تَنزِيلُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْحَكِيمِ 2
Translations
The revelation of the Book is from Allāh, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
Transliteration
Tanzīlu al-Kitābi mina Allāhi al-'Azīzi al-Hakīm
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms that the Quran is a revelation (tanzīl) sent down from Allah, who possesses absolute power ('Azīz) and perfect wisdom (Hakīm). Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that this opening declaration establishes the divine origin and authority of the Quran, rejecting any claims that it is human composition. The attributes of Allah mentioned here—Al-'Azīz (The Mighty/Invincible) and Al-Hakīm (The All-Wise)—demonstrate that the Quran's revelation flows from one whose power cannot be overcome and whose wisdom is perfect and infallible.
Revelation Context
This ayah opens Surah Al-Ahqaf, a Meccan surah revealed during the early Islamic period when the Quraysh were actively rejecting the message of the Prophet Muhammad. The ayah directly confronts Meccan disbelievers by asserting the Quran's divine provenance, countering their accusations that the Prophet was fabricating it. The surah's context includes warnings to those who reject revelation and narratives of past peoples who denied their prophets.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: 'The best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it' (Sahih Bukhari 5027). Additionally, 'Whoever reads the Quran, then asks Allah through it for something that is lawful, Allah will give it to him' (Tirmidhi 2904), emphasizing the Quran's divine guidance and efficacy.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers to recognize the Quran as a divine gift from the All-Powerful and All-Wise Allah, not a human composition, which should inspire confidence in following its guidance and defending it against skeptics. For modern readers, it serves as a reminder that the Quran's comprehensiveness and solutions to human problems reflect divine wisdom that transcends human limitations and changing circumstances.
Related Ayahs
۞ وَٱذْكُرْ أَخَا عَادٍ إِذْ أَنذَرَ قَوْمَهُۥ بِٱلْأَحْقَافِ وَقَدْ خَلَتِ ٱلنُّذُرُ مِنۢ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِۦٓ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ
And mention, [O Muḥammad], the brother of ʿAad, when he warned his people in [the region of] al-Aḥqāf - and warners had already passed on before him and after him - [saying], "Do not worship except Allāh. Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a terrible day."
وَيَوْمَ يُعْرَضُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلنَّارِ أَذْهَبْتُمْ طَيِّبَـٰتِكُمْ فِى حَيَاتِكُمُ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱسْتَمْتَعْتُم بِهَا فَٱلْيَوْمَ تُجْزَوْنَ عَذَابَ ٱلْهُونِ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ ٱلْحَقِّ وَبِمَا كُنتُمْ تَفْسُقُونَ
And the Day those who disbelieved are exposed to the Fire [it will be said], "You exhausted your pleasures during your worldly life and enjoyed them, so this Day you will be awarded the punishment of [extreme] humiliation because you were arrogant upon the earth without right and because you were defiantly disobedient."
يَـٰقَوْمَنَآ أَجِيبُوا۟ دَاعِىَ ٱللَّهِ وَءَامِنُوا۟ بِهِۦ يَغْفِرْ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمْ وَيُجِرْكُم مِّنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ
O our people, respond to the Caller [i.e., Messenger] of Allāh and believe in him; He [i.e., Allāh] will forgive for you your sins and protect you from a painful punishment.
قَالُوٓا۟ أَجِئْتَنَا لِتَأْفِكَنَا عَنْ ءَالِهَتِنَا فَأْتِنَا بِمَا تَعِدُنَآ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ
They said, "Have you come to delude us away from our gods? Then bring us what you promise us, if you should be of the truthful."