سُوْرَةُ الْمُؤْمِنِ
Surah Ghafir (40) — Ayah 78
وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلًا مِّن قَبْلِكَ مِنْهُم مَّن قَصَصْنَا عَلَيْكَ وَمِنْهُم مَّن لَّمْ نَقْصُصْ عَلَيْكَ ۗ وَمَا كَانَ لِرَسُولٍ أَن يَأْتِىَ بِـَٔايَةٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَمْرُ ٱللَّهِ قُضِىَ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَخَسِرَ هُنَالِكَ ٱلْمُبْطِلُونَ ﴿78﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And, indeed We have sent Messengers before you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم): of some of them We have related to you their story. And of some We have not related to you their story, and it was not given to any Messenger that he should bring a sign except by the Leave of Allâh. But, when comes the Commandment of Allâh, the matter will be decided with truth, and the followers of falsehood will then be lost.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَلَقَدْ
walaqad
And certainly
أَرْسَلْنَا
arsalnā
We have sent
رُسُلًۭا
rusulan
Messengers
مِّن
min
before you
قَبْلِكَ
qablika
before you
مِنْهُم
min'hum
Among them
مَّن
man
(are) who
قَصَصْنَا
qaṣaṣnā
We have related
عَلَيْكَ
ʿalayka
to you
وَمِنْهُم
wamin'hum
and among them
مَّن
man
(are) who
لَّمْ
lam
not
نَقْصُصْ
naqṣuṣ
We have related
عَلَيْكَ ۗ
ʿalayka
to you
وَمَا
wamā
And not
كَانَ
kāna
is
لِرَسُولٍ
lirasūlin
for any Messenger
أَن
an
that
يَأْتِىَ
yatiya
he brings
بِـَٔايَةٍ
biāyatin
a Sign
إِلَّا
illā
except
بِإِذْنِ
bi-idh'ni
by (the) permission
ٱللَّهِ ۚ
l-lahi
(of) Allah
فَإِذَا
fa-idhā
So when
جَآءَ
jāa
comes
أَمْرُ
amru
(the) Command
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
(of) Allah
قُضِىَ
quḍiya
it will be decided
بِٱلْحَقِّ
bil-ḥaqi
in truth
وَخَسِرَ
wakhasira
and will lose
هُنَالِكَ
hunālika
there
ٱلْمُبْطِلُونَ
l-mub'ṭilūna
the falsifiers
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 78) ➊ {وَ لَقَدْ اَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلًا مِّنْ قَبْلِكَ:} Among the illegitimate demands made by the disbelievers to trouble and humiliate you (ﷺ), and to oppose Allah’s verses and argue crookedly about them, was the demand to show strange and wondrous signs and miracles according to their wishes, as mentioned in Surah Bani Isra’il (90 to 93). Allah, advising the Prophet (ﷺ) to be patient, mentioned the previous messengers as an example and model, that you should not be distressed or saddened by such demands from them. Many messengers passed before you, but even among them, showing miracles was not within anyone’s power. So if you cannot show them a miracle according to their demand, it does not affect the truthfulness of your prophethood, just as it did not affect the prophethood of the previous messengers.
➋ { مِنْهُمْ مَّنْ قَصَصْنَا عَلَيْكَ:} Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said that the prophets who have not been mentioned are far more numerous than those who have been mentioned in the Quran. For details, see the commentary of Surah An-Nisa (164).
➌ Our teacher Muhammad Abduh (may Allah have mercy on him) writes: “It is not correct to say with certainty about any ancient leader of a nation (who lived before our Prophet ﷺ) that he was not a prophet; it is possible that he was a prophet and that he called to monotheism, but later people distorted his teachings.” (Ashraf al-Hawashi) Such a person also cannot be called a prophet with certainty.
➍ { وَ مَا كَانَ لِرَسُوْلٍ اَنْ يَّاْتِيَ بِاٰيَةٍ اِلَّا بِاِذْنِ اللّٰهِ:} The meaning is that a miracle is not a plaything that whenever the disbelievers wished, they demanded it from the prophet, and whenever the prophet wished, he showed it. No messenger has the power to bring any miracle without Allah’s permission. This is a clear refutation of those who, let alone prophets, even claim about saints that they have the power to bring back an arrow shot from a bow and can do whatever they wish.
➎ { فَاِذَا جَآءَ اَمْرُ اللّٰهِ قُضِيَ بِالْحَقِّ:} That is, the miracle presented upon demand is in the nature of Allah’s decisive judgment; if any nation still does not believe after that, its destruction is certain.
➏ { وَ خَسِرَ هُنَالِكَ الْمُبْطِلُوْنَ: ’’ هُنَالِكَ ‘‘} It applies to both time and place; the words “at this place,” “at this time,” and “on this occasion” include both meanings. That is, at the time of the coming of the punishment, the believers are saved and the followers of falsehood remain in loss and their traces are wiped out.
➋ { مِنْهُمْ مَّنْ قَصَصْنَا عَلَيْكَ:} Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said that the prophets who have not been mentioned are far more numerous than those who have been mentioned in the Quran. For details, see the commentary of Surah An-Nisa (164).
➌ Our teacher Muhammad Abduh (may Allah have mercy on him) writes: “It is not correct to say with certainty about any ancient leader of a nation (who lived before our Prophet ﷺ) that he was not a prophet; it is possible that he was a prophet and that he called to monotheism, but later people distorted his teachings.” (Ashraf al-Hawashi) Such a person also cannot be called a prophet with certainty.
➍ { وَ مَا كَانَ لِرَسُوْلٍ اَنْ يَّاْتِيَ بِاٰيَةٍ اِلَّا بِاِذْنِ اللّٰهِ:} The meaning is that a miracle is not a plaything that whenever the disbelievers wished, they demanded it from the prophet, and whenever the prophet wished, he showed it. No messenger has the power to bring any miracle without Allah’s permission. This is a clear refutation of those who, let alone prophets, even claim about saints that they have the power to bring back an arrow shot from a bow and can do whatever they wish.
➎ { فَاِذَا جَآءَ اَمْرُ اللّٰهِ قُضِيَ بِالْحَقِّ:} That is, the miracle presented upon demand is in the nature of Allah’s decisive judgment; if any nation still does not believe after that, its destruction is certain.
➏ { وَ خَسِرَ هُنَالِكَ الْمُبْطِلُوْنَ: ’’ هُنَالِكَ ‘‘} It applies to both time and place; the words “at this place,” “at this time,” and “on this occasion” include both meanings. That is, at the time of the coming of the punishment, the believers are saved and the followers of falsehood remain in loss and their traces are wiped out.
