أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ يُجَـٰدِلُونَ فِىٓ ءَايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ أَنَّىٰ يُصْرَفُونَ 69
Translations
Do you not consider those who dispute concerning the signs of Allāh - how are they averted?
Transliteration
Alam tara ilal-ladhina yujadilun fi ayatillah anna yusrafun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah questions the disbelievers who dispute and argue against the signs (ayat) of Allah, expressing astonishment at how they turn away from the truth despite its clarity. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir explain that this rebuke addresses those who stubbornly reject Allah's clear proofs and signs, emphasizing that their deviation is inexplicable given the manifest nature of divine guidance. The ayah serves as a rhetorical challenge, implying that only willful blindness and arrogance prevent them from accepting the truth.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Ghafir (Meccan), which deals with the consequences of rejecting divine guidance and the ultimate victory of believers. The broader context of this surah addresses the Meccan polytheists' rejection of the Prophet Muhammad's message and their baseless arguments against monotheism, reflecting the intense opposition the early Muslim community faced.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said regarding those who reject signs: 'The example of the one who recites the Quran and the one who does not recite it is like the example of the living and the dead.' (Sahih Muslim) This relates to the theme of turning away from divine guidance.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that truth is evident to those with sincere hearts, and that rejection of divine signs often stems from arrogance and willful ignorance rather than intellectual deficiency. For modern readers, it encourages seeking truth with an open heart while warning against the dangers of dogmatic adherence to falsehood.
Related Ayahs
وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتُنَا بَيِّنَـٰتٍ مَّا كَانَ حُجَّتَهُمْ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُوا۟ ٱئْتُوا۟ بِـَٔابَآئِنَآ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ
And when Our verses are recited to them as clear evidences, their argument is only that they say, "Bring [back] our forefathers, if you should be truthful."
كَلَّآ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ لِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا عَنِيدًا
No! Indeed, he has been toward Our verses obstinate.
أَوْ تَقُولُوا۟ لَوْ أَنَّآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَكُنَّآ أَهْدَىٰ مِنْهُمْ ۚ فَقَدْ جَآءَكُم بَيِّنَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ ۚ فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن كَذَّبَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَصَدَفَ عَنْهَا ۗ سَنَجْزِى ٱلَّذِينَ يَصْدِفُونَ عَنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا سُوٓءَ ٱلْعَذَابِ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَصْدِفُونَ
Or lest you say, "If only the Scripture had been revealed to us, we would have been better guided than they." So there has [now] come to you a clear evidence from your Lord and a guidance and mercy. Then who is more unjust than one who denies the verses of Allāh and turns away from them? We will recompense those who turn away from Our verses with the worst of punishment for their having turned away.
لَقَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَا سُكِّرَتْ أَبْصَـٰرُنَا بَلْ نَحْنُ قَوْمٌ مَّسْحُورُونَ
They would say, "Our eyes have only been dazzled. Rather, we are a people affected by magic."