Surah Qasas ayat 47 Tafsir Quran 28:47

﴿وَلَوْلَا أَن تُصِيبَهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ فَيَقُولُوا رَبَّنَا لَوْلَا أَرْسَلْتَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولًا فَنَتَّبِعَ آيَاتِكَ وَنَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ﴾
[ القصص: 47]

28:47 And if not that a disaster should strike them for what their hands put forth [of sins] and they would say, "Our Lord, why did You not send us a messenger so we could have followed Your verses and been among the believers?"...

Otherwise if an affliction a punishment should befall them because of what their own hands have sent before them in the way of disbelief and otherwise they might say ‘Our Lord why did You not send a messenger to us that we might have followed Your signs the ones sent with the messengers and been of the believers?’ the response to the conditional particle lawlā ‘if’ has been omitted and what follows it is a new subject; the meaning is ‘were it not for the affliction that is the cause of their saying’ or ‘were it not for their saying that is the cause of their affliction We would have hastened on for them their punishment and We would not have sent you as a messenger to them’.

Had We not sent you O Muhammad to the people in general and to the Pagans in particular to serve as a spectacle and a warning they would have said when befallen with a misfortune as a reaction to what their wrongful and unclean hands have committed: O Allah, our Creator, if only You had sent to us a Messenger to guide us to Your path in which Your divine signs shine like beacons inciting us to lift to You our inward sight

