فَقَدْ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِٱلْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَآءَهُمْ ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِيهِمْ أَنۢبَـٰٓؤُا۟ مَا كَانُوا۟ بِهِۦ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ 5
Translations
For they had denied the truth when it came to them, but there is going to reach them the news of what they used to ridicule.
Transliteration
Faqad kadhdhabo bil-haqqi lamma jaahum, fasawfa yaatihim anbaao ma kanu bihi yastahziaun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah condemns those who rejected the truth (the Qur'an and the message of Prophet Muhammad) when it came to them, warning them that they will soon face the consequences of what they mocked. The classical scholars, including Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, explain that 'anbaao' (news/consequences) refers to the punishment and reality of the Day of Judgment, which will make manifest the truth of what they ridiculed. The ayah emphasizes that mockery of divine truth is not merely a social transgression but will be met with divine retribution.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-An'am, a Meccan surah revealed during the early period of Islam when the Meccan polytheists were actively rejecting the Prophet's message and mocking him and the believers. The ayah is part of a broader thematic discussion (verses 4-5) about how those who rejected previous prophets' messages were destroyed, serving as a warning to contemporary deniers of the Qur'an.
Related Hadiths
The concept relates to Hadith Qudsi: 'Whoever is hostile to a friend of Mine has declared war upon Me' (Sahih Bukhari 5059), emphasizing that mocking the truth and its bearers incurs divine displeasure. Also relevant is the hadith in Sahih Muslim about mockery leading to humiliation on the Day of Judgment.
Themes
Key Lesson
For modern believers, this ayah serves as a reminder that rejection and mockery of religious truth are not without consequences—both in this world and the hereafter. It encourages steadfastness in faith while warning against complacency toward those who ridicule Islam, knowing that ultimate justice belongs to Allah alone.