وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتُنَا بَيِّنَـٰتٍ قَالُوا۟ مَا هَـٰذَآ إِلَّا رَجُلٌ يُرِيدُ أَن يَصُدَّكُمْ عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ ءَابَآؤُكُمْ وَقَالُوا۟ مَا هَـٰذَآ إِلَّآ إِفْكٌ مُّفْتَرًى ۚ وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لِلْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَآءَهُمْ إِنْ هَـٰذَآ إِلَّا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ 43
Translations
And when Our verses are recited to them as clear evidences, they say, "This is not but a man who wishes to avert you from that which your fathers were worshipping." And they say, "This is not except a lie invented." And those who disbelieve say of the truth when it has come to them, "This is not but obvious magic."
Transliteration
Wa-idha tutla 'alayhim ayatuna bayyinatun qalu ma hadha illa rajulun yurid an yasiddakum 'amma kana ya'budu abaokum wa-qalu ma hadha illa ifkun muftara wa-qala alladhina kafaru lil-haqqi lamma jaahum in hadha illa sihrun mubin
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the multifaceted rejection by the Meccan disbelievers when confronted with the clear signs (ayat) of Allah. They employed three main arguments: first, dismissing the Quran as merely the words of a man trying to turn them away from ancestral worship; second, calling it fabricated lies; and third, accusing it of being obvious sorcery. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this represents the desperate and contradictory nature of their rejection—rather than engage with the truth intellectually, they resorted to ad hominem attacks and unfounded accusations that were logically inconsistent with one another.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Saba, a Meccan surah that addresses the rejection of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by the Quraysh. The context reflects the escalating hostility and irrational objections of the disbelievers during the Meccan period, showcasing their inability to rationally counter the message despite its clarity.
Related Hadiths
1) Sahih Bukhari 4779: The Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned that disbelievers would make various accusations against him, relating to the theme of false accusations against the message. 2) Sunan Ibn Majah 3982: A hadith regarding how truth is often met with resistance and false claims, thematically aligned with this ayah's depiction of rejection.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that truth often faces irrational opposition, and those who reject faith may resort to contradictory excuses rather than honest intellectual engagement. Believers should remain steadfast in conveying the message clearly, understanding that rejection often reflects hearts sealed from guidance rather than intellectual deficiency in the message itself.