The Holy Quran 2:114 — Surah Al-Baqarah

Arabic text

وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن مَّنَعَ مَسَـٰجِدَ ٱللَّهِ أَن يُذْكَرَ فِيهَا ٱسْمُهُۥ وَسَعَىٰ فِى خَرَابِهَآ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ مَا كَانَ لَهُمْ أَن يَدْخُلُوهَآ إِلَّا خَآئِفِينَ ۚ لَهُمْ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا خِزْىٌ وَلَهُمْ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ

Translation

Who can do greater wrong than the one who prevents the name of Allaah from being taken in the Masaajid (he prevents others from salaah and from Dhikr) and who does all he can to destroy them? (There can be no worse evil. This verse refers to the occasions when Baytul Maqdas was destroyed as well as the occasion when Rasulullaah and the Muslims were prevented from visiting the Masjidul Haraam. Allaah then instructs the Muslims to take action against such wrongdoers so that in future) Such people may only enter them (the Masaajid) in fear (unable to repeat their wrong). For them shall be disgrace (humiliation) in this world and a terrible punishment in the Aakhirah.

Tafsir (excerpt) — Tafsir Usmani

Reverence for mosques: the occasion of revelation of this [verse] was the Christians, who, fighting the Jews, burned the Torah and laid waste Bayt al-Maqdis; or the idolaters of Makkah, who, purely out of partisanship and obstinacy, prevented the Muslims at Hudaybiyah from going to al-Masjid al-Haram (the House of Allah).

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