Surah Al-Baqara 2:145 — Meaning, Translation & Reflection

وَلَئِنْ أَتَيْتَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ بِكُلِّ ءَايَةٍۢ مَّا تَبِعُوا۟ قِبْلَتَكَ ۚ وَمَآ أَنتَ بِتَابِعٍۢ قِبْلَتَهُمْ ۚ وَمَا بَعْضُهُم بِتَابِعٍۢ قِبْلَةَ بَعْضٍۢ ۚ وَلَئِنِ ٱتَّبَعْتَ أَهْوَآءَهُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَكَ مِنَ ٱلْعِلْمِ ۙ إِنَّكَ إِذًۭا لَّمِنَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ

English: Yet even if you brought every proof to those who were given the Scripture, they would not follow your prayer direction, nor will you follow theirs, nor indeed will any of them follow one another’s direction. If you [Prophet] were to follow their desires, after the knowledge brought to you, you would be doing wrong.

Bengali: যদি আপনি আহলে কিতাবদের কাছে সমুদয় নিদর্শন উপস্থাপন করেন, তবুও তারা আপনার কেবলা মেনে নেবে না এবং আপনিও তাদের কেবলা মানেন না। তারাও একে অন্যের কেবলা মানে না। যদি আপনি তাদের বাসনার অনুসরণ করেন, সে জ্ঞানলাভের পর, যা আপনার কাছে পৌঁছেছে, তবে নিশ্চয় আপনি অবিচারকারীদের অন্তর্ভুক্ত হবেন।

Reflect with the Five Lenses

Maani's framework for Tadabbur (heart-centred reflection) on Surah Al-Baqara 2:145:

• Wording. Look closely at the specific words and structure. Which word stands out, and why might Allah have chosen it here?
• Quranic Worlds. Place the verse in its context — what is happening around it, and what world does it open up?
• Personal Experience. Ask not just what this means, but what it means TO me and FOR me, right now in my life.
• Connections. How does this verse connect to other verses, to the Sunnah, or to themes across the Quran?
• General Lessons. What timeless lesson or action point can I carry away and live by?