Transliteration:( Wa aaminoo bimaaa anzaltu musaddiqal limaa ma'akum wa laa takoonooo awwala kaafirim bihee wa laa tashtaroo bi Aayaatee samanan qaleelanw wa iyyaaya fattaqoon )
"And believe in what I have revealed (the Qur’an), confirming that which is already with you [79], and be not the first to disbelieve therein [80]. And do not exchange My signs for a small price, and fear only Me. [81]"
This verse is addressed to the Bani Israel, particularly the Jews and Christians, reminding them that the Qur’an verifies the truth found in their own scriptures—namely, the Torah and the Injeel.
These earlier books contained prophecies about the coming of the Qur’an and the final Prophet ﷺ. Therefore, the Qur’an serves as a validating authority, and without it, the divine status of previous scriptures would have remained unconfirmed.
This verse also strongly implies that with the revelation of the Qur’an, there will be no Prophet or scripture after the Holy Prophet ﷺ. The Qur’an is the final revelation, and belief in it includes faith in all previous true revelations.
The phrase “be not the first to disbelieve” highlights a universal truth:
When someone in a position of leadership or influence—whether a scholar, king, tribal chief, or parent—denies the truth, their followers are likely to follow them into disbelief.
Hence, the first deniers among any community are often its leaders, whose rejection sets the tone for others.
This warning refers to the corruption of Jewish scholars, who would alter divine laws or conceal truth in return for worldly benefit, such as money, influence, or prestige.
However, this does not apply to activities like:
Printing and selling the Qur’an,
Receiving payment for teaching it, or
Being employed as an Imam,
unless these are done with disrespect, commercialism, or in violation of proper Islamic ethics.
This misuse is clarified in the next verse: “And confound not the truth with falsehood…” (Surah Baqarah 2:42), which addresses mixing sacred truths with deception for gain.
The tafsir of Surah Baqarah verse 41 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Baqarah ayat 40 which provides the complete commentary from verse 40 through 41.
(2:41) And believe in the Book which I have revealed and which confirms the Scripture you already have, and be not foremost among its deniers. Do not sell My signs for a trifling gain, [57]and beware of My wrath.
57. ‘Trifling gain’ refers to the worldly benefits for the sake of which they were rejecting God’s directives. Whatever one may gain in exchange for the Truth, be it all the treasure in the world, is trifling; the Truth is of supreme value.
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