Surah Shuara ayat 197 Tafsir Quran 26:197

﴿أَوَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُمْ آيَةً أَن يَعْلَمَهُ عُلَمَاءُ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ﴾
[ الشعراء: 197]

26:197 And has it not been a sign to them that it is recognized by the scholars of the Children of Israel?

Is it not a sign of this fact for them for the disbelievers of Mecca that the learned of the Children of Israel recognise it? those such as ‘Abd Allāh b. Salām and his companions from among those who became Muslim believers they are able inform you of this read yakun with āyatan in the accusative or takun with āyatun in the nominative.

Is it not an attestation to its credit and a ground for belief that the learned among the Children of Israel do know it is the truth

The Qur'an was mentioned in the Previous Scriptures Allah says: this Qur'an was mentioned and referred to in the previous Scriptures that were left behind by their Prophets who foretold it in ancient times and more recently.
Allah took a covenant from them that they would follow it, and the last of them stood and addressed his people with the good news of Ahmad: وَإِذْ قَالَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ يبَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ إِنِّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُم مُّصَدِّقاً لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَىَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَمُبَشِّراً بِرَسُولٍ يَأْتِى مِن بَعْدِى اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ ( And (remember ) when `Isa, son of Maryam, said: "O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allah unto you, confirming the Tawrah before me, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad.) ( 61:6 ) Zubur here refers to Books; Zubur is the plural of Az-Zabur, which is also the name used to refer to the Book given to Dawud.
Allah says: وَكُلُّ شَىْءٍ فَعَلُوهُ فِى الزُّبُرِ ( And everything they have done is noted in the Az-Zubur. ) ( 54:52 ), meaning, it is recorded against them in the books of the angels.
Then Allah says: أَوَلَمْيَكُن لَّهُمْ ءَايَةً أَن يَعْلَمَهُ عُلَمَاءُ بَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ ( Is it not a sign to them that the learned scholars of the Children of Israel knew it ) meaning, is it not sufficient witness to the truth for them that the scholars of the Children of Israel found this Qur'an mentioned in the Scriptures which they study The meaning is: the fair-minded among them admitted that the attributes of Muhammad ﷺ and his mission and his Ummah were mentioned in their Books, as was stated by those among them who believed, such as `Abdullah bin Salam, Salman Al-Farisi and others who met the Prophet .
Allah said: الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِىَّ الأُمِّىَّ ( Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write ... ) ( 7:157 ) The Intense Disbelief of Quraysh Then Allah tells us how intense the disbelief of Quraysh was, and how stubbornly they resisted the Qur'an.
If this Book with all its eloquence had been revealed to a non-Arab who did not know one word of Arabic, they still would not have believed in him.
Allah says: وَلَوْ نَزَّلْنَـهُ عَلَى بَعْضِ الاٌّعْجَمِينَ فَقَرَأَهُ عَلَيْهِم مَّا كَانُوا بِهِ مُؤْمِنِينَ- ( And if We had revealed it unto any of the non-Arabs, And he had recited it unto them, they would not have believed in it. ) And Allah says: وَلَوْ فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَاباً مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ فَظَلُّواْ فِيهِ يَعْرُجُونَ لَقَالُواْ إِنَّمَا سُكِّرَتْ أَبْصَـرُنَا ( And even if We opened to them a gate from the heaven and they were to keep on ascending thereto.
They would surely say: "Our eyes have been dazzled..." ) ( 15:14-15 ) وَلَوْ أَنَّنَا نَزَّلْنَآ إِلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَـئِكَةَ وَكَلَّمَهُمُ الْمَوْتَى ( And even if We had sent down unto them angels, and the dead had spoken unto them... ) ( 6:111 ) إِنَّ الَّذِينَ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِمْ كَلِمَةُ رَبِّكَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ ( Truly, those, against whom the Word of your Lord has been justified, will not believe. ) ( 10:96 ) كَذَلِكَ سَلَكْنَاهُ فِي قُلُوبِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ - لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ حَتَّى يَرَوُاْ الْعَذَابَ الاٌّلِيمَ - فَيَأْتِيَهُم بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لاَ يَشْعُرُونَ - فَيَقُولُواْ هَلْ نَحْنُ مُنظَرُونَ - أَفَبِعَذَابِنَا يَسْتَعْجِلُونَ - أَفَرَأَيْتَ إِن مَّتَّعْنَـهُمْ سِنِينَ - ثُمَّ جَآءَهُم مَّا كَانُواْ يُوعَدُونَ - مَآ أَغْنَى عَنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يُمَتَّعُونَ - وَمَآ أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍ إِلاَّ لَهَا مُنذِرُونَ

(26:197) Is it not a Sign for the people (of Makkah) that the learned men of the Children of Israel know it ? *123

