Surah 16 An-Nahl — Ayah 101
وَإِذَا بَدَّلْنَآ ءَايَةًۭ مَّكَانَ ءَايَةٍۢ ۙ وَٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يُنَزِّلُ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مُفْتَرٍۭ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
او كله چې مونږ یو ایت د بل ایت په ځاى كې بدل راوړو، او الله ښه پوه دى په هغه څه چې هغه يې نازلوي، دوى وايې: خبره همدا ده چې ته دروغ تړونكى يې، بلكې د دوى اكثره نه پوهېږي
wa-idhā baddalnā āyatan makāna āyatin wal-lahu aʿlamu bimā yunazzilu qālū innamā anta muf'tarin bal aktharuhum lā yaʿlamūna
Word by word
- وَإِذَا wa-idhā And when
- بَدَّلْنَآ baddalnā We substitute
- ءَايَةًۭ āyatan a Verse
- مَّكَانَ makāna (in) place
- ءَايَةٍۢ ۙ āyatin (of) a Verse
- وَٱللَّهُ wal-lahu and Allah
- أَعْلَمُ aʿlamu (is) most knowing
- بِمَا bimā of what
- يُنَزِّلُ yunazzilu He sends down
- قَالُوٓا۟ qālū they say
- إِنَّمَآ innamā Only
- أَنتَ anta you
- مُفْتَرٍۭ ۚ muf'tarin (are) an inventor
- بَلْ bal Nay
- أَكْثَرُهُمْ aktharuhum most of them
- لَا lā (do) not
- يَعْلَمُونَ yaʿlamūna know
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
The Idolators' Accusation that the Prophet was a Liar since some Ayat were abrogated, and the Refutation of their Claim
Allah tells us of the weak minds of the idolators, and their lack of faith and conviction. He explains that it is impossible for them to have faith when He has decreed that they are doomed. When they saw that some rulings had been changed by being abrogated, they said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مُفْتَرٍ
(You are but a forger) meaning one who tells lies. But Allah is the Lord Who does whatever He wills, and rules as He wants.
بَدَّلْنَآ ءَايَةً مَّكَانَ ءَايَةٍ
(And when We change a verse (of the Qur'an) in place of another) Mujahid said: this means, "We remove one and put another in its place." Qatadah said: this is like the Ayah:
مَا نَنسَخْ مِنْ ءَايَةٍ أَوْ نُنسِهَا
(Whatever verse We change abrogate or omit the abrogated...)" (2:106). Allah said, in response to them:
قُلْ نَزَّلَهُ رُوحُ الْقُدُسِ
(Say: "Ruh-ul-Qudus has brought it...") meaning, Jibril,
مِّن رَّبِّكَ بِالْحَقِّ
(from your Lord with truth, ) meaning, with truthfulness and justice
لِيُثَبِّتَ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ
(for the conviction of those who believe,) so that they will believe what was revealed earlier and what was revealed later, and humble themselves towards Allah.
وَهُدًى وَبُشْرَى لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ
(and as a guide and good news for the Muslims.) meaning He has made it a guide and good news to the Muslims who believe in Allah and His Messengers.