Al-Furqan: 32

Ayah

Word by Word

وَقَالَ

And said

ٱلَّذِينَ

those who

كَفَرُواْ

disbelieve

لَوۡلَا

Why not

نُزِّلَ

was revealed

عَلَيۡهِ

to him

ٱلۡقُرۡءَانُ

the Quran

جُمۡلَةٗ

all at once

وَٰحِدَةٗۚ

all at once

كَذَٰلِكَ

Thus

لِنُثَبِّتَ

that We may strengthen

بِهِۦ

thereby

فُؤَادَكَۖ

your heart

وَرَتَّلۡنَٰهُ

and We have recited it

تَرۡتِيلٗا

(with distinct) recitation

Translation

Those who reject Faith say: "Why is not the Qur'an revealed to him all at once? Thus (is it revealed), that We may strengthen thy heart thereby, and We have rehearsed it to thee in slow, well-arranged stages, gradually.

Tafsir

The Messenger will complain against His Opponents

Allah tells:

وَقَالَ الرَّسُولُ يَا رَبِّ إِنَّ قَوۡمِي اتَّخَذُوا هَذَا الۡقُرۡانَ مَهۡجُورًا

And the Messenger will say:O my Lord! Verily, my people deserted this Qur'an.

Allah tells how His Messenger and Prophet Muhammad will say:O my Lord! Verily, my people deserted this Qur'an.

The idolators would not listen to the Qur'an, as Allah says:

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواۡ لَا تَسۡمَعُواۡ لِهَـذَا الۡقُرۡءَانِ وَالۡغَوۡاۡ فِيهِ

And those who disbelieve say:Listen not to this Qur'an, and make noise in the midst of it. (41:26)

When he would recite Qur'an to them, they would talk nonsense or speak about something else, so that they would not hear it.

This is a form of forsaking it and rejecting it, and not believing in it is the same as forsaking it, and not pondering its meanings and trying to understand it is the same as forsaking it, and not acting upon it and following its commandments and heeding its prohibitions is the same as forsaking it, and turning away from it in favor of poetry or other words or songs or idle talk or some other way is the same as forsaking it.

We ask Allah, the Most Generous, the Bestower of bounty, the One Who is able to do what He wills, to keep us safe from doing that which earns His wrath and to use us to do that which will earn His pleasure of preserving and understanding His Book, following its commandments night and day in the manner which He loves and which pleases Him, for He is Generous and Kind

وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلۡنَا لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ عَدُوًّا مِّنَ الۡمُجۡرِمِينَ

Thus have We made for every Prophet an enemy among the criminals.

means, `just as there is for you, O Muhammad, those people who scorned the Qur'an, so in all the previous nations did Allah make for every Prophet an enemy among the criminals, who called people to their misguidance and disbelief,' as Allah says:

وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلۡنَا لِكُلِّ نِبِىٍّ عَدُوّاً شَيَـطِينَ الاِنۡسِ وَالۡجِنِّ

And so We have appointed for every Prophet enemies -- Shayatin among mankind and Jinn, (6:112),

as stated in these two Ayat.

Allah says here:

وَكَفَى بِرَبِّكَ هَادِيًا وَنَصِيرًا

But sufficient is your Lord as a Guide and Helper.

meaning, for the one who follows His Messenger and believes in His Book, Allah will be his Guide and Helper in this world and the Hereafter.

Allah says

هَادِيًا وَنَصِيرًا

(a Guide and Helper), because the idolators used to try to prevent people from following the Qur'an lest anyone be guided by it. They wanted their way to prevail over the way of the Qur'an.

Allah says:

وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلۡنَا لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ عَدُوًّا مِّنَ الۡمُجۡرِمِينَ

Thus have We made for every Prophet an enemy among the criminals

The Reason why the Qur'an was revealed in Stages, the Refutation of the Disbelievers, and their Evil End

Allah tells:

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا

And those who disbelieve say:

Allah tells us about the many objections raised by the disbelievers, their stubbornness, and how they spoke of things which were none of their concern. They said:

لَوۡلَا نُزِّلَ عَلَيۡهِ الۡقُرۡانُ جُمۡلَةً وَاحِدَةً

Why is not the Qur'an revealed to him all at once!

meaning, why was this Qur'an, which was revealed to him, not sent down all at one time, as the previous Books, the Tawrah, Injil, Zabur and other Divine Books.

Allah answered them, telling them that it was revealed in stages over twenty-three years, according to events and circumstances, and whatever rulings were needed, in order to strengthen the hearts of the believers, as He says:

وَقُرۡءانًا فَرَقۡنَاهُ

And (it is) a Qur'an which We have divided (into parts)... (17:106)

Allah says:

كَذَلِكَ لِنُثَبِّتَ بِهِ فُوَادَكَ وَرَتَّلۡنَاهُ تَرۡتِيلً

thus, that We may strengthen your heart thereby. And We have revealed it to you gradually, in stages.

Qatadah said it means:

We have explained it.

Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said it means:

We have given its interpretation.

وَلَا يَأۡتُونَكَ بِمَثَلٍ

And no example or similitude do they bring,

This means no arguments or doubts,

إِلاَّ جِيۡنَاكَ بِالۡحَقِّ وَأَحۡسَنَ تَفۡسِيرًا

but We reveal to you the truth, and the better explanation thereof.

They do not say anything in an attempt to oppose the truth, but We respond to them with the truth of that same matter, more clearly and more eloquently than anything they say.

Abu Abdur-Rahman An-Nasa'i recorded that Ibn Abbas said,

The Qur'an was sent down all at once to the first heaven on Laylatul-Qadr (the Night of Power), then it was revealed over twenty years.

Allah says:

وَلَا يَأۡتُونَكَ بِمَثَلٍ إِلاَّ جِيۡنَاكَ بِالۡحَقِّ وَأَحۡسَنَ تَفۡسِيرًا

And no example or similitude do they bring, but We reveal to you the truth, and the better explanation thereof.

and:

وَقُرۡءانًا فَرَقۡنَاهُ لِتَقۡرَأَهُ عَلَى النَّاسِ عَلَى مُكۡثٍ وَنَزَّلۡنَـهُ تَنۡزِيلً

And (it is) a Qur'an which We have divided (into parts), in order that you might recite it to men at intervals. And We have revealed it by stages. (17:106)

Then Allah tells us about the terrible state of the disbelievers when they are raised on the Day of Resurrection and gathered into Hell:

الَّذِينَ يُحۡشَرُونَ عَلَى وُجُوهِهِمۡ إِلَى جَهَنَّمَ أُوۡلَيِكَ شَرٌّ مَّكَانًا وَأَضَلُّ سَبِيلً

Those who will be gathered to Hell on their faces, such will be in an evil state, and most astray from the path.

In the Sahih, it is reported from Anas that a man said,

O Messenger of Allah, how will the disbeliever be gathered on his face on the Day of Resurrection?

The Prophet said:

إِنَّ الَّذِي أَمۡشَاهُ عَلَى رِجۡلَيۡهِ قَادِرٌ أَنۡ يُمۡشِيَهُ عَلَى وَجۡهِهِ يَوۡمَ الۡقِيَامَة

The One Who caused him to walk on his two feet is able to make him walk on his face on the Day of Resurrection.