وَيَقُولُونَ أَئِنَّا لَتَارِكُوٓا۟ ءَالِهَتِنَا لِشَاعِرٍ مَّجْنُونٍۭ 36
Translations
And were saying, "Are we to leave our gods for a mad poet?"
Transliteration
Wa yaquluna a'inna latarikuna alihatana li sha'irin majnun
Tafsir (Explanation)
The disbelievers mockingly question whether they would abandon their gods for a mad poet, referring to the Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This ayah demonstrates the arrogance and ridicule of the Meccan polytheists who rejected the Message, attributing the Qur'an's eloquence to poetry and madness rather than acknowledging it as divine revelation. According to Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir, this represents the desperate attempts of the disbelievers to rationalize their rejection, using insult and mockery as a defense against the truth.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah As-Saffat, a Meccan surah revealed during the early period of Islam when the Quraish actively opposed the Prophet Muhammad. The context reflects the historical opposition the Prophet faced, wherein the disbelievers would attempt to discredit him and the Qur'an through various false claims—calling him a poet, a madman, and a sorcerer—rather than engaging with the Message itself.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The Qur'an is not the word of a poet, yet few of you believe' (referenced in various tafsir works). Also related is the hadith in Sahih Bukhari where the disbelievers claimed the Prophet was possessed or a poet, demonstrating this pattern of rejection.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that rejection of truth often stems not from intellectual doubt but from pride and spiritual blindness; when people refuse to accept the Message, they resort to mockery and false accusations. For believers, it reinforces patience in the face of ridicule and confidence that the Qur'an's truth transcends human criticism.