Proof of the Prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ Allah points out the proof of the prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ, whereby he told others about matters of the past, and spoke about them as if he were hearing and seeing them for himself.
But he was an illiterate man who could not read books, and he grew up among a people who knew nothing of such things.
Similarly, Allah told him about Maryam and her story, as Allah said: وَمَا كُنتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ يُلْقُون أَقْلَـمَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ يَكْفُلُ مَرْيَمَ وَمَا كُنتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ يَخْتَصِمُونَ ( You were not with them, when they cast lots with their pens as to which of them should be charged with the care of Maryam; nor were you with them when they disputed ) ( 3:44 ), meaning, `you were not present then, but Allah has revealed this to you.' Similarly, Allah told him about Nuh and his people, and how He saved Nuh and drowned his people, then He said: تِلْكَ مِنْ أَنْبَآءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوحِيهَآ إِلَيْكَ مَا كُنتَ تَعْلَمُهَآ أَنتَ وَلاَ قَوْمُكَ مِن قَبْلِ هَـذَا فَاصْبِرْ إِنَّ الْعَـقِبَةَ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ ( This is of the news of the Unseen which We reveal unto you ; neither you nor your people knew it before this.
So, be patient.
Surely, the (good ) end is for those who have Taqwa) ( 11:49 ).
And at the end of the same Surah ( Hud ) Allah says: ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَنْبَآءِ الْقُرَى نَقُصُّهُ عَلَيْكَ ( That is some of the news of the towns which We relate unto you ) ( 11: 100 ).
And here, after telling the story of Musa from beginning to end and how Allah began His revelation to him and spoke with him, Allah says: وَمَا كُنتَ بِجَانِبِ الْغَرْبِىِّ إِذْ قَضَيْنَآ إِلَى مُوسَى الاٌّمْرَ ( And you were not on the western side (of the Mount ), when We made clear to Musa the commandment,) meaning, `you -- O Muhammad -- were not on the western side of the mountain where Allah spoke to Musa from the tree which was to the east of it, in the valley.' وَمَا كنتَ مِنَ الشَّـهِدِينَ ( and you were not among the witnesses. ) `to that event, but Allah has revealed this to you,' so that it may be evidence and proof of events which happened centuries ago, for people have forgotten the evidence that Allah established against them and what was revealed to the earlier Prophets. وَمَا كُنتَ ثَاوِياً فِى أَهْلِ مَدْيَنَ تَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـتِنَا ( And you were not a dweller among the people of Madyan, reciting Our Ayat to them. ) meaning, `you were not living among the people of Madyan reciting Our Ayat to them, when you started to tell about Our Prophet Shu`ayb and what he said to his people and how they responded.' وَلَكِنَّا كُنَّا مُرْسِلِينَ ( But it is We Who kept sending.
) means, `but We revealed that to you and sent you to mankind as a Messenger.' وَمَا كُنْتَ بِجَانِبِ الطُّورِ إِذْ نَادَيْنَا ( And you were not at the side of At-Tur when We called. ) Qatadah said that: وَمَا كُنْتَ بِجَانِبِ الطُّورِ إِذْ نَادَيْنَا ( And you were not at the side of At-Tur when We did call. ) refers to Musa, and this -- and Allah knows best -- is like the Ayah: وَمَا كُنتَ بِجَانِبِ الْغَرْبِىِّ إِذْ قَضَيْنَآ إِلَى مُوسَى الاٌّمْرَ ( And you were not on the western side (of the Mount ), when We made clear to Musa the commandment,) Here Allah puts it in a different and more specific way by describing it as a call.
This is like the Ayat: وَإِذْ نَادَى رَبُّكَ مُوسَى ( And (remember ) when your Lord called Musa) ( 26:10 ). إِذْ نَادَاهُ رَبُّهُ بِالْوَادِ الْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًى ( When his Lord called him in the sacred valley of Tuwa ) ( 79:16 ). وَنَـدَيْنَـهُ مِن جَانِبِ الطُّورِ الاٌّيْمَنِ وَقَرَّبْنَاهُ نَجِيّاً ( And We called him from the right side of At-Tur, and made him draw near to Us for a talk with him ) ( 19:52 ). وَلَـكِن رَّحْمَةً مِّن رَّبِّكَ ( But (you are sent ) as a mercy from your Lord,) means, `you were not a witness to any of those things, but Allah has revealed them to you and told you about them as a mercy from Him to you and to His servants, by sending you to them,' لِتُنذِرَ قَوْماً مَّآ أَتَـهُم مِّن نَّذِيرٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ ( to give warning to a people to whom no warner had come before you, in order that they may remember or receive admonition. ) means, `so that they may be guided by that which you bring from Allah.' وَلَوْلا أَن تُصِيبَهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ فَيَقُولُواْ رَبَّنَا لَوْلا أَرْسَلْتَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولاً ( And if (We had ) not ( sent you to the people of Makkah ) -- in case a calamity should seize them for ( the deeds ) that their hands have sent forth, they would have said: "Our Lord! Why did You not send us a Messenger) meaning: `and We have sent you to them to establish proof against them, and to give them no excuse when the punishment of Allah comes to them because of their disbelief, lest they offer the excuse that no Messenger or warner came to them.' This is like what Allah says about the situation after He revealed His blessed Book the Qur'an: أَن تَقُولُواْ إِنَّمَآ أُنزِلَ الْكِتَـبُ عَلَى طَآئِفَتَيْنِ مِن قَبْلِنَا وَإِن كُنَّا عَن دِرَاسَتِهِمْ لَغَـفِلِينَ أَوْ تَقُولُواْ لَوْ أَنَّآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا الْكِتَـبُ لَكُنَّآ أَهْدَى مِنْهُمْ فَقَدْ جَآءَكُمْ بَيِّنَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ ( Lest you should say: "The Book was sent down only to two sects before us, and for our part, we were in fact unaware of what they studied." Or lest you should say: "If only the Book had been sent down to us, we would surely have been better guided than they." So, now has come unto you a clear proof from your Lord, and a guidance and a mercy ) ( 6:156-157 ). رُّسُلاً مُّبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ لِئَلاَّ يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى اللَّهِ حُجَّةٌ بَعْدَ الرُّسُلِ ( Messengers as bearers of good news as well as warning in order that mankind should have no plea against Allah after the Messengers ) ( 4:165 ). يَـأَهْلَ الْكِتَـبِ قَدْ جَآءَكُمْ رَسُولُنَا يُبَيِّنُ لَكُمْ عَلَى فَتْرَةٍ مَّنَ الرُّسُلِ أَن تَقُولُواْ مَا جَآءَنَا مِن بَشِيرٍ وَلاَ نَذِيرٍ فَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ بَشِيرٌ وَنَذِيرٌ ( O People of the Scripture! Now has come to you Our Messenger making (things ) clear unto you, after a break in ( the series of ) Messengers, lest you say: "There came unto us no bringer of glad tidings and no warner." But now has come unto you a bringer of glad tidings and a warner) ( 5:19 ).
And there are many similar Ayat.

