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Ayah
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أَلَمۡ
Has not
يَأۡتِكُمۡ
come to you
نَبَؤُاْ
(the) news
ٱلَّذِينَ
(of) those who
مِن
(were) before you
قَبۡلِكُمۡ
(were) before you
قَوۡمِ
the people
نُوحٖ
of Nuh
وَعَادٖ
and Aad
وَثَمُودَ
and Thamud
وَٱلَّذِينَ
and those who
مِنۢ
(were) after them
بَعۡدِهِمۡ
(were) after them
لَا
None
يَعۡلَمُهُمۡ
knows them
إِلَّا
except
ٱللَّهُۚ
Allah
جَآءَتۡهُمۡ
Came to them
رُسُلُهُم
their Messengers
بِٱلۡبَيِّنَٰتِ
with clear proofs
فَرَدُّوٓاْ
but they returned
أَيۡدِيَهُمۡ
their hands
فِيٓ
in
أَفۡوَٰهِهِمۡ
their mouths
وَقَالُوٓاْ
and they said
إِنَّا
indeed, we
كَفَرۡنَا
[we] disbelieve
بِمَآ
in what
أُرۡسِلۡتُم
you have been sent
بِهِۦ
with [it]
وَإِنَّا
and indeed, we
لَفِي
(are) surely in
شَكّٖ
doubt
مِّمَّا
about what
تَدۡعُونَنَآ
you invite us
إِلَيۡهِ
to it
مُرِيبٖ
suspicious
أَلَمۡ
Has not
يَأۡتِكُمۡ
come to you
نَبَؤُاْ
(the) news
ٱلَّذِينَ
(of) those who
مِن
(were) before you
قَبۡلِكُمۡ
(were) before you
قَوۡمِ
the people
نُوحٖ
of Nuh
وَعَادٖ
and Aad
وَثَمُودَ
and Thamud
وَٱلَّذِينَ
and those who
مِنۢ
(were) after them
بَعۡدِهِمۡ
(were) after them
لَا
None
يَعۡلَمُهُمۡ
knows them
إِلَّا
except
ٱللَّهُۚ
Allah
جَآءَتۡهُمۡ
Came to them
رُسُلُهُم
their Messengers
بِٱلۡبَيِّنَٰتِ
with clear proofs
فَرَدُّوٓاْ
but they returned
أَيۡدِيَهُمۡ
their hands
فِيٓ
in
أَفۡوَٰهِهِمۡ
their mouths
وَقَالُوٓاْ
and they said
إِنَّا
indeed, we
كَفَرۡنَا
[we] disbelieve
بِمَآ
in what
أُرۡسِلۡتُم
you have been sent
بِهِۦ
with [it]
وَإِنَّا
and indeed, we
لَفِي
(are) surely in
شَكّٖ
doubt
مِّمَّا
about what
تَدۡعُونَنَآ
you invite us
إِلَيۡهِ
to it
مُرِيبٖ
suspicious
Translation
Has there not reached you the news of those before you - the people of Noah and ʿAad and Thamūd and those after them? No one knows them [i.e., their number] but Allāh. Their messengers brought them clear proofs, but they returned their hands to their mouths1 and said, "Indeed, we disbelieve in that with which you have been sent, and indeed we are, about that to which you invite us, in disquieting doubt."
Footnotes
1 - Several explanations have been given as to the meaning. Based upon the conclusion of the verse, Ibn Katheer preferred that this was a gesture of denial and rejection.
Tafsir
Has there not come to you (an interrogative meant as an affirmative) the tidings, the news, of those who were before you - the people of Noah, and 'aad - the people of Hood - and Thamood - the people of Saalih - and those after them? None knows them save God. [This is] on account of their multitude. Their messengers brought them clear signs, with lucid arguments demonstrating their truthfulness; but they, that is, the communities, thrust their hands into their mouths, to bite on them, out of extreme spite, and said, 'Lo! we disbelieve in that wherewith you have been sent, according to what you claim, and lo! we are in grave doubt concerning that to which you call us', [doubt] creating [great] uncertainty.
"Earlier Nations disbelieved in Their Prophets
Allah says:
أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ نَبَأُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ قَوْمِ نُوحٍ وَعَادٍ وَثَمُودَ وَالَّذِينَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ لَا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلاَّ اللّهُ
Has not the news reached you, of those before you, the people of Nuh, `Ad, and Thamud, and those after them! None knows them but Allah.
Allah narrated to this Ummah (followers of Muhammad) the stories of the people of Prophet Nuh, `Ad and Thamud, and other ancient nations that belied their Messengers. Only Allah knows the count of these nations,
جَاءتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ
To them came their Messengers with clear proofs,
they brought them evidences and plain, tremendous proofs and signs.
Ibn Ishaq reported that Amr bin Maymun said that Abdullah said about Allah's statement,
لَا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلااَّ اللّهُ
(None knows them but Allah),
""The genealogists utter lies.""
This is why Urwah bin Az-Zubayr said,
""We did not find anyone who knows the forefathers of Ma`dd bin Adnan.""
Meaning of, ""They put Their Hands in Their Mouths""
Allah said next,
فَرَدُّواْ أَيْدِيَهُمْ فِي أَفْوَاهِهِمْ
but they put their hands in their mouths,
It is said that they pointed to the Messengers' mouths asking them to stop calling them to Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored.
It is also said that it means, they placed their hands on their mouths in denial of the Messengers.
It was also said that it means that they did not answer the call of the Messengers, or they were biting their hands in rage.
Mujahid, Muhammad bin Ka`b and Qatadah said that;
they belied the Messengers and refuted their call with their mouths.
I (Ibn Kathir) say that Mujahid's Tafsir is supported by the completion of the narrative,
وَقَالُواْ إِنَّا كَفَرْنَا بِمَا أُرْسِلْتُم بِهِ وَإِنَّا لَفِي شَكٍّ مِّمَّا تَدْعُونَنَا إِلَيْهِ مُرِيبٍ
and said:""Verily, we disbelieve in that with which you have been sent, and we are really in grave doubt as to that to which you invite us.""
Al-Awfi reported that Ibn Abbas said,
""When they heard Allah's Word, they were amazed and placed their hands on their mouths,""
وَقَالُواْ إِنَّا كَفَرْنَا بِمَا أُرْسِلْتُم بِهِ
and said:""Verily, we disbelieve in that with which you have been sent.""
They said, We do not believe what you brought us, and have strong doubt in its authenticity."
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