إِنَّ ٱلَّذِى فَرَضَ عَلَيْكَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ لَرَآدُّكَ إِلَىٰ مَعَادٍ ۚ قُل رَّبِّىٓ أَعْلَمُ مَن جَآءَ بِٱلْهُدَىٰ وَمَنْ هُوَ فِى ضَلَـٰلٍ مُّبِينٍ 85
Translations
Indeed, [O Muḥammad], He who imposed upon you the Qur’ān will take you back to a place of return. Say, "My Lord is most knowing of who brings guidance and who is in clear error."
Transliteration
Innal-ladhī fara'da 'alayka al-Qur'āna la-rādduka ilā ma'ād. Qul rabbi a'lamu man jāa bil-hudā wa man huwa fī dalālin mubīn.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah assures Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that the One who has entrusted him with the Qur'an will certainly return him to Makkah (his place of origin and return), which was fulfilled when he performed the Umrah and later the Hajj. The Prophet is commanded to respond to doubts about his mission by affirming that only Allah possesses complete knowledge of who follows true guidance and who remains in clear error, placing all judgment with the All-Knowing. Ibn Kathir notes this was a consolation to the Prophet during his trials in Makkah, while Al-Tabari emphasizes the connection between Allah's trust in giving the Qur'an and His promise of the Prophet's return.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in Makkah during a period of intense opposition to the Prophet. It appears near the end of Surah Al-Qasas, which recounts stories of previous prophets facing persecution. The immediate context addresses the mockery and rejection the Prophet faced, providing divine assurance of his vindication and eventual return to his homeland—a promise fulfilled historically.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari records that the Prophet said, 'I have been commanded to return to this city (Makkah),' referring to this ayah. Additionally, the hadith in Muslim about the Prophet's dream of returning to the Ka'bah before the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah relates to this promise of ma'ād (return).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that when entrusted with a divine mission or responsibility, Allah guarantees support and ultimate success, and that in matters of truth and falsehood, we should trust in Allah's infinite knowledge rather than becoming discouraged by worldly opposition. It encourages patience during trials with the assurance that God's promises are certain.
Related Ayahs
وَمَا كُنتَ بِجَانِبِ ٱلطُّورِ إِذْ نَادَيْنَا وَلَـٰكِن رَّحْمَةً مِّن رَّبِّكَ لِتُنذِرَ قَوْمًا مَّآ أَتَىٰهُم مِّن نَّذِيرٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ
And you were not at the side of the mount when We called [Moses] but [were sent] as a mercy from your Lord to warn a people to whom no warner had come before you that they might be reminded.
وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْمَلَأُ مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرِى فَأَوْقِدْ لِى يَـٰهَـٰمَـٰنُ عَلَى ٱلطِّينِ فَٱجْعَل لِّى صَرْحًا لَّعَلِّىٓ أَطَّلِعُ إِلَىٰٓ إِلَـٰهِ مُوسَىٰ وَإِنِّى لَأَظُنُّهُۥ مِنَ ٱلْكَـٰذِبِينَ
And Pharaoh said, "O eminent ones, I have not known you to have a god other than me. Then ignite for me, O Hāmān, [a fire] upon the clay and make for me a tower that I may look at the God of Moses. And indeed, I do think he is among the liars."
وَمَا كُنتَ تَرْجُوٓا۟ أَن يُلْقَىٰٓ إِلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً مِّن رَّبِّكَ ۖ فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ ظَهِيرًا لِّلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
And you were not expecting that the Book would be conveyed to you, but [it is] a mercy from your Lord. So do not be an assistant to the disbelievers.
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يُؤْتَوْنَ أَجْرَهُم مَّرَّتَيْنِ بِمَا صَبَرُوا۟ وَيَدْرَءُونَ بِٱلْحَسَنَةِ ٱلسَّيِّئَةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ
Those will be given their reward twice for what they patiently endured and [because] they avert evil through good, and from what We have provided them they spend.