وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتُنَا بَيِّنَـٰتٍ قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لِلْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَآءَهُمْ هَـٰذَا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ 7
Translations
And when Our verses are recited to them as clear evidences, those who disbelieve say of the truth when it has come to them, "This is obvious magic."
Transliteration
Wa-idha tutla 'alayhim ayatuna bayyinat, qala alladhina kafaru lil-haqq lamma ja'ahum hadha sihrun mubin
Tafsir (Explanation)
When the clear signs of Allah are recited to the disbelievers, they reject the truth and falsely attribute the Qur'an to sorcery rather than acknowledging its divine origin. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir note that this represents the disbelievers' desperate attempt to explain away the Qur'an's miraculous nature and rhetorical power by attributing it to magic, demonstrating their willful denial despite the clarity of the message. This response exemplifies the psychological mechanism of those who refuse guidance—attributing divine truth to falsehood rather than submitting to it.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Ahqaf, revealed in Mecca during the early period of Islam when the Quraysh intensely opposed the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The surah addresses the common Meccan objections to the Qur'an and prophethood, including the accusation of sorcery, which was a frequent taunt used by disbelievers to discredit the Prophet's message.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'The greatest sorcery is eloquence (al-fasaha),' referring to how the disbelievers attributed the Qur'an's eloquence to magic. Additionally, in Surah Al-Araf (7:132), when Pharaoh's magicians believed in Musa's message, Pharaoh similarly accused them of conspiring through sorcery to turn people away from their gods.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds us that clarity of truth does not guarantee acceptance; those who choose denial will find ways to rationalize their rejection, no matter how evident the signs are. For believers, it teaches patience with those who reject the message and reinforces that our responsibility is only to convey the truth clearly, while acceptance ultimately rests with Allah.
Related Ayahs
فَبِمَا نَقْضِهِم مِّيثَـٰقَهُمْ وَكُفْرِهِم بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَقَتْلِهِمُ ٱلْأَنۢبِيَآءَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ وَقَوْلِهِمْ قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌۢ ۚ بَلْ طَبَعَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهَا بِكُفْرِهِمْ فَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا
And [We cursed them] for their breaking of the covenant and their disbelief in the signs of Allāh and their killing of the prophets without right and their saying, "Our hearts are wrapped" [i.e., sealed against reception]. Rather, Allāh has sealed them because of their disbelief, so they believe not, except for a few.
وَتِلْكَ عَادٌ ۖ جَحَدُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ رَبِّهِمْ وَعَصَوْا۟ رُسُلَهُۥ وَٱتَّبَعُوٓا۟ أَمْرَ كُلِّ جَبَّارٍ عَنِيدٍ
And that was ʿAad, who rejected the signs of their Lord and disobeyed His messengers and followed the order of every obstinate tyrant.
۞ وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ لِقَآءَنَا لَوْلَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ أَوْ نَرَىٰ رَبَّنَا ۗ لَقَدِ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ فِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَعَتَوْ عُتُوًّا كَبِيرًا
And those who do not expect the meeting with Us say, "Why were not angels sent down to us, or [why] do we [not] see our Lord?" They have certainly become arrogant within themselves and [become] insolent with great insolence.
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ رَبِّهِمْ وَلِقَآئِهِۦ فَحَبِطَتْ أَعْمَـٰلُهُمْ فَلَا نُقِيمُ لَهُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ وَزْنًا
Those are the ones who disbelieve in the verses of their Lord and in [their] meeting Him, so their deeds have become worthless; and We will not assign to them on the Day of Resurrection any weight [i.e., importance].