وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَاعِرٍ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَّا تُؤْمِنُونَ 41
Translations
And it is not the word of a poet; little do you believe.
Transliteration
Wa mā huwa bi-qawli shāʿirin, qalīlan mā tuʾminūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah emphatically refutes the Meccan polytheists' accusation that the Qur'an is merely poetry composed by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Allah asserts that the Qur'an is not the word of a poet, while simultaneously reproaching the disbelievers for their scarcity of faith despite the clear signs presented to them. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari explain that this is a direct response to the charge leveled against the Prophet, distinguishing the Qur'an's miraculous nature from ordinary human composition, whether poetic or prose.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-Haqqah, which focuses on the certainty of the Day of Judgment and the truth of the Qur'an's divine origin. The surah addresses the disbelievers' rejections and false claims about the Qur'an, with this particular ayah responding to their specific accusation that Muhammad was merely a poet reciting human verses rather than delivering divine revelation.
Related Hadiths
The Hadith of Uqbah ibn Abi Muʿayt recorded in Sahih Bukhari describes how the polytheists attributed the Qur'an to poetry and magic, which this ayah directly refutes. Additionally, Hadith in Sunan Ibn Majah regarding the Qur'an's unique characteristics emphasizes its distinction from human speech.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers to recognize the Qur'an's miraculous nature and divine origin, rejecting baseless accusations against it. For modern readers, it emphasizes the importance of firm conviction in divine truth and warns against the spiritual blindness that prevents people from recognizing clear signs, encouraging us to examine our own receptiveness to guidance.