وَهَـٰذَا كِتَـٰبٌ أَنزَلْنَـٰهُ مُبَارَكٌ مُّصَدِّقُ ٱلَّذِى بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَلِتُنذِرَ أُمَّ ٱلْقُرَىٰ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا ۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِۦ ۖ وَهُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ 92
Translations
And this is a Book which We have sent down, blessed and confirming what was before it, that you may warn the Mother of Cities [i.e., Makkah] and those around it. Those who believe in the Hereafter believe in it, and they are maintaining their prayers.
Transliteration
Wa-hādhā kitābun anzalnāhu mubārakun muṣaddiqul-ladhī bayna yadayhi wa-litundhira ummal-qurā wa-man ḥawlahā; wal-ladhīna yu'minūna bil-ākhirati yu'minūna bih wa-hum ʿalā ṣalātihim yuḥāfiẓūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes the Qur'an as a blessed, divinely-revealed Book that confirms the scriptures before it and serves as a warning to Makkah and surrounding regions. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the phrase 'Umm al-Qurā' (Mother of Cities) refers to Makkah as the spiritual center, while the Qur'an's universal message extends to all peoples. The ayah emphasizes that true believers in the Last Day accept the Qur'an and remain steadfast in prayer, linking faith with righteous action as inseparable components of belief.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan period and addresses the polytheists of Makkah and surrounding Arab tribes who rejected the Message. It contextually reassures the Prophet (peace be upon him) of the Qur'an's divine origin and blessing during a time of intense opposition, while simultaneously warning both the center of Arabia and its peripheries of the consequences of rejection.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari and Muslim report that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The best of you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it,' connecting to the theme of the Qur'an's blessedness. Additionally, numerous hadiths emphasize the virtue of preserving prayer (ḥifẓ al-ṣalāh) as mentioned in the closing phrase of this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
True faith in Allah and the Last Day manifests tangibly through consistent obedience in prayer and adherence to the Qur'an's guidance—belief is not merely intellectual acceptance but demonstrated through steadfast practice. The Qur'an's universal purpose as a mercy and warning remains relevant to all generations, calling believers to embody its teachings in their daily devotion.
Related Ayahs
قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِى وَنُسُكِى وَمَحْيَاىَ وَمَمَاتِى لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
Say, "Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allāh, Lord of the worlds.
وَجَعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ مِمَّا ذَرَأَ مِنَ ٱلْحَرْثِ وَٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ نَصِيبًا فَقَالُوا۟ هَـٰذَا لِلَّهِ بِزَعْمِهِمْ وَهَـٰذَا لِشُرَكَآئِنَا ۖ فَمَا كَانَ لِشُرَكَآئِهِمْ فَلَا يَصِلُ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَمَا كَانَ لِلَّهِ فَهُوَ يَصِلُ إِلَىٰ شُرَكَآئِهِمْ ۗ سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ
And they [i.e., the polytheists] assign to Allāh from that which He created of crops and livestock a share and say, "This is for Allāh," by their claim, "and this is for our 'partners' [associated with Him]." But what is for their "partners" does not reach Allāh, while what is for Allāh - this reaches their "partners." Evil is that which they rule.
فَإِن كَذَّبُوكَ فَقُل رَّبُّكُمْ ذُو رَحْمَةٍ وَٰسِعَةٍ وَلَا يُرَدُّ بَأْسُهُۥ عَنِ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ
So if they deny you, [O Muḥammad], say, "Your Lord is the possessor of vast mercy; but His punishment cannot be repelled from the people who are criminals."
يَـٰمَعْشَرَ ٱلْجِنِّ وَٱلْإِنسِ أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّنكُمْ يَقُصُّونَ عَلَيْكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِى وَيُنذِرُونَكُمْ لِقَآءَ يَوْمِكُمْ هَـٰذَا ۚ قَالُوا۟ شَهِدْنَا عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِنَا ۖ وَغَرَّتْهُمُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَشَهِدُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ كَـٰفِرِينَ
"O company of jinn and mankind, did there not come to you messengers from among you, relating to you My verses and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?" They will say, "We bear witness against ourselves"; and the worldly life had deluded them, and they will bear witness against themselves that they were disbelievers.