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Meccan · Surah 46 of 114

Al-Ahqaf 46:11

The Dunes · ayah 11 of 35

وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَوْ كَانَ خَيْرًۭا مَّا سَبَقُونَآ إِلَيْهِ ۚ وَإِذْ لَمْ يَهْتَدُوا۟ بِهِۦ فَسَيَقُولُونَ هَٰذَآ إِفْكٌۭ قَدِيمٌۭ

Waqala allatheena kafaroolillatheena amanoo law kana khayran masabaqoona ilayhi wa-ith lam yahtadoo bihifasayaqooloona hatha ifkun qadeem

"And those who disbelieve say of those who believe, "If it had [truly] been good, they would not have preceded us to it." And when they are not guided by it, they will say, "This is an ancient falsehood.""

Saheeh International translation

Recitation by Mishary Alafasy
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Other English translations

Abdel Haleem (Oxford)+

"Those who disbelieve say of the believers, ‘If there were any good in this Quran, they would not have believed in it before we did,’and, since they refuse to be guided by it, they say, ‘This is an ancient fabrication.’"

Pickthall (classic)+

"And those who disbelieve say of those who believe: If it had been (any) good, they would not have been before us in attaining it. And since they will not be guided by it, they say: This is an ancient lie;"

Yusuf Ali (classic)+

"The Unbelievers say of those who believe: "If (this Message) were a good thing, (such men) would not have gone to it first, before us!" And seeing that they guide not themselves thereby, they will say, "this is an (old,) falsehood!""

Tafsīr · classical commentary

Ibn Kathir

Abridged English, public domain

+

The Qur'an is Allah's True Speech and the Position of the Disbelievers and the Muslims towards it

Allah says,

قُلْ

(Say) meaning, `O Muhammad to these idolators who disbelieve in the Qur'an.'

أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِن كَانَ

(Tell me! If it was) meaning, this Qur'an.

مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ وَكَفَرْتُمْ بِهِ

(from Allah, and you disbelieved in it) meaning, `what do you think that Allah will do to you if this Book that I have come to you with is actually revealed to me from Him in order that I convey it to you, and yet you disbelieve in it and deny it

وَشَهِدَ شَاهِدٌ مِّن بَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ عَلَى مِثْلِهِ

((at the same time), a witness from among the Children of Israel has testified to something similar) meaning, `the previous Scriptures that were revealed to the Prophets before me all testify to its truthfulness and authenticity. They have prophecied, well in advance, about things similar to that which this Qur'an informs of.' Concerning Allah's statement,

فَـَامَنَ

(and believed) `this person who testified to its truthfulness from the Children of Israel, due to his realization that it was the truth.'

وَاسْتَكْبَرْتُمْ

(while you rejected (the truth)!) `whereas you have arrogantly refused to follow it.' Masruq said: "That witness believed in his Prophet and Book, while you disbelieved in your Prophet and Book."

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَهْدِى الْقَوْمَ الظَّـلِمِينَ

(Verily, Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.) The witness here refers to any witness in general. It includes `Abdullah bin Salam and other from them as well. For indeed, this Ayah was revealed in Makkah before `Abdullah bin Salam had accepted Islam. This is similar to the statement of Allah,

وَإِذَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ قَالُواْ ءَامَنَّا بِهِ إِنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّنَآ إنَّا كُنَّا مِن قَبْلِهِ مُسْلِمِينَ

(And when it is recited to them, they say: "We believe in it. Verily, it is the truth from our Lord. Indeed, even before it we have been Muslims.") (28:53) It is also similar to Allah's saying,

قُلْ ءَامِنُواْ بِهِ أَوْ لاَ تُؤْمِنُواْ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْعِلْمَ مِن قَبْلِهِ إِذَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ يَخِرُّونَ لِلاٌّذْقَانِ سُجَّدًا - وَيَقُولُونَ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَآ إِن كَانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّنَا لَمَفْعُولاً

(Verily! Those who were given knowledge before it -- when it is recited to them, they fall upon their faces in prostration, and they say: "Exalted is our Lord! Truly, the promise of our Lord has been fulfilled.") (17:107-108) It has been narrated from Sa`d, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said, "I have not heard Allah's Messenger say about anyone walking on the surface of the earth that he is of the people of Jannah -- except for `Abdullah bin Salam. Concerning him the following Ayah was revealed,

وَشَهِدَ شَاهِدٌ مِّن بَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ عَلَى مِثْلِهِ

((at the same time), a witness from among the Children of Israel has testified to something similar)" This has been recorded in the Two Sahihs and An-Nasa'i. Similarly, Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah, `Ikrimah, Yusuf bin `Abdullah bin Salam, Hilal bin Yasaf, As-Suddi, Ath-Thawri, Malik bin Anas and Ibn Zayd all said that this refers to `Abdullah bin Salam. Allah then says,

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَوْ كَانَ خَيْراً مَّا سَبَقُونَآ إِلَيْهِ

(And those who disbelieve say of those who believe: "Had it been good, they (the weak and poor) would not have preceded us to it!") which means that those who disbelieve say of those who believe in the Qur'an: "Had it (the Qur'an) been any good, they (the weak and poor) would not have preceded us to it!" By that, they meant Bilal, `Ammar, Suhayb, Khabbab, may Allah be pleased with them, and others like them of the weak, the male servants, and female servants. The pagans said this only because they thought that they held a high status with Allah, and that He took special care of them. By that, they made a great and obvious error, as Allah says:

