فَوَرَبِّ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ إِنَّهُۥ لَحَقٌّ مِّثْلَ مَآ أَنَّكُمْ تَنطِقُونَ 23
Translations
Then by the Lord of the heaven and earth, indeed, it is truth - just as [sure as] it is that you are speaking.
Transliteration
Fa-wa-rabbi as-sama'i wa-al-ardi innahu la-haqqun mithla ma annakum tantiqu'un
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah swears by the Lord of the heavens and the earth that the message of the Quran and the promise of the resurrection are absolutely true, as certain as the fact that you (people) speak. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari note that this oath emphasizes the absolute certainty of divine truth—just as human speech is an undeniable reality witnessed by all, so too is Allah's promise genuine and inevitable. The ayah serves as a powerful rhetorical device to convince those who doubt the message of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within Surah Ad-Dhariyat, a Meccan chapter that addresses the disbelievers' rejection of the Quran and denial of the Hereafter. The verse contextually responds to the Meccan polytheists' mockery and skepticism about resurrection, using an accessible comparison to reinforce the undeniable nature of Allah's truth.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Muslim (2798) records a hadith where the Prophet (peace be upon him) states: 'The most truthful of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad.' This reinforces the ayah's assertion of the absolute truthfulness of the divine message.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that divine truth requires no complex proof—it is as evident and undeniable as observable reality itself. For modern readers, it encourages confidence in Islamic teachings and invites skeptics to recognize truth through reflection on their own undeniable existence and speech.