وَإِن تُكَذِّبُوا۟ فَقَدْ كَذَّبَ أُمَمٌ مِّن قَبْلِكُمْ ۖ وَمَا عَلَى ٱلرَّسُولِ إِلَّا ٱلْبَلَـٰغُ ٱلْمُبِينُ 18
Translations
And if you [people] deny [the message] - already nations before you have denied. And there is not upon the Messenger except [the duty of] clear notification.
Transliteration
Wa-in tukadhdhihu faqad kadhdhaba umamun min qablikum wa-ma 'ala ar-rasuli illa al-balagh al-mubin
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah consoles Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by reminding him that rejection of the message is not unprecedented—many nations before rejected their messengers, yet the messenger's duty remains only to convey the message clearly. Ibn Kathir notes this verse emphasizes that the Prophet's responsibility is limited to clear communication of the Qur'an, not to force belief, as guidance is ultimately from Allah alone. Al-Qurtubi highlights that this provides solace during times of persecution and rejection the Prophet faced in Mecca.
Revelation Context
Revealed in Mecca during a period of intense opposition to the Prophet's message. This surah was revealed when the Meccans rejected the Prophet's call, and this particular ayah contextualizes their rejection within the broader pattern of human history where previous nations also denied their messengers. It serves to strengthen the Prophet's resolve and comfort the believers.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The best of you are my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them' (Sahih Bukhari 2652), illustrating how even the best generation faced rejection. Also related: 'There is no messenger whom Allah sent but that some of his people believed and some disbelieved' (Sahih Muslim 152).
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers facing opposition or mockery for their faith should remember that rejection of divine messages is not personal failure but a recurring pattern in human history; our responsibility is only to convey the message with clarity and sincerity, while leaving the outcome to Allah's wisdom.
Related Ayahs
فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ ٱلرَّجْفَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا۟ فِى دَارِهِمْ جَـٰثِمِينَ
But they denied him, so the earthquake seized them, and they became within their home [corpses] fallen prone.
فَكُلًّا أَخَذْنَا بِذَنۢبِهِۦ ۖ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ حَاصِبًا وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَخَذَتْهُ ٱلصَّيْحَةُ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ خَسَفْنَا بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَغْرَقْنَا ۚ وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
So each We seized for his sin; and among them were those upon whom We sent a storm of stones, and among them were those who were seized by the blast [from the sky], and among them were those whom We caused the earth to swallow, and among them were those whom We drowned. And Allāh would not have wronged them, but it was they who were wronging themselves.
وَمَا كُنتَ تَتْلُوا۟ مِن قَبْلِهِۦ مِن كِتَـٰبٍ وَلَا تَخُطُّهُۥ بِيَمِينِكَ ۖ إِذًا لَّٱرْتَابَ ٱلْمُبْطِلُونَ
And you did not recite before it any scripture, nor did you inscribe one with your right hand. Then [i.e., otherwise] the falsifiers would have had [cause for] doubt.
يَوْمَ يَغْشَىٰهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ مِن فَوْقِهِمْ وَمِن تَحْتِ أَرْجُلِهِمْ وَيَقُولُ ذُوقُوا۟ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
On the Day the punishment will cover them from above them and from below their feet and it is said, "Taste [the result of] what you used to do."