وَلَقَدِ ٱسْتُهْزِئَ بِرُسُلٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِٱلَّذِينَ سَخِرُوا۟ مِنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ بِهِۦ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ 10
Translations
And already were messengers ridiculed before you, but those who mocked them were enveloped by that which they used to ridicule.
Transliteration
Wa-laqad istuhzi'a bi-rusulim min qablika fa-haaqa bi-alladhina sakhiroo minhum maa kaanoo bihi yastahzi'oon
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah consoles Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by reminding him that previous messengers were also mocked and ridiculed by their people, yet Allah's punishment ultimately befell those who scoffed at them. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the phrase 'what they used to mock' refers to the very punishment and divine retribution they had denied, emphasizing that mockery of the message and messenger invites severe consequences. The ayah underscores Allah's justice: those who deride the truth receive exactly the fate they dismissed and laughed at.
Revelation Context
Revealed in Mecca during a period of intense persecution of the Prophet and early Muslims by the Quraysh. This ayah appears in the broader context of Surah Al-An'am, which addresses disbelief, polytheism, and the mockery faced by the Prophet. It provides historical precedent and divine comfort, showing that ridicule of messengers is not a new phenomenon but a recurring pattern throughout history.
Related Hadiths
Tirmidhi and Ahmad report that the Prophet said: 'The greatest trial for a nation is when they mock their Prophet.' Additionally, Sahih Bukhari contains accounts of how the Quraysh mocked the Prophet, and how Surahs like this one provided him solace during those difficult times.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers facing ridicule for their faith should remember that mockery of truth has always invited divine punishment, and that standing firm in the message despite ridicule is a proven path of all messengers. This ayah teaches that patience in the face of derision, combined with trust in Allah's justice, ultimately vindicates the believers.
Related Ayahs
لِّكُلِّ نَبَإٍ مُّسْتَقَرٌّ ۚ وَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ
For every news [i.e., happening] is a finality; and you are going to know.
وَرَبُّكَ ٱلْغَنِىُّ ذُو ٱلرَّحْمَةِ ۚ إِن يَشَأْ يُذْهِبْكُمْ وَيَسْتَخْلِفْ مِنۢ بَعْدِكُم مَّا يَشَآءُ كَمَآ أَنشَأَكُم مِّن ذُرِّيَّةِ قَوْمٍ ءَاخَرِينَ
And your Lord is the Free of need, the possessor of mercy. If He wills, He can do away with you and give succession after you to whomever He wills, just as He produced you from the descendants of another people.
أَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَبْلِهِم مِّن قَرْنٍ مَّكَّنَّـٰهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مَا لَمْ نُمَكِّن لَّكُمْ وَأَرْسَلْنَا ٱلسَّمَآءَ عَلَيْهِم مِّدْرَارًا وَجَعَلْنَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرَ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهِمْ فَأَهْلَكْنَـٰهُم بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَأَنشَأْنَا مِنۢ بَعْدِهِمْ قَرْنًا ءَاخَرِينَ
Have they not seen how many generations We destroyed before them which We had established upon the earth as We have not established you? And We sent [rain from] the sky upon them in showers and made rivers flow beneath them; then We destroyed them for their sins and brought forth after them a generation of others.
قُل لَّوْ أَنَّ عِندِى مَا تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ بِهِۦ لَقُضِىَ ٱلْأَمْرُ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
Say, "If I had that for which you are impatient, the matter would have been decided between me and you, but Allāh is most knowing of the wrongdoers."