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.
Related Ayahs
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَاتَيْنَـٰهُمُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ مِن قَبْلِهِۦ هُم بِهِۦ يُؤْمِنُونَ
Those to whom We gave the Scripture before it - they are believers in it.
وَإِذْ قَالَ عِيسَى ٱبْنُ مَرْيَمَ يَـٰبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ إِنِّى رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ إِلَيْكُم مُّصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَىَّ مِنَ ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةِ وَمُبَشِّرًۢا بِرَسُولٍ يَأْتِى مِنۢ بَعْدِى ٱسْمُهُۥٓ أَحْمَدُ ۖ فَلَمَّا جَآءَهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ قَالُوا۟ هَـٰذَا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ
And [mention] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said, "O Children of Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allāh to you confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Aḥmad." But when he came to them with clear evidences, they said, "This is obvious magic."
وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَآ أَهْلَكْنَا ٱلْقُرُونَ ٱلْأُولَىٰ بَصَآئِرَ لِلنَّاسِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لَّعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ
And We gave Moses the Scripture, after We had destroyed the former generations, as enlightenment for the people and guidance and mercy that they might be reminded.
كَذَٰلِكَ أَرْسَلْنَـٰكَ فِىٓ أُمَّةٍ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهَآ أُمَمٌ لِّتَتْلُوَا۟ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ وَهُمْ يَكْفُرُونَ بِٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ۚ قُلْ هُوَ رَبِّى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْهِ مَتَابِ
Thus have We sent you to a community before which [other] communities have passed on so you might recite to them that which We revealed to you, while they disbelieve in the Most Merciful. Say, "He is my Lord; there is no deity except Him. Upon Him I rely, and to Him is my return."