وَمِن قَبْلِهِۦ كِتَـٰبُ مُوسَىٰٓ إِمَامًا وَرَحْمَةً ۚ وَهَـٰذَا كِتَـٰبٌ مُّصَدِّقٌ لِّسَانًا عَرَبِيًّا لِّيُنذِرَ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ وَبُشْرَىٰ لِلْمُحْسِنِينَ 12
Translations
And before it was the scripture of Moses to lead and as a mercy. And this is a confirming Book in an Arabic tongue to warn those who have wronged and as good tidings to the doers of good.
Transliteration
Wa min qablihi kitaabu Moosaa imaman wa rahmah. Wa hadha kitabun musaddiqun lisanan Arabiyyan li yundhira alladhina zalamoo wa bushra lil-muhsineen.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms that the Qur'an confirms and validates the Torah of Musa (Moses) as a guide and mercy, while the Qur'an itself is revealed in clear Arabic to warn those who commit injustice and bring glad tidings to those who do good. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this establishes the continuity of divine revelation while emphasizing the Qur'an's role as both a warning to wrongdoers and a source of hope for the righteous, serving as a decisive criterion (furqan) between truth and falsehood.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah Al-Ahqaf and forms part of a passage addressing the Meccan disbelievers who rejected the Qur'an and the message of Prophet Muhammad. The context addresses those who denied the truth despite the precedent of previous scriptures and messengers, emphasizing that the Qur'an's message is consistent with earlier divine guidance.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The best speech is the speech of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi). Additionally, the Qur'an itself states in 2:101 that when a messenger came confirming what was with them, some rejected it, highlighting the consistent pattern of divine revelation mentioned in this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that the Qur'an's message, though final, honors and confirms previous divine scriptures, and its clarity in Arabic makes it a universal mercy and warning—reminding modern believers that accepting divine guidance protects us from injustice while ensuring spiritual reward for righteousness.