أَمْ يَقُولُونَ ٱفْتَرَىٰهُ ۖ قُلْ إِنِ ٱفْتَرَيْتُهُۥ فَلَا تَمْلِكُونَ لِى مِنَ ٱللَّهِ شَيْـًٔا ۖ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا تُفِيضُونَ فِيهِ ۖ كَفَىٰ بِهِۦ شَهِيدًۢا بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَكُمْ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ 8
Translations
Or do they say, "He has invented it"? Say, "If I have invented it, you will not possess for me [the power of protection] from Allāh at all. He is most knowing of that in which you are involved. Sufficient is He as Witness between me and you, and He is the Forgiving, the Merciful."
Transliteration
Am yaqūlūna iftarayhu. Qul in iftaraytuhu fa-lā tamlikūn lī min Allāh shayān. Huwa aʿlam bi-mā tufīḍūn fīh. Kafā bihi shahīdan baynī wa-baynakum. Wa-huwa al-Ghafūr al-Raḥīm.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah presents the Prophet's response to the Meccan disbelievers' accusation that he fabricated the Qur'an. The Prophet is instructed to challenge them with a profound logical argument: if he had indeed forged the Qur'an, they could not protect him from Allah's punishment, as Allah is fully aware of their disputes and designs. According to Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir, this response establishes that the Qur'an's authenticity is divinely guaranteed, and Allah alone is the true witness between the Prophet and his opponents. The ayah concludes by emphasizing Allah's attributes of forgiveness and mercy, implying an invitation to belief even after such accusations.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Ahqaf is a Meccan chapter revealed during a period of intense opposition to the Prophet in Mecca. The immediate context addresses the persistent denials and accusations of the Quraysh regarding the divine origin of the Qur'an. This particular ayah responds to their charge of fabrication (iftirā'), a common objection raised against the Prophet's message.
Related Hadiths
The theme relates to Sahih Bukhari 4953, where the Prophet is described as protected by Allah from lying, establishing his truthfulness. Additionally, the concept of Allah as witness between believers and disbelievers is referenced in various hadiths regarding the Day of Judgment (e.g., in the context of surah Al-Hajj 22:78).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that truth needs no human defense—Allah Himself is sufficient as witness and guardian of His message. For believers, it reinforces confidence that the Qur'an's authenticity transcends human criticism, and offers a powerful intellectual response to doubts: any falsehood fabricated by a human would inevitably be exposed, yet the Qur'an has endured unchanged for centuries.
Related Ayahs
قَالُوٓا۟ أَجِئْتَنَا لِتَأْفِكَنَا عَنْ ءَالِهَتِنَا فَأْتِنَا بِمَا تَعِدُنَآ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ
They said, "Have you come to delude us away from our gods? Then bring us what you promise us, if you should be of the truthful."
وَمَن لَّا يُجِبْ دَاعِىَ ٱللَّهِ فَلَيْسَ بِمُعْجِزٍ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَيْسَ لَهُۥ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءُ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ فِى ضَلَـٰلٍ مُّبِينٍ
But he who does not respond to the Caller of Allāh will not cause failure [to Him] upon earth, and he will not have besides Him any protectors. Those are in manifest error."
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ نَتَقَبَّلُ عَنْهُمْ أَحْسَنَ مَا عَمِلُوا۟ وَنَتَجَاوَزُ عَن سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمْ فِىٓ أَصْحَـٰبِ ٱلْجَنَّةِ ۖ وَعْدَ ٱلصِّدْقِ ٱلَّذِى كَانُوا۟ يُوعَدُونَ
Those are the ones from whom We will accept the best of what they did and overlook their misdeeds, [their being] among the companions of Paradise. [That is] the promise of truth which they had been promised.
وَيَوْمَ يُعْرَضُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلنَّارِ أَذْهَبْتُمْ طَيِّبَـٰتِكُمْ فِى حَيَاتِكُمُ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱسْتَمْتَعْتُم بِهَا فَٱلْيَوْمَ تُجْزَوْنَ عَذَابَ ٱلْهُونِ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ ٱلْحَقِّ وَبِمَا كُنتُمْ تَفْسُقُونَ
And the Day those who disbelieved are exposed to the Fire [it will be said], "You exhausted your pleasures during your worldly life and enjoyed them, so this Day you will be awarded the punishment of [extreme] humiliation because you were arrogant upon the earth without right and because you were defiantly disobedient."