وَقَالُوٓا۟ أَسَـٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ ٱكْتَتَبَهَا فَهِىَ تُمْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا 5
Translations
And they say, "Legends of the former peoples which he has written down, and they are dictated to him morning and afternoon."
Transliteration
Wa qāloo asāṭīru al-awwalīn iktatabahā fahiya tumlā ʿalayhi bukratan wa aṣīlā
Tafsir (Explanation)
The Meccan disbelievers accused the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) of merely writing down or copying tales and legends of the ancients, which were being dictated to him morning and evening. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir explain this as the polytheists' baseless claim that the Quran was human fabrication rather than divine revelation, attempting to undermine its authenticity by attributing it to ordinary literary sources.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Furqan (Chapter of the Criterion), a Meccan surah that defends the Quran against the accusations and objections of the Quraysh. The context addresses the specific charges leveled by Meccan pagans who mocked the Prophet and denied the divine origin of the Quran, claiming it was merely folklore.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari reports that the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated that the Quran cannot be compared to human speech, as it contains miraculous eloquence beyond human capability. Additionally, the hadith in Sunan Al-Tirmidhi emphasizes the Quran's inimitability (i'jaz) as a sign of its divine origin.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that opposition to truth often stems from unfounded accusations and denial rather than rational objection; it encourages steadfastness in faith despite mockery, and reminds us that the Quran's miraculous nature is itself evidence of its divine origin, which no human fabrication could replicate.