وَكَذلِكَ فَتَنَّا بَعْضَهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ لِّيَقُولواْ أَهَـؤُلاءِ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّن بَيْنِنَآ

(Thus have We tried some of them with others, that they might say: "Is it these whom Allah has favored from among us") (6:53) meaning, they wonder how could those weaklings be the ones who were guided from among them. Thus, Allah says,

لَوْ كَانَ خَيْراً مَّا سَبَقُونَآ إِلَيْهِ

(Had it been good, they (the weak and poor) would not have preceded us to it!) Contrary to this is the position of Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jama`ah: They say about any act or saying that has not been reported from the Companions: "It is an innovation. If there was any good in it, they would have preceded us in doing it, because they have not left off any of the good characteristics except that they hurried to perform them." Allah continues,

وَإِذْ لَمْ يَهْتَدُواْ بِهِ

(And when they have not been guided by it,) meaning, the Qur'an.

فَسَيَقُولُونَ هَـذَآ إِفْكٌ قَدِيمٌ

(they say: "This is an ancient falsehood!") meaning, an old lie. They mean by this that the Qur'an has been quoted and taken from the ancient people, thereby belittling the Qur'an and its followers. This is clear arrogance, as Allah's Messenger said:

«بَطَرُ الْحَقِّ وَغَمْطُ النَّاس»

((Arrogance is) rejecting the truth and belittling the people.) Allah then says,

وَمِن قَبْلِهِ كِتَابُ مُوسَى

(And before this was the Scripture of Musa) and it was the Tawrah.

إِمَاماً وَرَحْمَةً وَهَـذَا كِتَـبٌ

(as a guide and mercy. And this is a Book) meaning, the Qur'an.

مُّصَدِّقُ

(confirming) meaning, that which came before it of the previous Books.

لِّسَاناً عَرَبِيّاً

(in the Arabic tongue,) means that it is eloquent and clear.

لِّيُنذِرَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ وَبُشْرَى لِلْمُحْسِنِينَ

(to warn those who do wrong, and as glad tidings for the doers of good.) meaning, it contains a warning to the dis- believers and glad tidings for the belie- vers. Allah then says:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُواْ رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَـمُواْ

(Verily, those who say: "Our Lord is (only) Allah," and thereafter stand firm,) The explanation of this has been dis- cussed earlier in Surat As-Sajdah. See 41:30 Allah then says,

فَلاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ

(on them shall be no fear,) meaning, con- cening their future.

وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

(nor shall they grieve.) meaning, over what they have left behind. Allah continues,

أُوْلَـئِكَ أَصْحَـبُ الْجَنَّةِ خَـلِدِينَ فِيهَا جَزَآءً بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ

(Such shall be the dwellers of Paradise, abiding therein (forever) -- a reward for what they used to do.) meaning, the deeds are a cause for their attaining the mercy and their being engulfed by it -- and Allah knows best.

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Tafsir Saʿdi

English translation, public domain

+
Упрямые противники истины и враги Посланника говорят верующим: «Если бы вера в Коран приносила бы пользу, то мы первыми уверовали бы в него». Воистину, их слова лживы и фальшивы. Разве все, в чем неверующие опережают верующих, является истиной? Кто сказал, что их души благороднее, а умы светлее? Кто сказал, что они следуют прямым путем? Воистину, неверующие находятся в заблуждении и бессильны что-либо сделать. И чтобы приободрить себя и почувствовать себя сильнее, они говорят эти громкие слова, а затем начинают ругать Коран и религию. Они не вняли наставлениям Корана и лишились великого блага, и именно это стало причиной их неприязни к Священному Корану. Они пытаются оскорбить его и называют его ложью, но всем хорошо известно, что Коран - это истина, в которой нет сомнения.

Maʿārif al-Qur'ān

Mufti Shafi Usmani, English

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Commentary

لَوْ كَانَ خَيْرً‌ا مَّا سَبَقُونَا إِلَيْهِ (Had it [ Islamic faith ] been a good thing, these [ weak and poor ] people would not have preceded us [ in proceeding ] towards it._ 46:11) Arrogance and pride pervert the human intellect also. An arrogant person considers his own opinions and deeds to be the criteria for determining right and wrong, good and bad. If he does not like anything, no matter how well it is believed to be by others, he considers all those people to be stupid, while he himself is stupid. The arrogance and pride of the infidels was of this very kind, and since they did not like Islamic faith, they used to say about it's lovers that had it been a good thing, they themselves would have been the first to adopt it, and that one should not trust the choice of these poor people.

Ibn Mundhir (رح) etc., have reproduced a narration according to which this verse was revealed about a slave-girl of Sayyidna ` Umar Ibn Khattab ؓ named Zunairah who had embraced Islam when he was still a disbeliever. She used to be beaten up and threatened by him, so that she might give up Islam somehow or the other, and the kuffar of Quraish used to say that had Islamic faith been a good thing, such a worthless woman as Zunairah would not have preceded us in embracing it. (Mazhari)

Tafsīr sourced from quran.com's open API. These are classical commentaries; for personal rulings consult a qualified scholar.

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