مَا سَمِعْنَا بِهَـٰذَا فِى ٱلْمِلَّةِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ إِنْ هَـٰذَآ إِلَّا ٱخْتِلَـٰقٌ 7
Translations
We have not heard of this in the latest religion. This is not but a fabrication.
Transliteration
Mā samiʿnā bi-hādhā fī al-millati al-ʾākhirah. In hādhā illā ikhtilāq.
Tafsir (Explanation)
The disbelievers are rejecting the message of the Quran and the concept of resurrection, claiming they have never heard of such things in their previous religious traditions and that the Quran is merely fabrication and lies. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this reflects the Meccan polytheists' denial of both the Quran's authenticity and the Day of Judgment, attempting to dismiss Islam as a novel and invented religion without precedent in their understanding of monotheistic traditions.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Saad (Meccan period), which addresses the mockery and rejection of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his message by the Quraysh. The broader context describes the disbelievers' various objections to the Quranic message, including their rejection of the concept of resurrection and their dismissal of the Prophet's warnings as fabrications.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari (4476): The Prophet (peace be upon him) said regarding those who reject the message, 'Verily, the likeness of myself and the likeness of the Prophets before me is like a man who built a house attractively and beautifully, except for a brick in a corner.' This illustrates how previous messengers also faced similar rejection and denial.
Themes
Key Lesson
The ayah reminds believers that rejection of divine truth often stems from prejudice and closed-mindedness rather than rational evidence, and that the disbelievers' claims of novelty were false since belief in God and the Day of Judgment were taught by all previous messengers. For modern readers, this teaches the importance of not dismissing truth simply because it challenges existing beliefs or appears unfamiliar.