And has it not been a sign meaning

*123) That is, " The learned men of the Israelites know that the teachings of the Qur'an are the same as of the former Scriptures.
Though the people of Makkah themselves are un-initiated in the knowledge of the Book, there are many scholars among the Israelites living in the surrounding areas, who fully understand that the Qur'an did not bring a novel "message" , which was being presented by Muhammad bin `Abdullah for the first time, but it was the same message which had been brought and preached by Prophets of Allah one after the other since thousands of years.
Is it not then a convincing proof of the fact that the Qur'an has been sent down by the same Lord of the universe, Who sent down the former Books ? " '
According to Ibn Hisham's Life of the Holy Prophet, a little before the revelation of these verses a deputation of 20 men, who had been influenced by the preaching of Hadrat Ja'far, came to Makkah from Habash.
They met the Holy Prophet in Masjid al-Haram and asked him in the presence of the unbelieving Quraish what his teachings were.
In response, the Holy Prophet recited a few verses of the Qur'an, whereupon tears came down from their eyes and they believed in him there and then to be a true Messenger of Allah.
When they took leave of the Holy Prophet, Abu Jahl met them along with a few other men of the Quraish and rebuked them, saying, " Never has a more stupid company come here before: O foolish men, you were sent here by your people with a view to inquiring about this man, but no sooner did you meet him than you gave up your own faith! " " those gentle people did not like to have a dispute with Abu Jahl, so they left him, saying, "We have no wish to enter an argument with you: you are responsible for your faith and we are for ours: we adopted something in which we saw some good for ourselves." ( Vol II, p.
32 ).
This same incident has been mentioned in Surah Qasas, thus: "Those to whom We had given the Book before this, believe in the Qur'an and when it is recited to them, they say, 'We have believed in it: this is the very Truth from our Lord: we were even before this followers of Islam'.
And when they heard vain and meaningless talk, they refrained from entering an argument, saying, `For us are our deeds and for you yours: peace be to you: we do not like the ways of the ignorant!"' ( vv.
52-55 ).

 

The Qur'an was mentioned in the Previous Scriptures Allah says: this Qur'an was mentioned and referred to in the previous Scriptures that were left behind by their Prophets who foretold it in ancient times and more recently.
Allah took a covenant from them that they would follow it, and the last of them stood and addressed his people with the good news of Ahmad: وَإِذْ قَالَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ يبَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ إِنِّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُم مُّصَدِّقاً لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَىَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَمُبَشِّراً بِرَسُولٍ يَأْتِى مِن بَعْدِى اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ ( And (remember ) when `Isa, son of Maryam, said: "O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allah unto you, confirming the Tawrah before me, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad.) ( 61:6 ) Zubur here refers to Books; Zubur is the plural of Az-Zabur, which is also the name used to refer to the Book given to Dawud.
Allah says: وَكُلُّ شَىْءٍ فَعَلُوهُ فِى الزُّبُرِ ( And everything they have done is noted in the Az-Zubur. ) ( 54:52 ), meaning, it is recorded against them in the books of the angels.
Then Allah says: أَوَلَمْيَكُن لَّهُمْ ءَايَةً أَن يَعْلَمَهُ عُلَمَاءُ بَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ ( Is it not a sign to them that the learned scholars of the Children of Israel knew it ) meaning, is it not sufficient witness to the truth for them that the scholars of the Children of Israel found this Qur'an mentioned in the Scriptures which they study The meaning is: the fair-minded among them admitted that the attributes of Muhammad ﷺ and his mission and his Ummah were mentioned in their Books, as was stated by those among them who believed, such as `Abdullah bin Salam, Salman Al-Farisi and others who met the Prophet .
Allah said: الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِىَّ الأُمِّىَّ ( Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write ... ) ( 7:157 ) The Intense Disbelief of Quraysh Then Allah tells us how intense the disbelief of Quraysh was, and how stubbornly they resisted the Qur'an.
If this Book with all its eloquence had been revealed to a non-Arab who did not know one word of Arabic, they still would not have believed in him.
Allah says: وَلَوْ نَزَّلْنَـهُ عَلَى بَعْضِ الاٌّعْجَمِينَ فَقَرَأَهُ عَلَيْهِم مَّا كَانُوا بِهِ مُؤْمِنِينَ- ( And if We had revealed it unto any of the non-Arabs, And he had recited it unto them, they would not have believed in it. ) And Allah says: وَلَوْ فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَاباً مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ فَظَلُّواْ فِيهِ يَعْرُجُونَ لَقَالُواْ إِنَّمَا سُكِّرَتْ أَبْصَـرُنَا ( And even if We opened to them a gate from the heaven and they were to keep on ascending thereto.
They would surely say: "Our eyes have been dazzled..." ) ( 15:14-15 ) وَلَوْ أَنَّنَا نَزَّلْنَآ إِلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَـئِكَةَ وَكَلَّمَهُمُ الْمَوْتَى ( And even if We had sent down unto them angels, and the dead had spoken unto them... ) ( 6:111 ) إِنَّ الَّذِينَ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِمْ كَلِمَةُ رَبِّكَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ ( Truly, those, against whom the Word of your Lord has been justified, will not believe. ) ( 10:96 ) كَذَلِكَ سَلَكْنَاهُ فِي قُلُوبِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ - لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ حَتَّى يَرَوُاْ الْعَذَابَ الاٌّلِيمَ - فَيَأْتِيَهُم بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لاَ يَشْعُرُونَ - فَيَقُولُواْ هَلْ نَحْنُ مُنظَرُونَ - أَفَبِعَذَابِنَا يَسْتَعْجِلُونَ - أَفَرَأَيْتَ إِن مَّتَّعْنَـهُمْ سِنِينَ - ثُمَّ جَآءَهُم مَّا كَانُواْ يُوعَدُونَ - مَآ أَغْنَى عَنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يُمَتَّعُونَ - وَمَآ أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍ إِلاَّ لَهَا مُنذِرُونَ

( Is it not a token ) a sign for the prophethood of Muhammad, Allah bless him and give peace, ( for them ) for the people of Mecca ( that the doctors of the Children of Israel know it? ) That is, when they asked them about Muhammad ( pbuh ) and the Qur’an and they informed them about both.

Is it not a sign to them that the learned scholars (like 'Abdullah bin Salam who embraced Islam) of the Children of Israel knew it (as true)?

Page 375 English transliteration