(28:47) (This We have done) lest, when a calamity befalls them in consequence of their own misdeeds, 'they should say, "Our Lord, had You sent a messenger to us, we would have obeyed Your Revelations and been among the believers. " *66

And if not that a disaster should meaning

*66) This very thing has been presented at several places in the Qur'an as the reason for sending the Messengers, but it will not be correct to conclude from this that a Messenger should be sent on every occasion at every place for this purpose.
AS long as the message of a Prophet remains intact in the world and the means of conveying it to others exist, there is no need for a new Prophet, unless need arises to supplement the previous message, or to supplant it by a new message, Nevertheless, when the teachings of the Prophets are forgotten, or become mixed up with errors and deviations and can no longer be relied upon as means of guidance, then the people do get a chance to make the excuse that there existed no arrangement whatever to make them aware of the distinction between the Truth and the untruth and guide them to the right way: so they could not be guided aright.
To meet such an excuse Allah sends the Prophets in such conditions so that any one who follows a wrong way after that may himself be held responsible for his going astray.

 

Proof of the Prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ Allah points out the proof of the prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ, whereby he told others about matters of the past, and spoke about them as if he were hearing and seeing them for himself.
But he was an illiterate man who could not read books, and he grew up among a people who knew nothing of such things.
Similarly, Allah told him about Maryam and her story, as Allah said: وَمَا كُنتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ يُلْقُون أَقْلَـمَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ يَكْفُلُ مَرْيَمَ وَمَا كُنتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ يَخْتَصِمُونَ ( You were not with them, when they cast lots with their pens as to which of them should be charged with the care of Maryam; nor were you with them when they disputed ) ( 3:44 ), meaning, `you were not present then, but Allah has revealed this to you.' Similarly, Allah told him about Nuh and his people, and how He saved Nuh and drowned his people, then He said: تِلْكَ مِنْ أَنْبَآءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوحِيهَآ إِلَيْكَ مَا كُنتَ تَعْلَمُهَآ أَنتَ وَلاَ قَوْمُكَ مِن قَبْلِ هَـذَا فَاصْبِرْ إِنَّ الْعَـقِبَةَ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ ( This is of the news of the Unseen which We reveal unto you ; neither you nor your people knew it before this.
So, be patient.
Surely, the (good ) end is for those who have Taqwa) ( 11:49 ).
And at the end of the same Surah ( Hud ) Allah says: ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَنْبَآءِ الْقُرَى نَقُصُّهُ عَلَيْكَ ( That is some of the news of the towns which We relate unto you ) ( 11: 100 ).
And here, after telling the story of Musa from beginning to end and how Allah began His revelation to him and spoke with him, Allah says: وَمَا كُنتَ بِجَانِبِ الْغَرْبِىِّ إِذْ قَضَيْنَآ إِلَى مُوسَى الاٌّمْرَ ( And you were not on the western side (of the Mount ), when We made clear to Musa the commandment,) meaning, `you -- O Muhammad -- were not on the western side of the mountain where Allah spoke to Musa from the tree which was to the east of it, in the valley.' وَمَا كنتَ مِنَ الشَّـهِدِينَ ( and you were not among the witnesses. ) `to that event, but Allah has revealed this to you,' so that it may be evidence and proof of events which happened centuries ago, for people have forgotten the evidence that Allah established against them and what was revealed to the earlier Prophets. وَمَا كُنتَ ثَاوِياً فِى أَهْلِ مَدْيَنَ تَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـتِنَا ( And you were not a dweller among the people of Madyan, reciting Our Ayat to them. ) meaning, `you were not living among the people of Madyan reciting Our Ayat to them, when you started to tell about Our Prophet Shu`ayb and what he said to his people and how they responded.' وَلَكِنَّا كُنَّا مُرْسِلِينَ ( But it is We Who kept sending.
) means, `but We revealed that to you and sent you to mankind as a Messenger.' وَمَا كُنْتَ بِجَانِبِ الطُّورِ إِذْ نَادَيْنَا ( And you were not at the side of At-Tur when We called. ) Qatadah said that: وَمَا كُنْتَ بِجَانِبِ الطُّورِ إِذْ نَادَيْنَا ( And you were not at the side of At-Tur when We did call. ) refers to Musa, and this -- and Allah knows best -- is like the Ayah: وَمَا كُنتَ بِجَانِبِ الْغَرْبِىِّ إِذْ قَضَيْنَآ إِلَى مُوسَى الاٌّمْرَ ( And you were not on the western side (of the Mount ), when We made clear to Musa the commandment,) Here Allah puts it in a different and more specific way by describing it as a call.
