25:4

وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓاْ إِنۡ هَٰذَآ إِلَّآ إِفۡكٌ ٱفۡتَرَىٰهُ وَأَعَانَهُۥ عَلَيۡهِ قَوۡمٌ ءَاخَرُونَۖ فَقَدۡ جَآءُو ظُلۡمٗا وَزُورٗا

Waqala allatheena kafaroo in hatha illa ifkun iftarahu waaAAanahu AAalayhi qawmun akharoona faqad jaoo thulman wazooran

And those who disbelieve say, "This [Qur'an] is not except a falsehood he invented, and another people assisted him in it." But they have committed an injustice and a lie.

Word by word
  1. وَقَالَAnd say
  2. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  3. كَفَرُوٓاْdisbelieve
  4. إِنۡNot
  5. هَٰذَآthis
  6. إِلَّآ(is) but
  7. إِفۡكٌa lie
  8. ٱفۡتَرَىٰهُhe invented it
  9. وَأَعَانَهُۥand helped him
  10. عَلَيۡهِat it
  11. قَوۡمٌpeople
  12. ءَاخَرُونَۖother
  13. فَقَدۡBut verily
  14. جَآءُوthey (have) produced
  15. ظُلۡمٗاan injustice
  16. وَزُورٗاand a lie
Al-Furqan · 25:4Makkah

They called it a lie and knew they were lying.

The first accusation: he made it up with help


The claim
a liehe invented it
a teamothers helped him
is really
wrong and falsehoodfrom the accusers
What they already knew
liartheir new label
Al-Amintheir old name for him

Quraysh had known the Prophet ﷺ for about forty years and called him Al-Amin, the Trustworthy. When the message came, they suddenly called it an invention made with outside help. Ibn Kathir says their own souls knew the claim was not true.

A colleague gets the promotion you wanted. Last week you praised their work. This week you are telling a friend they probably had help, or charm, or luck. The story changed when your interest did.

I am just being realistic about how they really got there.

When my opinion of someone flips the moment they threaten me, the problem is in me.

Try this

Think of one person you have recently talked down. Say one true good thing about them to someone today.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Those who disbelieve say: "This is nothing but a lie that he has invented, and others have helped him in it." In fact, they have produced an unjust wrong and a lie (4)And they say: "Tales of the ancients which he has written down, and they are dictated to him morning and afternoon. (5)Say: "It has been sent down by Him Who knows the secret of the heavens and the earth. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (6)

What the Disbelievers Said About the Qur'an

Allah tells us about the foolishness of the disbelievers' ignorant minds, when they said about the Qur'an:

إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا إِفْكٌ

(This is nothing but a lie), meaning an untruth.

افْتَرَاهُ 

(that he has invented,) meaning the Prophet .

وَأَعَانَهُ عَلَيْهِ قَوْمٌ آخَرُونَ

(and others have helped him in it.) means, he asked other people to help him compile it. So Allah said:

فَقَدْ جَاءُوا ظُلْمًا وَزُورًا

(In fact, they have produced an unjust wrong and a lie.) meaning, they are the ones who are telling a lie, and they know that it is false, for their own souls know that what they are claiming is not true.

وَقَالُوا أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ اكْتَتَبَهَا

(And they say: "Tales of the ancients which he has written down...") meaning, the ancients wrote them down, and he has copied it.

فَهِيَ تُمْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ

(and they are dictated to him) means, they are read or recited to him.

بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا

(morning and afternoon.) at the beginning and end of the day. Because this idea is so foolish and is so patently false, everyone knows that it is not true. It is known through Mutawatir reports and is a common fact that Muhammad the Messenger of Allah never learned to read or write, either at the beginning or the end of his life. He grew up among them for approximately forty years, from the time he was born until the time when his mission began. They knew all about him, and about his honest and sound character and how he would never lie or do anything immoral or bad. They even used to call him Al-Amin (the Trustworthy One) from a young age, until his mission began, because they saw how truthful and honest he was. When Allah honored him with that which He honored him, they declared their enmity towards him and came up with all these accusations which any reasonable person would know he was innocent of. They were not sure what to accuse him of. Sometimes they said that he was a sorcerer, at other times they would say he was a poet, or crazy, or a liar. So Allah said:

انظُرْ كَيْفَ ضَرَبُوا لَكَ الْأَمْثَالَ فَضَلُّوا فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ سَبِيلًا

(See what examples they have put forward for you. So they have gone astray, and never can they find a way.)(17:48) In response to their stubbornness, Allah says here:

قُلْ أَنزَلَهُ الَّذِي يَعْلَمُ السِّرَّ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ

(Say: "It has been sent down by Him Who knows the secret of the heavens and the earth".) meaning, He has revealed the Qur'an which includes true information about the earlier and later generations, information which concurs with the realities of the past and future.

الَّذِي يَعْلَمُ السِّرَّ

(Who knows the secret) means, Allah is the One Who knows the unseen in the heavens and on the earth; He knows their secrets just as He knows what is visible therein.

إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا

(Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) This is an invitation to them to repent and turn back to Allah, telling them that His mercy is vast and His patience is immense. Whoever repents to Him, He accepts his repentance. Despite all their lies, immorality, falsehood, disbelief and stubbornness, and saying what they said about the Messenger and the Qur'an, He still invites them to repent and give up their sin, and to come to Islam and true guidance. This is like the Ayat:

لَّقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ ثَالِثُ ثَلَاثَةٍ ۘ وَمَا مِنْ إِلَٰهٍ إِلَّا إِلَٰهٌ وَاحِدٌ ۚ وَإِن لَّمْ يَنتَهُوا عَمَّا يَقُولُونَ لَيَمَسَّنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ - أَفَلَا يَتُوبُونَ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَهُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(Surely, disbelievers are those who said: "Allah is the third of the three." But there is no god but One God. And if they cease not from what they say, verily, a painful torment will befall on the disbelievers among them. Will they not turn with repentance to Allah and ask His forgiveness For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.)(5:73-74)

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ فَتَنُوا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَتُوبُوا فَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ الْحَرِيقِ

(Verily, those who put into trial the believing men and believing women, and then do not turn in repentance, then they will have the torment of Hell, and they will have the punishment of the burning Fire.)(85:10) Al-Hasan Al-Basri said: "Look at this kindness and generosity! They killed His friends and He is calling them to repentance and mercy."