Surah 40 Ghafir — Ayah 78
وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلًۭا مِّن قَبْلِكَ مِنْهُم مَّن قَصَصْنَا عَلَيْكَ وَمِنْهُم مَّن لَّمْ نَقْصُصْ عَلَيْكَ ۗ وَمَا كَانَ لِرَسُولٍ أَن يَأْتِىَ بِـَٔايَةٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَمْرُ ٱللَّهِ قُضِىَ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَخَسِرَ هُنَالِكَ ٱلْمُبْطِلُونَ
And We have already sent messengers before you. Among them are those [whose stories] We have related to you, and among them are those [whose stories] We have not related to you. And it was not for any messenger to bring a sign [or verse] except by permission of Allah. So when the command of Allah comes, it will be concluded in truth, and the falsifiers will thereupon lose [all].
walaqad arsalnā rusulan min qablika min'hum man qaṣaṣnā ʿalayka wamin'hum man lam naqṣuṣ ʿalayka wamā kāna lirasūlin an yatiya biāyatin illā bi-idh'ni l-lahi fa-idhā jāa amru l-lahi quḍiya bil-ḥaqi wakhasira hunālika l-mub'ṭilūna
Word by word
- وَلَقَدْ walaqad And certainly
- أَرْسَلْنَا arsalnā We have sent
- رُسُلًۭا rusulan Messengers
- مِّن min before you
- قَبْلِكَ qablika before you
- مِنْهُم min'hum Among them
- مَّن man (are) who
- قَصَصْنَا qaṣaṣnā We have related
- عَلَيْكَ ʿalayka to you
- وَمِنْهُم wamin'hum and among them
- مَّن man (are) who
- لَّمْ lam not
- نَقْصُصْ naqṣuṣ We have related
- عَلَيْكَ ۗ ʿalayka to you
- وَمَا wamā And not
- كَانَ kāna is
- لِرَسُولٍ lirasūlin for any Messenger
- أَن an that
- يَأْتِىَ yatiya he brings
- بِـَٔايَةٍ biāyatin a Sign
- إِلَّا illā except
- بِإِذْنِ bi-idh'ni by (the) permission
- ٱللَّهِ ۚ l-lahi (of) Allah
- فَإِذَا fa-idhā So when
- جَآءَ jāa comes
- أَمْرُ amru (the) Command
- ٱللَّهِ l-lahi (of) Allah
- قُضِىَ quḍiya it will be decided
- بِٱلْحَقِّ bil-ḥaqi in truth
- وَخَسِرَ wakhasira and will lose
- هُنَالِكَ hunālika there
- ٱلْمُبْطِلُونَ l-mub'ṭilūna the falsifiers
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
The Command to be Patient and Good News of Victory
Here Allah commands His Messenger to patiently bear the rejection of those who rejected him: `Allah will fulfill His promise to you that you will be victorious and will prevail over your people, and you and those who follow you, will be the successful ones in this world and the Hereafter.'
(and whether We show you some part of what We have promised them,) means, in this world, and this is what happened, for Allah gave them the joy of humiliating the leaders and nobles (of the Quraysh), who were killed on the day of Badr, then Allah granted them victory over Makkah and the entire Arabian Peninsula during the lifetime of the Prophet .
(or We cause you to die, then still it is to Us they all shall be returned.) means, `and We shall inflict a severe punishment upon them in the Hereafter.' Then Allah says, consoling His Prophet :
(And, indeed We have sent Messengers before you, of some of them We have related to you their story.) as Allah also says in Surat An-Nisa', meaning, `We have revealed the stories of some of them and how their people disbelieved in them, but the Messengers ultimately prevailed.'
(And of some We have not related to you their story, ) and they are many, many more than those whose stories have been told, as has been stated in Surat An-Nisa'. Praise and blessings be to Allah.
(and it was not given to any Messenger that he should bring a sign except by the leave of Allah.) means, none of the Prophets was able to bring miracles to his people except when Allah granted him permission to do that as a sign of the truth of the message he brought to them.
(But, when comes the commandment of Allah,) means, His punishment and vengeance which will encompass the disbelievers,
(the matter will be decided with truth,) so the believers will be saved and the disbelievers will be destroyed. Allah says:
(and the followers of falsehood will then be lost.)