Surah Al-Baqarah >> Currently viewing Surah Baqarah Ayat 248 (2:248)

Surah Baqarah Ayat 248 in Arabic Text

وَقَالَ لَهُمۡ نَبِيُّهُمۡ إِنَّ ءَايَةَ مُلۡكِهِۦٓ أَن يَأۡتِيَكُمُ ٱلتَّابُوتُ فِيهِ سَكِينَةٞ مِّن رَّبِّكُمۡ وَبَقِيَّةٞ مِّمَّا تَرَكَ ءَالُ مُوسَىٰ وَءَالُ هَٰرُونَ تَحۡمِلُهُ ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَةٗ لَّكُمۡ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِينَ
Wa qaala lahum Nabiyyuhum inna Aayata mulkiheee ai yaatiyakumut Taabootu feehi sakeenatummir Rabbikum wa baqiyyatummimmaa taraka Aalu Moosa wa Aalu Haaroona tahmiluhul malaaa’ikah; inna fee zaalika la Aayatal lakum in kuntum mu’mineen (section 32)

English Translation

Here you can read various translations of verse 248

Sahih International
And their prophet said to them, “Indeed, a sign of his kingship is that the chest will come to you in which is assurance from your Lord and a remnant of what the family of Moses and the family of Aaron had left, carried by the angels. Indeed in that is a sign for you, if you are believers.”

Yusuf Ali
“And (further) their Prophet said to them: “A Sign of his authority is that there shall come to you the Ark of the covenant, with (an assurance) therein of security from your Lord, and the relics left by the family of Moses and the family of Aaron, carried by angels. In this is a symbol for you if ye indeed have faith.”

Abul Ala Maududi
Their Prophet further informed them, “The sign of his appointment as king from Allah is that during his reign you will get back the Ark, wherein are the means of your peace of mind from your Lord, and which contains the sacred relics of the family of Moses and Aaron, and which is being borne at this time by the angels. Herein is a great Sign for you, if you are true believers.”

Muhsin Khan
And their Prophet (Samuel) said to them: Verily! The sign of His Kingdom is that there shall come to you At-Tabut (a wooden box), wherein is Sakinah (peace and reassurance) from your Lord and a remnant of that which Musa (Moses) and Harun (Aaron) left behind, carried by the angels. Verily, in this is a sign for you if you are indeed believers.

Pickthall
And their Prophet said unto them: Lo! the token of his kingdom is that there shall come unto you the ark wherein is peace of reassurance from your Lord, and a remnant of that which the house of Moses and the house of Aaron left behind, the angels bearing it. Lo! herein shall be a token for you if (in truth) ye are believers.

Dr. Ghali
And their Prophet said to them, “Surely the sign of his kingship is that the coffer (In earlier Scriptures it is said to be the ” Ark”, and Serenity is said to be “Shechina”) will come up to you; in it (are) a Serenity from your Lord, and a remnant of what the house of Mûsa (Moses) and the house of Harûn (Aaron) left (behind), the Angels carrying it. Surely in that is indeed a sign for you, in case you are believers”.

Abdel Haleem
Their prophet said to them, ‘The sign of his authority will be that the Ark [of the Covenant] will come to you. In it there will be [the gift of] tranquillity from your Lord and relics of the followers of Moses and Aaron, carried by the angels. There is a sign in this for you if you believe.’

Muhammad Junagarhi
ان کے نبی نے انہیں پھر کہا کہ اس کی بادشاہت کی ﻇاہری نشانی یہ ہے کہ تمہارے پاس وه صندوق آ جائے گا جس میں تمہارے رب کی طرف سے دلجمعی ہے اور آل موسیٰ اور آل ہارون کا بقیہ ترکہ ہے، فرشتے اسے اٹھا کر ﻻئیں گے۔ یقیناً یہ تو تمہارے لئے کھلی دلیل ہے اگر تم ایمان والے ہو

Quran 2 Verse 248 Explanation

For those looking for commentary to help with the understanding of Surah Baqarah ayat 248, we’ve provided two Tafseer works below. The first is the tafseer of Abul Ala Maududi, the second is of Ibn Kathir.

Ala-Maududi

(2:248) And their Prophet said to them: “The Sign of his dominion is that in his reign the Ark, wherein is inner peace for you, will be brought back to you, and the sacred relics left behind by the house of Moses and the house of Aaron borne by angels.[270] Truly in that is a Sign for you, if indeed you are people of faith.”


