وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِنْ هَـٰذَآ إِلَّآ إِفْكٌ ٱفْتَرَىٰهُ وَأَعَانَهُۥ عَلَيْهِ قَوْمٌ ءَاخَرُونَ ۖ فَقَدْ جَآءُو ظُلْمًا وَزُورًا 4
Translations
And those who disbelieve say, "This [Qur’ān] is not except a falsehood he invented, and another people assisted him in it." But they have committed an injustice and a lie.
Transliteration
Wa-qala alladhina kafaroo in hadha illa iftun iftarah wa-a'aanahu alayhi qawmun akhharoon faqad jaa'oo dhulman wa-zoohra
Tafsir (Explanation)
The disbelievers accused the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) of fabricating the Qur'an and claimed that others helped him compose it. This ayah refutes their baseless accusations by emphasizing that their claim itself represents grave injustice and falsehood, as no credible evidence supports their slander. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir note that this was a common accusation leveled against the Prophet during his mission in Mecca, and the Qur'an addresses it by highlighting the internal consistency and miraculous nature of the text that would be impossible for humans to fabricate collectively.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Furqan (The Criterion), a Meccan surah revealed during the period of intense opposition to the Prophet's message. The context addresses the various objections and accusations the pagan Meccans raised against the Prophet and the Qur'an, including claims that he was a poet, a madman, or an imitator of previous scriptures. This particular ayah responds to their accusation that the Qur'an was human fabrication.
Related Hadiths
In Sahih Bukhari, the Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have endured such accusations patiently. Related is also the hadith in Sunan At-Tirmidhi wherein the Prophet emphasized the Qur'an's miraculous nature as proof of its divine origin, which implicitly addresses the impossibility of human fabrication.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers to recognize that baseless accusations and slander against divine truth ultimately expose the weakness of those who make them. It encourages Muslims to trust in the Qur'an's authenticity and to respond to false claims with patience and evidence, knowing that truth ultimately prevails regardless of opposition.