Surah Fussilat (41) — Ayah 42

(Ayah 42) ➊ { لَّا يَاْتِيْهِ الْبَاطِلُ مِنْۢ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَ لَا مِنْ خَلْفِهٖ:} The meaning of "not coming to it" is that falsehood cannot overpower it, that is, falsehood does not have the ability to overpower it from any aspect, neither openly from the front nor secretly from behind. It also means that no previous book or research can prove any statement of this Quran to be wrong or false, nor can any later book or research prove any of its statements to be wrong, and it also means that no one can openly or secretly mix falsehood into it, as happened with previous books. Rather, Allah Himself has taken the responsibility of its protection. He said: « اِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَ اِنَّا لَهٗ لَحٰفِظُوْنَ» [ الحجر : ۹ ] "Indeed, We have sent down the Reminder, and indeed, We will surely be its Guardian."

➋ { تَنْزِيْلٌ مِّنْ حَكِيْمٍ حَمِيْدٍ:} No statement of the Noble Quran can be wrong, no mixture of falsehood can enter it, and falsehood cannot overpower it in any way in argument, because it is a revelation from the Wise and Praiseworthy. For the meaning of {’’ تَنْزِيْلٌ ‘‘}, see Surah Bani Isra'il, Ayah (106). That is, this Book He has revealed gradually, Who is perfect in wisdom, deserving of all praise, and the possessor of every excellence. {’’ حَكِيْمٍ ‘‘} He in Whose planning there is no error, and { ’’ حَمِيْدٍ ‘‘} He in Whose actions there can be no blame.

42. 1. That is, it is protected in every way; "from before" means deficiency, and "from behind" means addition—that is, falsehood can neither come from before it to cause deficiency, nor from behind it to cause addition, nor can anyone succeed in making any alteration or distortion in it. Because it is revealed by Him who is Wise in His words and deeds, and Hamid, that is, Praiseworthy. Or, the things He commands and the things He forbids, in terms of consequences and ultimate ends, all are praiseworthy, that is, good and beneficial. (Ibn Kathir)

Falsehood cannot approach it from before it or from behind [52]; it is a revelation from the Wise, the Praiseworthy.

[52]
The Various Aspects of the Non-Interference of Falsehood in the Quran:

This verse explains the greatness of the Book of Allah by stating that falsehood cannot enter it from the front, nor from the back, nor from above, nor from below—in short, from any direction. This phrase has several meanings. One is that it is the Word of Allah, which Allah revealed to the heart of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ through Jibreel ؑ. Jibreel is such an angel who is both trustworthy and strong. That is, neither does he himself make any addition or omission in the Word of Allah, nor can any jinn, devil, or any other power snatch any part of the Word from him or mix anything into it. Then, when Jibreel delivered it to your heart, and even your enemies bore witness to your truthfulness and honesty, and you conveyed that Word to the Ummah exactly as it was, then tell me, is there any gap left for falsehood to be mixed into this Word? The second meaning is that since the Quran was revealed, it has been preserved in the hearts of Muslims and has been transmitted generation after generation through continuous transmission. In every era, there have been, and still are, millions of its memorizers, and no other book has this honor. On the other hand, with its revelation, its writing also began, and from that era until today, its publication has continued uninterruptedly, and its copies have reached millions and billions of people. This honor also belongs to this Book, that it is the most widely published book in the world. Now, on one side, place this Book, and on the other, ask a small child who is a Hafiz to recite it. The miracle of this Quran will become evident to you. The enthusiasts of the Quran have recorded and counted its verses, its words, its letters, its dots, and its diacritical marks (zair, zabar, pesh)—in short, every single thing. Now tell me, is it possible for even a single word, rather a single letter, to be added or omitted from this Book? And can falsehood find any way into it? And its third meaning is that the facts stated by the Quran—no knowledge can ever come into existence that is truly knowledge and contradicts the knowledge stated by the Quran; no experiment, no observation can ever prove that the guidance the Quran has given to mankind in matters of beliefs, morals, law, culture and civilization, economy and society, and politics is wrong. Whether falsehood attacks from the front or raids from various sides, it can never defeat the truth that the Quran has presented. The reason for this is that no matter how much human knowledge advances regarding anything, it will always remain limited, and even after that, further discoveries will continue to be made about that thing, whereas the knowledge of Allah is unlimited. Moreover, He is the Creator of everything, and no one else can possess as much information about a thing as the Creator has about what He has created.