This is like the Ayat: وَإِذْ نَادَى رَبُّكَ مُوسَى ( And (remember ) when your Lord called Musa) ( 26:10 ). إِذْ نَادَاهُ رَبُّهُ بِالْوَادِ الْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًى ( When his Lord called him in the sacred valley of Tuwa ) ( 79:16 ). وَنَـدَيْنَـهُ مِن جَانِبِ الطُّورِ الاٌّيْمَنِ وَقَرَّبْنَاهُ نَجِيّاً ( And We called him from the right side of At-Tur, and made him draw near to Us for a talk with him ) ( 19:52 ). وَلَـكِن رَّحْمَةً مِّن رَّبِّكَ ( But (you are sent ) as a mercy from your Lord,) means, `you were not a witness to any of those things, but Allah has revealed them to you and told you about them as a mercy from Him to you and to His servants, by sending you to them,' لِتُنذِرَ قَوْماً مَّآ أَتَـهُم مِّن نَّذِيرٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ ( to give warning to a people to whom no warner had come before you, in order that they may remember or receive admonition. ) means, `so that they may be guided by that which you bring from Allah.' وَلَوْلا أَن تُصِيبَهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ فَيَقُولُواْ رَبَّنَا لَوْلا أَرْسَلْتَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولاً ( And if (We had ) not ( sent you to the people of Makkah ) -- in case a calamity should seize them for ( the deeds ) that their hands have sent forth, they would have said: "Our Lord! Why did You not send us a Messenger) meaning: `and We have sent you to them to establish proof against them, and to give them no excuse when the punishment of Allah comes to them because of their disbelief, lest they offer the excuse that no Messenger or warner came to them.' This is like what Allah says about the situation after He revealed His blessed Book the Qur'an: أَن تَقُولُواْ إِنَّمَآ أُنزِلَ الْكِتَـبُ عَلَى طَآئِفَتَيْنِ مِن قَبْلِنَا وَإِن كُنَّا عَن دِرَاسَتِهِمْ لَغَـفِلِينَ أَوْ تَقُولُواْ لَوْ أَنَّآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا الْكِتَـبُ لَكُنَّآ أَهْدَى مِنْهُمْ فَقَدْ جَآءَكُمْ بَيِّنَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ ( Lest you should say: "The Book was sent down only to two sects before us, and for our part, we were in fact unaware of what they studied." Or lest you should say: "If only the Book had been sent down to us, we would surely have been better guided than they." So, now has come unto you a clear proof from your Lord, and a guidance and a mercy ) ( 6:156-157 ). رُّسُلاً مُّبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ لِئَلاَّ يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى اللَّهِ حُجَّةٌ بَعْدَ الرُّسُلِ ( Messengers as bearers of good news as well as warning in order that mankind should have no plea against Allah after the Messengers ) ( 4:165 ). يَـأَهْلَ الْكِتَـبِ قَدْ جَآءَكُمْ رَسُولُنَا يُبَيِّنُ لَكُمْ عَلَى فَتْرَةٍ مَّنَ الرُّسُلِ أَن تَقُولُواْ مَا جَآءَنَا مِن بَشِيرٍ وَلاَ نَذِيرٍ فَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ بَشِيرٌ وَنَذِيرٌ ( O People of the Scripture! Now has come to you Our Messenger making (things ) clear unto you, after a break in ( the series of ) Messengers, lest you say: "There came unto us no bringer of glad tidings and no warner." But now has come unto you a bringer of glad tidings and a warner) ( 5:19 ).
And there are many similar Ayat.

( Otherwise, if disaster should afflict them ) if the chastisement of the Day of Judgement afflicted your people, the Quraysh, ( because of that which their own hands have sent before (them )) because of what they had earned in their state of disbelief, ( they might say ) upon the coming of the torment of the Day of Judgement on them: ( Our Lord! ) O our Lord! ( Why sentest Thou no messenger unto us ) with a Scripture before You chastised us, ( that we might have followed Your revelations ) Your Scripture and Messenger ( and been of the believers ) in the Scripture and Messenger? If it were otherwise, We would have destroyed them before you, but We have sent them the Qur’an so that they do not have any excuse against Us.

And if (We had) not (sent you to the people of Makkah) in case a calamity should seize them for (the deeds) that their hands have sent forth, they should have said: "Our Lord! Why did You not send us a Messenger? We should then have followed Your Ayat (Verses of the Quran) and should have been among the believers."

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