وَلَوْ تَقَوَّلَ عَلَيْنَا بَعْضَ ٱلْأَقَاوِيلِ 44
Translations
And if he [i.e., Muḥammad] had made up about Us some [false] sayings,
Transliteration
Wa law taqawwala 'alayna ba'da al-aqawil
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses a hypothetical scenario warning that if the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had falsely attributed false sayings to Allah, Allah would have seized him and cut off his aorta. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize this as a divine protection and validation of the Prophet's truthfulness, demonstrating that Allah would never allow His messenger to fabricate lies. This serves as an absolute guarantee of the Quran's authenticity and the Prophet's integrity in conveying the divine message.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Haqqah, which was revealed in Mecca during the early Meccan period. It addresses the accusations of the disbelievers who claimed the Prophet was fabricating the Quran or embellishing stories. The surah's overarching theme is establishing the certainty of the Day of Judgment and the truthfulness of the Quranic message against skeptics and deniers.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The greatest sin is to associate partners with Allah, and to kill one's own child, and to bear false witness against Allah.' (Sahih Bukhari 2415). Additionally, the Prophet emphasized: 'Whoever intentionally attributes a false statement to me, let him prepare a seat in Hell.' (Sahih Bukhari 110).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reinforces that truthfulness in religious matters is of utmost importance and that Allah safeguards His message and His messengers from deception. For believers today, it emphasizes the importance of honesty in faith and warns against distorting religious teachings, serving as a reminder that integrity in conveying Islam is a sacred trust.