Surah Al-Baqara 2:41 — Meaning, Translation & Reflection
سُورَةُ البَقَرَةِ · Medinan · Verse 41 of 286
وَءَامِنُوا۟ بِمَآ أَنزَلْتُ مُصَدِّقًۭا لِّمَا مَعَكُمْ وَلَا تَكُونُوٓا۟ أَوَّلَ كَافِرٍۭ بِهِۦ ۖ وَلَا تَشْتَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِى ثَمَنًۭا قَلِيلًۭا وَإِيَّٰىَ فَٱتَّقُونِ
English: Believe in the message I have sent down confirming what you already possess. Do not be the first to disbelieve in it, and do not sell My messages for a small price: I am the One of whom you should be mindful.
Bengali: আর তোমরা সে গ্রন্থের প্রতি বিশ্বাস স্থাপন কর, যা আমি অবতীর্ণ করেছি সত্যবক্তা হিসেবে তোমাদের কাছে। বস্তুতঃ তোমরা তার প্রাথমিক অস্বীকারকারী হয়ো না আর আমার আয়াতের অল্প মূল্য দিও না। এবং আমার (আযাব) থেকে বাঁচ।
Meaning & Reflection
'And believe in what I have sent down, confirming that which is with you, and do not be the first to disbelieve in it. And do not exchange My verses for a small price, and fear Me.' al-Saadi and Ibn Kathir note the warning against 'selling' God's signs cheaply — trading the truth for worldly gain, status, or the comfort of the familiar. Ask yourself: 'a small price' is the key phrase — the deniers did not reject revelation for nothing, but for *something*: position, income, the approval of their community, the cost of admitting they were wrong. And whatever they gained was, against the truth, 'small'. I do the same whenever I compromise a known truth for a worldly payoff. What have I been quietly *selling* my clarity for — a bit of approval, a career advantage, an easier social life — and how 'small' would that price look weighed against what I gave up for it?
Grounded in classical tafsir: al-Saadi, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Ashur.
Reflect with the Five Lenses
Maani's framework for Tadabbur (heart-centred reflection) on Surah Al-Baqara 2:41:
- 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?