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
وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ فَلَا تَكُن فِى مِرْيَةٍ مِّن لِّقَآئِهِۦ ۖ وَجَعَلْنَـٰهُ هُدًى لِّبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ
And We certainly gave Moses the Scripture, so do not be in doubt over his meeting. And We made it [i.e., the Torah] guidance for the Children of Israel.
وَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ فَسَقُوا۟ فَمَأْوَىٰهُمُ ٱلنَّارُ ۖ كُلَّمَآ أَرَادُوٓا۟ أَن يَخْرُجُوا۟ مِنْهَآ أُعِيدُوا۟ فِيهَا وَقِيلَ لَهُمْ ذُوقُوا۟ عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ ٱلَّذِى كُنتُم بِهِۦ تُكَذِّبُونَ
But as for those who defiantly disobeyed, their refuge is the Fire. Every time they wish to emerge from it, they will be returned to it while it is said to them, "Taste the punishment of the Fire which you used to deny."
تَنزِيلُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ مِن رَّبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
[This is] the revelation of the Book about which there is no doubt from the Lord of the worlds.
أَفَمَن كَانَ مُؤْمِنًا كَمَن كَانَ فَاسِقًا ۚ لَّا يَسْتَوُۥنَ
Then is one who was a believer like one who was defiantly disobedient? They are not equal.