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
تَتَجَافَىٰ جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ ٱلْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ
Their sides part [i.e., they arise] from [their] beds; they supplicate their Lord in fear and aspiration, and from what We have provided them, they spend.
وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هَـٰذَا ٱلْفَتْحُ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ
And they say, "When will be this conquest, if you should be truthful?"
ٱلَّذِىٓ أَحْسَنَ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ خَلَقَهُۥ ۖ وَبَدَأَ خَلْقَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنِ مِن طِينٍ
Who perfected everything which He created and began the creation of man from clay.
ثُمَّ سَوَّىٰهُ وَنَفَخَ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِهِۦ ۖ وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلسَّمْعَ وَٱلْأَبْصَـٰرَ وَٱلْأَفْـِٔدَةَ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَشْكُرُونَ
Then He proportioned him and breathed into him from His [created] soul and made for you hearing and vision and hearts [i.e., intellect]; little are you grateful.