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Ayah
Word by Word
وَقَالُوٓاْ
And they say
أَسَٰطِيرُ
Tales
ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ
(of) the former people
ٱكۡتَتَبَهَا
which he has had written
فَهِيَ
and they
تُمۡلَىٰ
are dictated
عَلَيۡهِ
to him
بُكۡرَةٗ
morning
وَأَصِيلٗا
and evening
وَقَالُوٓاْ
And they say
أَسَٰطِيرُ
Tales
ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ
(of) the former people
ٱكۡتَتَبَهَا
which he has had written
فَهِيَ
and they
تُمۡلَىٰ
are dictated
عَلَيۡهِ
to him
بُكۡرَةٗ
morning
وَأَصِيلٗا
and evening
Translation
And they say: "Tales of the ancients, which he has caused to be written: and they are dictated before him morning and evening."
Tafsir
And they say, that it [Al-Qur'an] is also, 'Fables, their lies (asaatir is the plural of ustoora) of the ancients which he has had written down, that he has had someone from among those people copy it down for him, so that they are read to him, for him to memorise, morning and evening'. God, exalted be He, responds to them saying:
Tafsir of Surah Al-Furqon
Blessed be Allah
Allah says while praising Himself:
تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ الۡفُرۡقَانَ عَلَى عَبۡدِهِ لِيَكُونَ لِلۡعَالَمِينَ نَذِيرًا
Blessed be He Who sent down (Nazzala) the criterion to His servant that he may be a warner to all nations.
Here Allah praises Himself for the Noble Qur'an He has revealed to His noble Messenger.
This is like the Ayat:
الۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِى أَنۡزَلَ عَلَى عَبۡدِهِ الۡكِتَـبَ وَلَمۡ يَجۡعَل لَّهُ عِوَجَا
قَيِّماً لِّيُنۡذِرَ بَأۡسًا شَدِيدًا مِّن لَّدُنۡهُ وَيُبَشِّرَ الۡمُوۡمِنِينَ الَّذِينَ يَعۡمَلُونَ الصَّـلِحَاتِ
All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has sent down to His servant the Book, and has not placed therein any crookedness. (He has made it) straight to give warning of a severe punishment from Him, and to give glad tidings to the believers, who do righteous deeds... (18:1-2)
Here Allah says:
تَبَارَكَ
Blessed be He.
The verbal form used here implies an ongoing, permanent, eternal blessing.
الَّذِي نَزَّلَ الۡفُرۡقَانَ
Who sent down the criterion,
The verb Nazzala is a form which implies something done a great deal and often. This is like the Ayah:
وَالۡكِتَـبِ الَّذِى نَزَّلَ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ وَالۡكِتَـبِ الَّذِى أَنَزلَ مِن قَبۡلُ
And the Book which He (Nazzala) sent down to His Messenger, and the Scripture which He (Anzala) sent down to those before (him). (4:136)
Each of the previous Books was sent down at one time, but the Qur'an was revealed gradually, in stages, Ayat after Ayat, rulings after rulings, Surahs after Surahs. This is more eloquent and indicative of greater care for the one to whom it is revealed, as Allah says later in this Surah:
وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوۡلَا نُزِّلَ عَلَيۡهِ الۡقُرۡانُ جُمۡلَةً وَاحِدَةً كَذَلِكَ لِنُثَبِّتَ بِهِ فُوَادَكَ وَرَتَّلۡنَاهُ تَرۡتِيلً
وَلَا يَأۡتُونَكَ بِمَثَلٍ إِلاَّ جِيۡنَاكَ بِالۡحَقِّ وَأَحۡسَنَ تَفۡسِيرًا
And those who disbelieve say:Why is not the Qur'an revealed to him all at once! Thus, that We may strengthen your heart thereby. And We have revealed it to you gradually, in stages. And no example or similitude do they bring, but We reveal to you the truth, and the better explanation thereof. (25:32-33)
This Surah was named Al-Furqan, because it is the criterion that decides between truth and falsehood, guidance and misguidance, right and wrong, lawful and unlawful.
عَلَى عَبۡدِهِ
to His servant,
This description is one of praise and commendation, because here Allah is connecting him to Himself, describing him as His servant.
Allah also described him in this manner when referring to the noblest of events, the Night of theIsra', as He said:
سُبۡحَانَ الَّذِى أَسۡرَى بِعَبۡدِهِ لَيۡلً
Glorified be He Who took His servant for a journey by night. (17:1)
Allah also described him in this way when He described how he stood and called to Him:
وَأَنَّهُ لَّمَا قَامَ عَبۡدُ اللَّهِ يَدۡعُوهُ كَادُواۡ يَكُونُونَ عَلَيۡهِ لِبَداً
And when the servant of Allah stood up invoking Him in prayer they (the Jinn) just made round him a dense crowd as if sticking one over the other (in order to listen to the Prophet's recitation). (72:19)
This description is also used here when Allah describes how the Book is revealed to him and how the angel comes down to him:
تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ الۡفُرۡقَانَ عَلَى عَبۡدِهِ لِيَكُونَ لِلۡعَالَمِينَ نَذِيرًا
Blessed be He Who sent down the criterion to His servant that he may be a warner to all nations.
