أَكُفَّارُكُمْ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكُمْ أَمْ لَكُم بَرَآءَةٌ فِى ٱلزُّبُرِ 43
Translations
Are your disbelievers better than those [former ones], or have you immunity in the scriptures?
Transliteration
Akuffārukum khayrun min ūlā'ikum am lakum barā'atun fil-zubur
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah challenges the Meccan disbelievers by rhetorical question, asking whether their disbelief is better than the faith of the previous nations, or whether they possess a written proof (in the scriptures) exempting them from Allah's punishment. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this is a refutation of the arrogance of the Quraysh who rejected the message despite the clear warnings given to previous peoples. The verse emphasizes that no exemption exists for those who reject Allah's signs, and that disbelief was never superior in any previous generation either.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-Qamar, a Meccan surah primarily concerned with refuting disbelief and warning of the Day of Judgment. It comes within a passage (verses 41-46) that contrasts the fate of believers and disbelievers, specifically addressing the Meccan pagans' rejection of the Qur'an despite the lessons from previous nations like 'Ad, Thamud, and the people of Pharaoh.
Related Hadiths
The theme relates to Surah Al-Qamar's broader message found in Sahih Bukhari and Muslim regarding the destruction of previous nations who rejected their prophets. Specifically relevant is the hadith about the people of 'Ad and Thamud in Sahih Muslim, which details how their disbelief led to their ruin—a lesson directly referenced in this surah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that arrogance and rejection of truth have no justification, whether in past or present times, and that no person or group possesses exemption from Allah's judgment based on ancestry, wealth, or false claims. Modern readers should reflect on how clinging to falsehood despite clear signs is never a defensible position, and that the fate of those who reject divine guidance is assured.