۞ إِنَّآ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ كَمَآ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰ نُوحٍ وَٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ ۚ وَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰٓ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَإِسْمَـٰعِيلَ وَإِسْحَـٰقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَٱلْأَسْبَاطِ وَعِيسَىٰ وَأَيُّوبَ وَيُونُسَ وَهَـٰرُونَ وَسُلَيْمَـٰنَ ۚ وَءَاتَيْنَا دَاوُۥدَ زَبُورًا 163
Translations
Indeed, We have revealed to you, [O Muḥammad], as We revealed to Noah and the prophets after him. And We revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, the Descendants, Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon, and to David We gave the book [of Psalms].
Transliteration
Inna awhayna ilayka kama awhayna ila Noohin wa an-nabiyyeena min ba'dihi wa awhayna ila Ibrahima wa Ismaheela wa Ishaaqa wa Ya'qooba wa al-asbati wa Eesa wa Ayyooba wa Younus wa Harun wa Sulayman wa atayna Dawooda Zabura
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes the continuity and consistency of Divine revelation across the prophets, affirming that Prophet Muhammad received revelation in the same manner as Noah and the prophets who came after him. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, Allah emphasizes the common source of all prophetic messages—Divine revelation (wahy)—while highlighting a chain of chosen messengers from Abraham through Solomon, each receiving guidance from Allah. The mention of David receiving the Psalms (Zabur) demonstrates that revelation encompassed not only law-giving but also wisdom and divine scriptures across different forms.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah An-Nisa (Medinan), which addresses social and legal matters of the Muslim community. It is placed within a passage affirming the validity of Islamic teachings and their alignment with previous scriptures, serving to reassure the Prophet and believers that their faith is part of the prophetic tradition established since Noah's time.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad said, 'The best day on which the sun has risen is Friday... on it Adam was created, on it he was made to enter Paradise, and on it he was expelled from it' (Sahih Muslim 854). This relates to the significance of the prophetic lineage mentioned. Additionally, 'Between every two prophets there is an interval of about forty years' indicates the established pattern of prophethood referenced in this ayah (Sunan At-Tirmidhi).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that all prophetic traditions share a common Divine source, encouraging believers to recognize the essential unity of faith across history and to understand that the Qur'an represents the continuation and completion of a message that has guided humanity since Noah. Modern readers can derive confidence in their faith by recognizing they follow a tradition established by the greatest messengers of Allah.