وَمَا نُرْسِلُ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلَّا مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ ۚ وَيُجَـٰدِلُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ لِيُدْحِضُوا۟ بِهِ ٱلْحَقَّ ۖ وَٱتَّخَذُوٓا۟ ءَايَـٰتِى وَمَآ أُنذِرُوا۟ هُزُوًا 56
Translations
And We send not the messengers except as bringers of good tidings and warners. And those who disbelieve dispute by [using] falsehood to [attempt to] invalidate thereby the truth and have taken My verses, and that of which they are warned, in ridicule.
Transliteration
Wa mā nursilu al-mursalīna illā mubashshirīn wa mundhirīn. Wa yujādilu alladhīna kafarū bi-al-bāṭili li-yudḥiḍū bihi al-ḥaqq. Wa ittakhdhū āyātī wa mā undhirū huzuwan.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes that the primary mission of all messengers is to convey glad tidings (to the believers) and warnings (to the disbelievers). The disbelievers, however, dispute with falsehood in an attempt to refute the truth, and they mock the signs of Allah and the warnings they receive. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this describes the stubborn resistance of those who reject faith despite clear evidence, their arguments being baseless and their ridicule a manifestation of their arrogance and spiritual blindness.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah Al-Kahf and reflects the broader context of Meccan opposition to Prophet Muhammad's message. It directly addresses the antagonistic behavior of the Quraysh and other disbelievers who encountered the Prophet's preaching with mockery and false argumentation, exemplifying the pattern of rejection that messengers throughout history have faced.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The best of you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it' (Sahih Bukhari 5027), emphasizing the purpose of messengers to convey and warn. Additionally, Jābir reported that the Prophet said: 'I have been sent as a bringer of good news and a warner' (Sahih Muslim 382), directly reflecting the roles mentioned in this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that opposition to truth through false arguments and ridicule is the characteristic response of those who reject faith, not a sign of weakness in the message itself. For modern readers, it emphasizes the importance of sincere engagement with divine guidance rather than dismissive argumentation, and the spiritual consequence of choosing mockery over reflection.
Related Ayahs
وَلَقَدْ صَرَّفْنَا فِى هَـٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانِ لِلنَّاسِ مِن كُلِّ مَثَلٍ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ أَكْثَرَ شَىْءٍ جَدَلًا
And We have certainly diversified in this Qur’ān for the people from every [kind of] example; but man has ever been, most of anything, [prone to] dispute.
وَرَبُّكَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ذُو ٱلرَّحْمَةِ ۖ لَوْ يُؤَاخِذُهُم بِمَا كَسَبُوا۟ لَعَجَّلَ لَهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابَ ۚ بَل لَّهُم مَّوْعِدٌ لَّن يَجِدُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦ مَوْئِلًا
And your Lord is the Forgiving, the possessor of mercy. If He were to impose blame upon them for what they earned, He would have hastened for them the punishment. Rather, for them is an appointment from which they will never find an escape.
كَذَٰلِكَ وَقَدْ أَحَطْنَا بِمَا لَدَيْهِ خُبْرًا
Thus. And We had encompassed [all] that he had in knowledge.
وَوُضِعَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ فَتَرَى ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ مُشْفِقِينَ مِمَّا فِيهِ وَيَقُولُونَ يَـٰوَيْلَتَنَا مَالِ هَـٰذَا ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَا يُغَادِرُ صَغِيرَةً وَلَا كَبِيرَةً إِلَّآ أَحْصَىٰهَا ۚ وَوَجَدُوا۟ مَا عَمِلُوا۟ حَاضِرًا ۗ وَلَا يَظْلِمُ رَبُّكَ أَحَدًا
And the record [of deeds] will be placed [open], and you will see the criminals fearful of that within it, and they will say, "Oh, woe to us! What is this book that leaves nothing small or great except that it has enumerated it?" And they will find what they did present [before them]. And your Lord does injustice to no one.