Surah 13. Ar-Ra'd, Ayah 7
| وَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْلَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ آيَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ ۗ إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ مُنْذِرٌ ۖ وَلِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ |
| Transliteration | : | wa- yaqol 'alladhena kafaro law-laa unzila calay -hi 'aayah min rabb -hi 'inna-maa 'anta mundhir wa- li- kull qawm haadi(n) |
| Pickthall | : | Those who disbelieve say: If only some portent were sent down upon him from his Lord! Thou art a warner only, and for every folk a guide. |
| Asad | : | However, they who are bent on denying the truth [refuse to believe and] say, "Why has no miraculous sign ever been bestowed on him from on high by his Sustainer?"16 [But] thou art only a warner; and [in God] all people have a guide.17 |
| Malik | : | The unbelievers say: "Why is not a sign sent down to him (Muhammad) from his Rabb?" You are nothing but a Warner and every nation was assigned a guide. |
| Yusuf Ali | : | And the Unbelievers say! "Why is not a Sign sent down to him from his Lord?" But thou art truly a warner and to every people a guide. 1811 1812 |
Note - 17According to the classical commentators, this sentence
lends itself to several interpretations: (1) "Thou art
only a warner; and every nation has had a guide like thee
(i.e., a prophet)" - which would be in consonance with
the Qur'anic doctrine of the continuity of prophetic
guidance; or (2) "Thou art only a warner - but [at the
same time] also a guide unto all people" - which would
stress the universality of the Qur'anic message as
contrasted with the time-bound and ethnically limited
missions of the earlier prophets; or (3) "Thou art only a
warner bound to do no more than deliver the message
entrusted to thee, while it is God alone who can truly
guide men's hearts towards faith". Since the last of the
above three interpretations is the most plausible and
has, moreover the support of 'Abd Allah ibn'Abbas, Sa'id
ibn Jubayr, Mujahid and Ad-Dahhak, I have adopted it in
my rendering. According to Zamakhshari, this
interpretation is further strengthened by the subsequent
reference to God's omniscience.
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Note - 1811After all the Signs that have just been mentioned it is
mere fractiousness to say, "Bring down a Sign."
Al-Mustafa brought Signs and credentials as other
Prophets did, and like them, refused to satisfy mere idle
curiosity.
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Note - 1812The last sentence of this verse has usually been
interpreted to mean that the Prophet's function was
merely to warn, and that guidance was sent by Allah to
every nation through its Prophets. I think the following
interpretation is equally possible: 'it is itself a Sign
that Al-Mustafa should warn and preach and produce the
Qur-an, and the guidance which he brings is universal
guidance, as from Allah.
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I.e., to prove that he (Muhammad) is really a prophet inspired by God. But the Qur'an makes it clear in several places (e.g., 6:7 and {111}, {10:96-97} or 13:31) that even a miracle would not convince those who are "bent on denying the truth". |
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According to the classical commentators, this sentence lends itself to several interpretations: (1) "Thou art only a warner; and every nation has had a guide like thee (i.e., a prophet)" - which would be in consonance with the Qur'anic doctrine of the continuity of prophetic guidance; or (2) "Thou art only a warner - but [at the same time] also a guide unto all people" - which would stress the universality of the Qur'anic message as contrasted with the time-bound and ethnically limited missions of the earlier prophets; or (3) "Thou art only a warner bound to do no more than deliver the message entrusted to thee, while it is God alone who can truly guide men's hearts towards faith". Since the last of the above three interpretations is the most plausible and has, moreover the support of 'Abd Allah ibn'Abbas, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, Mujahid and Ad-Dahhak, I have adopted it in my rendering. According to Zamakhshari, this interpretation is further strengthened by the subsequent reference to God's omniscience. |
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After all the Signs that have just been mentioned it is mere fractiousness to say, "Bring down a Sign." Al-Mustafa brought Signs and credentials as other Prophets did, and like them, refused to satisfy mere idle curiosity. |
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The last sentence of this verse has usually been interpreted to mean that the Prophet's function was merely to warn, and that guidance was sent by Allah to every nation through its Prophets. I think the following interpretation is equally possible: 'it is itself a Sign that Al-Mustafa should warn and preach and produce the Qur-an, and the guidance which he brings is universal guidance, as from Allah. |
