The Quran

سورة البَقَرَة

Surah Al-Baqarah 2:53

The Cow · Verse 53 of 286

وَإِذْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ وَالْفُرْقَانَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ

Abdul Mannan Omar

And (recall) when We gave Moses the Scripture and the Discrimination (- clear proof and argument to know the right from the wrong), so that you might be guided aright.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And remember We gave Moses the Scripture and the Criterion (Between right and wrong): There was a chance for you to be guided aright.

Ahmed Ali

Remember, We gave Moses the Book and Discernment of falsehood and truth, that you may be guided.

12 more translations

Ali Unal

And remember when We granted Moses (while he was on Mount Sinai for forty nights) the Book and the Criterion to distinguish between truth and falsehood, and the knowledge, and power of judgment to put it into effect, that you might be guided to truth and abide by it.

Daryabadi

And recall what time We vouchsafed unto Musa the Book and the distinction that haply ye may be guided.

Faridul Haque

And when We gave Moosa the Book (Taurat / Torah) and the criterion to judge right from wrong, so that you may attain guidance.

Maulana Muhammad Ali

And when We gave Moses the Book and the Discrimination that you might walk aright.

Maulvi Sher Ali

And remember when WE gave Moses the Book and the Discrimination, that you may be rightly guided.

Muhammad Asad

And [remember the time] when We vouchsafed unto Moses the divine writ - and [thus] a standard by which to discern the true from the false - so that you might be guided aright;

Muhammad Musin Khan

And (remember) when We gave Musa (Moses) the Scripture [the Taurat (Torah)] and the criterion (of right and wrong) so that you may be guided aright.

Muhammad Pickthall

And when We gave unto Moses the Scripture and the criterion (of right and wrong), that ye might be led aright.

Muhammad Sarwar

We gave Moses the Book and the criteria (of discerning right from wrong) so that perhaps you would be rightly guided.

Muhammed ali Shakir

And when We gave Musa the Book and the distinction that you might walk aright.

Rashad Khalifa

Recall that we gave Moses scripture and the statute book, that you may be guided.

Shabbir Ahmed

And We gave Moses the scripture and (thus) the Criterion (between right and wrong) so that you might be guided right.

Commentary 2:53 Kitâb ٱلْكِتَـٰبَderived from kataba كِتَـٰبَ also stands for “commandments”. Here al-Kitâb ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ indicates the Divine Commandments and Laws given…

وَإِذْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلْفُرْقَانَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُون

2:53 Kitâb ٱلْكِتَـٰبَderived from kataba كِتَـٰبَ also stands for “commandments”. Here al-Kitâb ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ indicates the Divine Commandments and Laws given to Moses and written on stone tablets (Alwâh; cf. 7:145, 150, 154). Furqân فُرْقَانَis anything that makes a separation or distinction between truth and falsehood. Al-Furqân ٱلْفُرْقَانَ is another name of the Holy Qur’ân. (25:1). So, here is a mention of two Books as a means of guidance for Israelites: the Commandments given to Moses and al-Furqân ٱلْفُرْقَانَ in the form of the Holy Qur’ân for the Muslims. Another interpretation is that the commandments given to Moses were Furqân for the Israelites. Al-Furqân ٱلْفُرْقَانَ can also be seen as a metaphor whereby the falsehoods of Pharaoh were separated from the Truth that Moses brought.