وَلَقَدِ ٱسْتُهْزِئَ بِرُسُلٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِٱلَّذِينَ سَخِرُوا۟ مِنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ بِهِۦ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ 10
Translations
And already were messengers ridiculed before you, but those who mocked them were enveloped by that which they used to ridicule.
Transliteration
Wa-laqad istuhzi'a bi-rusulim min qablika fa-haaqa bi-alladhina sakhiroo minhum maa kaanoo bihi yastahzi'oon
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah consoles Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by reminding him that previous messengers were also mocked and ridiculed by their people, yet Allah's punishment ultimately befell those who scoffed at them. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the phrase 'what they used to mock' refers to the very punishment and divine retribution they had denied, emphasizing that mockery of the message and messenger invites severe consequences. The ayah underscores Allah's justice: those who deride the truth receive exactly the fate they dismissed and laughed at.
Revelation Context
Revealed in Mecca during a period of intense persecution of the Prophet and early Muslims by the Quraysh. This ayah appears in the broader context of Surah Al-An'am, which addresses disbelief, polytheism, and the mockery faced by the Prophet. It provides historical precedent and divine comfort, showing that ridicule of messengers is not a new phenomenon but a recurring pattern throughout history.
Related Hadiths
Tirmidhi and Ahmad report that the Prophet said: 'The greatest trial for a nation is when they mock their Prophet.' Additionally, Sahih Bukhari contains accounts of how the Quraysh mocked the Prophet, and how Surahs like this one provided him solace during those difficult times.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers facing ridicule for their faith should remember that mockery of truth has always invited divine punishment, and that standing firm in the message despite ridicule is a proven path of all messengers. This ayah teaches that patience in the face of derision, combined with trust in Allah's justice, ultimately vindicates the believers.
Related Ayahs
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا صُمٌّ وَبُكْمٌ فِى ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتِ ۗ مَن يَشَإِ ٱللَّهُ يُضْلِلْهُ وَمَن يَشَأْ يَجْعَلْهُ عَلَىٰ صِرَٰطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ
But those who deny Our verses are deaf and dumb within darknesses. Whomever Allāh wills - He sends astray; and whomever He wills - He puts him on a straight path.
وَتِلْكَ حُجَّتُنَآ ءَاتَيْنَـٰهَآ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ عَلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦ ۚ نَرْفَعُ دَرَجَـٰتٍ مَّن نَّشَآءُ ۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌ
And that was Our [conclusive] argument which We gave Abraham against his people. We raise by degrees whom We will. Indeed, your Lord is Wise and Knowing.
فَالِقُ ٱلْإِصْبَاحِ وَجَعَلَ ٱلَّيْلَ سَكَنًا وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ حُسْبَانًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْعَلِيمِ
[He is] the cleaver of daybreak and has made the night for rest and the sun and moon for calculation. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing.
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَكُمْ خَلَـٰٓئِفَ ٱلْأَرْضِ وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَكُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَـٰتٍ لِّيَبْلُوَكُمْ فِى مَآ ءَاتَىٰكُمْ ۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ سَرِيعُ ٱلْعِقَابِ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌۢ
And it is He who has made you successors upon the earth and has raised some of you above others in degrees [of rank] that He may try you through what He has given you. Indeed, your Lord is swift in penalty; but indeed, He is Forgiving and Merciful.