لِيَكُونَ لِلۡعَالَمِينَ نَذِيرًا
that he may be a warner to all nations.
means, he alone has been blessed with this great, detailed, clear Book which,
لااَّ يَأۡتِيهِ الۡبَـطِلُ مِن بَيۡنِ يَدَيۡهِ وَلَا مِنۡ خَلۡفِهِ تَنزِيلٌ مِّنۡ حَكِيمٍ حَمِيدٍ
Falsehood cannot come to it from before it or behind it, (it is) sent down by the All-Wise, Worthy of all praise (Allah). (41:42)
The One Who made it the mighty criterion, singled him out to convey it to those who seek the shade of trees and to those who live on the land (i.e., to all of mankind, nomad and settled alike), as the Prophet said:
بُعِثۡتُ إِلَى الاَۡحۡمَرِ وَالاَۡسۡوَد
I have been sent to the red and the black.
And he said:
إِنِّي أُعۡطِيتُ خَمۡسًا لَمۡ يُعۡطَهُنَّ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الاَۡنۡبِيَاءِ قَبۡلِي
I have been given five things which no Prophet before me was given.
Among them he mentioned:
كَانَ النَّبِيُّ يُبۡعَثُ إِلَى قَوۡمِهِ خَاصَّةً وَبُعِثۡتُ إِلَى النَّاسِ عَامَّة
(Before me) a Prophet was sent only to his own people, but I have been sent to all of mankind.
And Allah says:
قُلۡ يَأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنِّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيۡكُمۡ جَمِيعًا
Say:O mankind! Verily, I am sent to you all as the Messenger of Allah... (7:158),
meaning, the One Who has sent me is the Sovereign of the heaven and the earth, who merely says to a thing Be! and it is. He is the one who gives life and causes death.
Allah says here
الَّذِي لَهُ مُلۡكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالاَۡرۡضِ وَلَمۡ يَتَّخِذۡ وَلَدًا وَلَمۡ يَكُن لَّهُ شَرِيكٌ فِي الۡمُلۡكِ
He to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and Who has begotten no son and for Whom there is no partner in the dominion.
Allah states that He is above having any offspring or partner.
Then He tells us:
وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيۡءٍ فَقَدَّرَهُ تَقۡدِيرًا
He has created everything, and has measured it exactly according to its due measurements.
meaning, everything apart from Him is created and subject to Him. He is the Creator, Lord, Master and God of all things, and everything is subject to His dominion, control and power
The Foolishness of the Idolators
Allah tells:
وَاتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِهِ الِهَةً لاَّ يَخۡلُقُونَ شَيۡيًا وَهُمۡ يُخۡلَقُونَ وَلَاا يَمۡلِكُونَ لاِاَنفُسِهِمۡ ضَرًّا وَلَاا نَفۡعًا
Yet they have taken besides Him other gods who created nothing but are themselves created, and possess neither harm nor benefit for themselves,
Allah tells us of the ignorance of the idolators in taking other gods instead of Allah, the Creator of all things, the One Who controls the affairs of all things; whatever He wills happens and whatever He does not will does not happen. In spite of that, they still worshipped others besides Him, idols who could not even create the wing of a gnat, but were themselves created. They could neither do harm nor bring benefit to themselves, so how could they do anything for their worshippers!
وَلَا يَمۡلِكُونَ مَوۡتًا وَلَا حَيَاةً وَلَا نُشُورًا
and possess no power (of causing) death, nor (of giving) life, nor of raising the dead.
means, they could not do any of that at all;
that power belongs only to Allah, Who is the One Who gives life and death, and is the One Who will bring all people, the first and the last, back to life on the Day of Resurrection.
مَّا خَلۡقُكُمۡ وَلَا بَعۡثُكُمۡ إِلاَّ كَنَفۡسٍ وَحِدَةٍ
The creation of you all and the resurrection of you all are only as (the creation and resurrection of) a single person. (31:28)
This is like the Ayat;
وَمَأ أَمۡرُنَأ إِلاَّ وَحِدَةٌ كَلَمۡحٍ بِالۡبَصَرِ
And Our commandment is but one as the twinkling of an eye. (54:50)
فَإِنَّمَا هِىَ زَجۡرَةٌ وَحِدَةٌ
فَإِذَا هُم بِالسَّاهِرَةِ
But it will be only a single Zajrah. When behold, they find themselves on the surface of the earth alive after their death. (79:13-14)
فَإِنَّمَا هِىَ زَجۡرَةٌ وَحِدَةٌ فَإِذَا هُمۡ يَنظُرُونَ
It will be a single Zajrah, and behold, they will be staring! (37:19)
إِن كَانَتۡ إِلاَّ صَيۡحَةً وَحِدَةً فَإِذَا هُمۡ جَمِيعٌ لَّدَيۡنَا مُحۡضَرُونَ
It will be but a single Sayhah, so behold they will all be brought up before Us! (36:53)
He is Allah besides Whom there is no other God and besides Whom there is no other Lord. No one should be worshipped except Him because whatever He wills happens and whatever he does not will does not happen. He has no offspring nor progenitor, nor equal nor likeness nor rival nor peer. He is the One, the Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, He begets not, nor was He begotten, and there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him
What the Disbelievers said about the Qur'an
Allah tells:
وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا
Those who disbelieve say:
Allah tells us about the foolishness of the disbelievers' ignorant minds, when they said about the Qur'an:
إِنۡ هَذَا إِلاَّ إِفۡكٌ
This is nothing but a lie,
meaning an untruth.