270. The Biblical version of this incident is different from the Qur’anic one. The former sheds light, however, on certain details of the incident. It shows that during a military engagement the pagan Philistines had captured the Ark of the covenant’. Terrified of the scourge and pestilence which spread wherever they carried the Ark, these pagans placed it on a cart driven by milk cows, and sent it off. (1 Samuel 5-6 – Ed.) Perhaps the Qur’an alludes to this when it mentions angels, since the cart was driverless and it was the angels who kept it in their custody and brought it to the Israelites. The Qur’anic statement, that in the Ark ‘lies inward peace for you’, can be understood in the light of the Biblical statements that the Israelites regarded the Ark as highly auspicious, and as an emblem of their triumph and victory. When they were deprived of it, they began to feel that they had been deprived of the mercy of God. The return of the Ark, therefore, had a highly salutary effect on them as it strengthened their sagging morale and raised their spirits.

The Qur’anic mention of ‘the sacred relics left behind by the house of Aaron’ seems to allude to the Tablets of Law bequeathed to Moses on Mount Sinai. The Ark is also said to have contained the original copy of the Torah, which Moses himself had had transcribed and which he had himself handed over to the Levites. The Ark is also supposed to have contained a golden urn holding the manna (Hebrews 9: 2 ff – Ed.), in order that the coming generations might recall God’s benevolence to their forefathers during their wandering in the desert. The Ark also probably contained the rod of Moses which was one of the great miracles of God. (Hebrews 9: 5 mentions the rod of Aaron – Ed.)

Ibn-Kathir

247. And their Prophet said to them, “Indeed Allah has appointed Talut (Saul) as a king over you.” They said, “How can he be a king over us when we are fitter than him for the kingdom, and he has not been given enough wealth.” He said: “Verily, Allah has chosen him above you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature. And Allah grants His kingdom to whom He wills. And Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower.”


When the Israelites asked their Prophet to appoint a king over them, he appointed Talut (Saul), who was then a soldier. But, Talut was not a descendant of the house of kings among them, which was exclusively in the offspring of Yahudha (Judah). This is why they said:

﴿أَنَّى يَكُونُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ عَلَيْنَا﴾

(How can he be a king over us) meaning, how can he be the king for us,

﴿وَنَحْنُ أَحَقُّ بِالْمُلْكِ مِنْهُ وَلَمْ يُؤْتَ سَعَةً مّنَ الْمَالِ﴾

(when we are fitter than him for the kingdom, and he has not been given enough wealth) They said that Talut was also poor and did not have the wealth that justifies him being king. Some people stated that Talut used to bring water to the people, while others stated that his profession was dyeing skins. The Jews, thus, disputed with their Prophet while they were supposed to obey him and to say good words to him.

Their Prophet answered them:

﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَـهُ عَلَيْكُمْ﴾

(Verily, Allah has chosen him above you) meaning, `Allah chose Talut from amongst you while having better knowledge about him.’ Their Prophet stated, “I did not choose Talut to be your king on my own. Rather, Allah has commanded that upon your request.” Further:

﴿وَزَادَهُ بَسْطَةً فِي الْعِلْمِ وَالْجِسْمِ﴾

(…and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature.) meaning, `Talut is more knowledgeable and honorable than you, and stronger and more patient during combat, and has more knowledge of warfare. In short, he has more knowledge and is stronger than you are. The king should have sufficient knowledge, be fair looking and should have a strong soul and body.’ He then said:

﴿وَاللَّهُ يُؤْتِى مُلْكَهُ مَن يَشَآءُ﴾

(And Allah grants His kingdom to whom He wills.) meaning, Allah Alone is the Supreme Authority Who does what He wills and no one can ask Him about His actions, while they will be asked (about their actions by Him). This is because Allah has perfect knowledge, wisdom and kindness with His creation. Allah said:

﴿وَاللَّهُ وَسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ﴾

(And Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower.) meaning, His favor is encompassing and He grants His mercy to whom He wills. He also knows those who deserve to be kings and those who do not deserve it.

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surah baqarah ayat 248
surah baqarah ayat 249
surah baqarah ayat 250
surah baqarah ayat 251
surah baqarah ayat 252

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