أَمْ يَقُولُونَ ٱفْتَرَىٰهُ ۚ بَلْ هُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ لِتُنذِرَ قَوْمًا مَّآ أَتَىٰهُم مِّن نَّذِيرٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ 3
Translations
Or do they say, "He invented it"? Rather, it is the truth from your Lord, [O Muḥammad], that you may warn a people to whom no warner has come before you [so] perhaps they will be guided.
Transliteration
Am yaqooluna iftarah? Bal huwa al-haqqu min rabbika litundhira qawman ma atahum min ndhir min qablika laallahum yahtadoon
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refutes the Meccan disbelievers' false claim that Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) fabricated the Qur'an, affirming instead that it is divine truth from Allah meant to warn a people who had never received a messenger before him. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the phrase 'ma atahum min ndhir min qablika' refers to the Arabs specifically, as they lacked a messenger in their lineage, unlike the Children of Israel and other nations who had received prophets. The purpose of this revelation is both warning (indhaar) and guidance (hidayah), with hope that they will be guided to the straight path.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the early Meccan period of Surah As-Sajdah, which addresses the Quraysh's denial and mockery of the Qur'an's divine origin. The broader context of the surah refutes polytheistic arguments and establishes the Qur'an's authenticity, responding to accusations that Muhammad (ﷺ) invented it for personal gain.
Related Hadiths
1) Sahih Muslim: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'The best of you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it.' This relates to the message's purpose of guidance. 2) Sunan Ibn Majah: 'Whoever listens to a verse from the Book of Allah and believes in it has indeed been guided.'
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that the Qur'an is a divine mercy and responsibility, sent specifically to warn and guide people toward righteousness; we should receive its message with reverence and openness rather than skepticism, recognizing it as a precious gift that previous nations did not have access to in their own languages and cultures.
Related Ayahs
وَلَوْ تَرَىٰٓ إِذِ ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ نَاكِسُوا۟ رُءُوسِهِمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ رَبَّنَآ أَبْصَرْنَا وَسَمِعْنَا فَٱرْجِعْنَا نَعْمَلْ صَـٰلِحًا إِنَّا مُوقِنُونَ
If you could but see when the criminals are hanging their heads before their Lord, [saying], "Our Lord, we have seen and heard, so return us [to the world]; we will work righteousness. Indeed, we are [now] certain."
أَوَلَمْ يَهْدِ لَهُمْ كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَبْلِهِم مِّنَ ٱلْقُرُونِ يَمْشُونَ فِى مَسَـٰكِنِهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ ۖ أَفَلَا يَسْمَعُونَ
Has it not become clear to them how many generations We destroyed before them, [as] they walk among their dwellings? Indeed in that are signs; then do they not hear?
وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لَـَٔاتَيْنَا كُلَّ نَفْسٍ هُدَىٰهَا وَلَـٰكِنْ حَقَّ ٱلْقَوْلُ مِنِّى لَأَمْلَأَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنَ ٱلْجِنَّةِ وَٱلنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ
And if We had willed, We could have given every soul its guidance, but the word from Me will come into effect [that] "I will surely fill Hell with jinn and people all together.
قُلْ يَوْمَ ٱلْفَتْحِ لَا يَنفَعُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِيمَـٰنُهُمْ وَلَا هُمْ يُنظَرُونَ
Say, [O Muḥammad], "On the Day of Conquest the belief of those who had disbelieved will not benefit them, nor will they be reprieved."