قَدْ نَعْلَمُ إِنَّهُۥ لَيَحْزُنُكَ ٱلَّذِى يَقُولُونَ ۖ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يُكَذِّبُونَكَ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ يَجْحَدُونَ 33
Translations
We know that you, [O Muḥammad], are saddened by what they say. And indeed, they do not call you untruthful, but it is the verses of Allāh that the wrongdoers reject.
Transliteration
Qad na'lamu innahu layahzunuka allathi yaqulun, fa-innahu laa yukaddhibunaka wa-laakinna al-zalimin bi-ayat illahi yajhadun.
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah assures the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that He is fully aware of the grief caused by the rejections and false accusations of the disbelievers. The ayah clarifies that the Quraysh are not actually denying the truthfulness of the Prophet's message due to doubt, but rather they knowingly reject the signs of Allah out of arrogance and willful denial (juhud). According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this distinction is crucial: the disbelievers' rejection stems not from ignorance but from conscious obstinacy against divine truth.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-An'am, which deals extensively with divine signs and the disbelievers' rejection of them. The revelation comes as a consolation to the Prophet during the Meccan period when he faced severe opposition and ridicule from the Quraysh. It addresses the emotional toll of preaching to those who deliberately turn away from truth despite recognizing it.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Bukhari where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The most severely tested people are the prophets, then those closest to them in piety' - illustrating the difficulty prophets face in their mission. Additionally, Tirmidhi records the Prophet's statement about patience in facing rejection, emphasizing endurance against stubborn denial.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that rejection of truth often stems from arrogance rather than lack of evidence, and that sincere believers should find solace knowing Allah acknowledges their struggles when facing deliberate denial. Modern believers are reminded to distinguish between those genuinely seeking truth and those stubbornly resisting it, responding to each with appropriate wisdom and patience.
Related Ayahs
وَقَالُوٓا۟ إِنْ هِىَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا ٱلدُّنْيَا وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَبْعُوثِينَ
And they say, "There is none but our worldly life, and we will not be resurrected."
وَأَقْسَمُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ جَهْدَ أَيْمَـٰنِهِمْ لَئِن جَآءَتْهُمْ ءَايَةٌ لَّيُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهَا ۚ قُلْ إِنَّمَا ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَمَا يُشْعِرُكُمْ أَنَّهَآ إِذَا جَآءَتْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
And they swear by Allāh their strongest oaths that if a sign came to them, they would surely believe in it. Say, "The signs are only with [i.e., from] Allāh." And what will make you perceive that even if it [i.e., a sign] came, they would not believe.
وَقَالُوا۟ هَـٰذِهِۦٓ أَنْعَـٰمٌ وَحَرْثٌ حِجْرٌ لَّا يَطْعَمُهَآ إِلَّا مَن نَّشَآءُ بِزَعْمِهِمْ وَأَنْعَـٰمٌ حُرِّمَتْ ظُهُورُهَا وَأَنْعَـٰمٌ لَّا يَذْكُرُونَ ٱسْمَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا ٱفْتِرَآءً عَلَيْهِ ۚ سَيَجْزِيهِم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَفْتَرُونَ
And they say, "These animals and crops are forbidden; no one may eat from them except whom we will," by their claim. And there are those [camels] whose backs are forbidden [by them] and those upon which the name of Allāh is not mentioned - [all of this] an invention of untruth about Him. He will punish them for what they were inventing.
وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُرِىٓ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ مَلَكُوتَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَلِيَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُوقِنِينَ
And thus did We show Abraham the realm of the heavens and the earth that he would be among the certain [in faith].