Sad (Sad)
Verses 4-8 GROUP_1183 38.4-8
4
وَعَجِبُوا أَن جَاءهُم مُّنذِرٌ مِّنْهُمْ وَقَالَ الْكَافِرُونَ هَذَا سَاحِرٌ كَذَّابٌ
They are surprised that a warner should come to them from among themselves. They say, ‘This is a magician, a great liar.
5
أَجَعَلَ الْآلِهَةَ إِلَهًا وَاحِدًا إِنَّ هَذَا لَشَيْءٌ عُجَابٌ
Does he make all the deities out to be one God? This is indeed a strange thing.’
6
وَانطَلَقَ الْمَلَأُ مِنْهُمْ أَنِ امْشُوا وَاصْبِرُوا عَلَى آلِهَتِكُمْ إِنَّ هَذَا لَشَيْءٌ يُرَادُ
Their leaders departed, saying, ‘Walk away! Hold fast to your deities. This is clearly a conspiracy.
7
مَا سَمِعْنَا بِهَذَا فِي الْمِلَّةِ الْآخِرَةِ إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا اخْتِلَاقٌ
We have not heard of any such thing in the old religion. This is nothing but a fabrication.
8
أَأُنزِلَ عَلَيْهِ الذِّكْرُ مِن بَيْنِنَا بَلْ هُمْ فِي شَكٍّ مِّن ذِكْرِي بَلْ لَمَّا يَذُوقُوا عَذَابِ
Was the message sent only to him out of all of us?’ In fact, they doubt My warning; in fact, they have not yet tasted My punishment.
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Commentary
(a) The Prophet Muhammad is a great name today, because subsequent history has glorified him. But when, in the seventh century A.D. he announced his prophethood, it was difficult for people to believe that this ordinary-looking person was chosen to receive God’s revelations. It is crucial to understand that once history has taken shape, even a blind man can recognise a prophet, but before history takes shape immense sincerity is required to acknowledge a prophet. The exceptionally different style of the Quran used to stun its opponents, but the ordinary image of the bearer of the Quran would cast them into doubt. Bent on rejecting him, these people used to denigrate the Prophet in various ways, called him a magician or a liar. They could not reconcile themselves to the possibility of their great men being in the wrong as against an ordinary man. (b) ‘Hold fast to your deities’. These words refer to the paucity of argument of those who oppose the Quran. Finding themselves helpless they try to keep their people away from the powerful effect of the Quran with the help of age-old traditions.