أَوْ تَقُولُوا۟ لَوْ أَنَّآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَكُنَّآ أَهْدَىٰ مِنْهُمْ ۚ فَقَدْ جَآءَكُم بَيِّنَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ ۚ فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن كَذَّبَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَصَدَفَ عَنْهَا ۗ سَنَجْزِى ٱلَّذِينَ يَصْدِفُونَ عَنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا سُوٓءَ ٱلْعَذَابِ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَصْدِفُونَ 157
Translations
Or lest you say, "If only the Scripture had been revealed to us, we would have been better guided than they." So there has [now] come to you a clear evidence from your Lord and a guidance and mercy. Then who is more unjust than one who denies the verses of Allāh and turns away from them? We will recompense those who turn away from Our verses with the worst of punishment for their having turned away.
Transliteration
Aw taqūlū law annā unzila ʿalaynā al-kitābu lakunnā ahdā minhum, faqad jāʾakum bayyinah min rabbikum wa-hudān wa-raḥmah, fa-man ʾaẓlamu mimman kadhdhaba bi-āyāti allāhi wa-ṣadafa ʿanhā, sa-najzī alladhīna yaṣdifūna ʿan āyātinā sūʾa al-ʿadhābi bi-mā kānū yaṣdifūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses the false excuse of those who claim they would have followed guidance had they received a clear Scripture like previous nations. Allah refutes this claim by emphasizing that He has indeed sent them clear evidence (the Qur'an), guidance, and mercy. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi note that this ayah condemns those who stubbornly reject the signs of Allah despite their clarity, warning them of severe punishment for their deliberate turning away from divine truth.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of a broader Meccan discourse addressing the polytheists' resistance to the Message. The context reflects the Quraysh's persistent objections and excuses for rejecting the Prophet Muhammad's message. Rather than accepting the clear signs presented to them, they made hypothetical excuses about what they would have done had circumstances been different—a form of intellectual dishonesty that Allah condemns.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, and the worst of matters are those newly invented' (Sahih Muslim 1885). This supports the theme that clear guidance has been provided and rejection of it constitutes severe wrongdoing. Additionally, Surah Al-An'am 6:157 relates to the hadith about those who turn away from signs despite their clarity.
Themes
Key Lesson
We must recognize that Allah's guidance in the Qur'an is abundantly clear and complete; making excuses for not following it or claiming we would have believed under different circumstances is a form of self-deception. The remedy is sincere acceptance of the signs already present and accountability for our choices rather than hypothetical reasoning about circumstances we cannot change.