افۡتَرَاهُ
that he has invented,
meaning the Prophet.
وَأَعَانَهُ عَلَيۡهِ قَوۡمٌ اخَرُونَ
and others have helped him in it.
means, he asked other people to help him compile it.
So Allah said:
فَقَدۡ جَاوُوا ظُلۡمًا وَزُورًا
In fact, they have produced an unjust wrong and a lie.
meaning, they are the ones who are telling a lie, and they know that it is false, for their own souls know that what they are claiming is not true
وَقَالُوا أَسَاطِيرُ الاَۡوَّلِينَ اكۡتَتَبَهَا
And they say:Tales of the ancients which he has written down...
meaning, the ancients wrote them down, and he has copied it.
فَهِيَ تُمۡلَى عَلَيۡهِ
and they are dictated to him,
means, they are read or recited to him.
بُكۡرَةً وَأَصِيلً
morning and afternoon.
at the beginning and end of the day.
Because this idea is so foolish and is so patently false, everyone knows that it is not true. It is known through Mutawatir reports and is a common fact that Muhammad the Messenger of Allah never learned to read or write, either at the beginning or the end of his life. He grew up among them for approximately forty years, from the time he was born until the time when his mission began. They knew all about him, and about his honest and sound character and how he would never lie or do anything immoral or bad. They even used to call him Al-Amin (the Trustworthy One) from a young age, until his mission began, because they ﷺ how truthful and honest he was. When Allah honored him with that which He honored him, they declared their enmity towards him and came up with all these accusations which any reasonable person would know he was innocent of. They were not sure what to accuse him of.
Sometimes they said that he was a sorcerer, at other times they would say he was a poet, or crazy, or a liar.
So Allah said:
انۡظُرۡ كَيۡفَ ضَرَبُواۡ لَكَ الاٌّمۡثَالَ فَضَلُّواۡ فَلَ يَسۡتَطِيعۡونَ سَبِيلً
See what examples they have put forward for you. So they have gone astray, and never can they find a way. (17:48)
In response to their stubbornness, Allah says here
قُلۡ أَنزَلَهُ الَّذِي يَعۡلَمُ السِّرَّ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالاَۡرۡضِ
Say:It has been sent down by Him Who knows the secret of the heavens and the earth.
meaning, He has revealed the Qur'an which includes true information about the earlier and later generations, information which concurs with the realities of the past and future.
الَّذِي يَعۡلَمُ السِّرَّ
(Who knows the secret),
means, Allah is the One Who knows the unseen in the heavens and on the earth; He knows their secrets just as He knows what is visible therein.
إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
This is an invitation to them to repent and turn back to Allah, telling them that His mercy is vast and His patience is immense. Whoever repents to Him, He accepts his repentance. Despite all their lies, immorality, falsehood, disbelief and stubbornness, and saying what they said about the Messenger and the Qur'an, He still invites them to repent and give up their sin, and to come to Islam and true guidance.
This is like the Ayat:
لَّقَدۡ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُواۡ إِنَّ اللَّهَ ثَـلِثُ ثَلَـثَةٍ وَمَا مِنۡ إِلَـهٍ إِلاَّ إِلَـهٌ وَحِدٌ وَإِن لَّمۡ يَنتَهُواۡ عَمَّا يَقُولُونَ لَيَمَسَّنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواۡ مِنۡهُمۡ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
أَفَلَ يَتُوبُونَ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَيَسۡتَغۡفِرُونَهُ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Surely, disbelievers are those who said:Allah is the third of the three.
But there is no god but One God. And if they cease not from what they say, verily, a painful torment will befall on the disbelievers among them.
Will they not turn with repentance to Allah and ask His forgiveness! For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (5:73-74)
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ فَتَنُواۡ الۡمُوۡمِنِينَ وَالۡمُوۡمِنَـتِ ثُمَّ لَمۡ يَتُوبُواۡ فَلَهُمۡ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَلَهُمۡ عَذَابُ الۡحَرِيقِ
Verily, those who put into trial the believing men and believing women, and then do not turn in repentance, then they will have the torment of Hell, and they will have the punishment of the burning Fire. (85:10)
Al-Hasan Al-Basri said:
Look at this kindness and generosity! They killed His friends and He is calling them to repentance and mercy.
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