وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ وَلِتَسْتَبِينَ سَبِيلُ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ 55
Translations
And thus do We detail the verses, and [thus] the way of the criminals will become evident.
Transliteration
Wa-kadhalika nufassilu al-ayati wa-litastabina sabilu al-mujrimeen
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah explains that just as He has detailed His signs and verses clearly in the Quran, this detailed exposition serves to make the path of the criminals (those who reject faith and commit sin) become evident and distinguishable from the path of the righteous. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the purpose of this clarity is both to guide the believers and to expose the falsehood and deviation of those who persist in transgression, leaving no excuse for rejection of the truth.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-An'am, a Meccan surah that emphasizes Allah's oneness, the clarity of His signs, and the reality of the Day of Judgment. It follows verses discussing the detailed exposition of Quranic verses and serves as a reminder that the Quran's clarity benefits both believers seeking guidance and exposes the stubbornness of those who reject it.
Related Hadiths
The hadith of Ibn Mas'ud (Sahih Bukhari 5057): 'The best speech is the Book of Allah,' relates to the Quran's role in clarifying truth and falsehood. Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Muslim regarding the clarity of halal and haram reflects this ayah's theme of distinguishing between right and wrong paths.
Themes
Key Lesson
The detailed clarity of Allah's guidance in the Quran leaves no one with an excuse for their choices; believers who seek truth will find it, while those who reject it do so with full knowledge. This teaches us that guidance is always available, and our responsibility is to earnestly seek it and follow the right path.
Related Ayahs
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۖ وَيَوْمَ يَقُولُ كُن فَيَكُونُ ۚ قَوْلُهُ ٱلْحَقُّ ۚ وَلَهُ ٱلْمُلْكُ يَوْمَ يُنفَخُ فِى ٱلصُّورِ ۚ عَـٰلِمُ ٱلْغَيْبِ وَٱلشَّهَـٰدَةِ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْحَكِيمُ ٱلْخَبِيرُ
And it is He who created the heavens and earth in truth. And the day [i.e., whenever] He says, "Be," and it is, His word is the truth. And His is the dominion [on] the Day the Horn is blown. [He is] Knower of the unseen and the witnessed; and He is the Wise, the Aware.
وَكَيْفَ أَخَافُ مَآ أَشْرَكْتُمْ وَلَا تَخَافُونَ أَنَّكُمْ أَشْرَكْتُم بِٱللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِۦ عَلَيْكُمْ سُلْطَـٰنًا ۚ فَأَىُّ ٱلْفَرِيقَيْنِ أَحَقُّ بِٱلْأَمْنِ ۖ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
And how should I fear what you associate while you do not fear that you have associated with Allāh that for which He has not sent down to you any authority? So which of the two parties has more right to security, if you should know?"
وَلَقَدْ كُذِّبَتْ رُسُلٌ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَصَبَرُوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَا كُذِّبُوا۟ وَأُوذُوا۟ حَتَّىٰٓ أَتَىٰهُمْ نَصْرُنَا ۚ وَلَا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَلَقَدْ جَآءَكَ مِن نَّبَإِى۟ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ
And certainly were messengers denied before you, but they were patient over the denial, and they were harmed until Our victory came to them. And none can alter the words [i.e., decrees] of Allāh. And there has certainly come to you some information about the [previous] messengers.
ٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ كَذَبُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ ۚ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ يَفْتَرُونَ
See how they will lie about themselves. And lost from them will be what they used to invent.