to you and what was sent down before you; and those who perform the Salah, and give Zakah and believe in Allah and in the Last Day, it is they to whom We shall give a great reward (162)

Some Foods Were Made Unlawful for the Jews Because of their Injustice and Wrongdoing

Allah states that because of the injustice and transgression of the Jews, demonstrated by committing major sins, He prohibited some of the lawful, pure things which were previously allowed for them. This prohibition could be only that of decree, meaning that Allah allowed the Jews to falsely interpret their Book and change and alter the information about what was allowed for them. They thus, out of exaggeration and extremism in the religion, prohibited some things for themselves. It could also mean that in the Tawrah, Allah prohibited things that were allowed for them before. Allah said,

كُلُّ الطَّعَامِ كَانَ حِلًّا لِّبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِلَّا مَا حَرَّمَ إِسْرَائِيلُ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ مِن قَبْلِ أَن تُنَزَّلَ التَّوْرَاةُ

(All food was lawful to the Children of Israel, except what Isra'il made unlawful for himself before the Tawrah was revealed.)[3:93]

We mentioned this Ayah before, which means that all types of food were allowed for the Children of Israel before the Tawrah was revealed, except the camel's meat and milk that Isra'il prohibited for himself. Later, Allah prohibited many things in the Tawrah. Allah said in Surat Al-An'am (chapter 6),

وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ هَادُوا حَرَّمْنَا كُلَّ ذِي ظُفُرٍ وَمِنَ الْبَقَرِ وَالْغَنَمِ حَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ شُحُومَهُمَا إِلَّا مَا حَمَلَتْ ظُهُورُهُمَا أَوِ الْحَوَايَا أَوْ مَا اخْتَلَطَ بِعَظْمٍ ذَٰلِكَ جَزَيْنَاهُم بِبَغْيِهِمْ وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ

(And unto those who are Jews, We forbade every (animal) with undivided hoof, and We forbade them the fat of the ox and the sheep except what adheres to their backs or their entrails, or is mixed up with a bone. Thus We recompensed them for their rebellion. And verily, We are Truthful.)

This means, We prohibited these things for them because they deserved it due to their transgression, injustice, defying their Messenger and disputing with him. So Allah said;

فَبِظُلْمٍ مِّنَ الَّذِينَ هَادُوا حَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ طَيِّبَاتٍ أُحِلَّتْ لَهُمْ وَبِصَدِّهِمْ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ كَثِيرًا

(For the wrongdoing of the Jews, We made unlawful to them certain good foods which had been lawful to them, and for their hindering many from Allah's way.)

This Ayah states that they hindered themselves and others from following the truth, and this is the behavior that they brought from the past to the present. This is why they were and still are the enemies of the Messengers, killing many of the Prophets. They also denied Muhammad and 'Isa, peace be upon them. Allah said,

وَأَخْذِهِمُ الرِّبَا وَقَدْ نُهُوا عَنْهُ

(And their taking of Riba' though they were forbidden from taking it,)

Allah prohibited them from taking Riba', yet they did so using various kinds of tricks, ploys and cons, thus devouring people's property unjustly. Allah said,

وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَافِرِينَ مِنْهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا

(And We have prepared for the disbelievers among them a painful torment.) Allah then said,

لَّٰكِنِ الرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ مِنْهُمْ

(But those among them who are well-grounded in knowledge...) firm in the religion and full of beneficial knowledge. We mentioned this subject when we explained Surah Āl-'Imrān (3). The Ayah;

وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ 

(and the believers...) refers to the well-grounded in knowledge;

يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ

(believe in what has been sent down to you and what was sent down before you;)

Ibn 'Abbas said, "This Ayah was revealed concerning 'Abdullah bin Salam, Tha'labah bin Sa'yah, Zayd bin Sa'yah and Asad bin 'Ubayd who embraced Islam and believed what Allah sent Muhammad ﷺ with. Allah said,

وَالْمُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ

(and give Zakah,) This could be referring to the obligatory charity due on one's wealth and property, or those who purify themselves, or both. Allah knows best.

وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ

(and believe in Allah and in the Last Day,) They believe that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, believe in Resurrection after death and the reward or punishment for the good or evil deeds. Allah's statement,

أُولَٰئِكَ 

(It is they,) those whom the Ayah described above,

سَنُؤْتِيهِمْ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا

(To whom We shall give a great reward.) means Paradise.