Quran Universe
13:30

كَذَٰلِكَ أَرۡسَلۡنَٰكَ فِيٓ أُمَّةٖ قَدۡ خَلَتۡ مِن قَبۡلِهَآ أُمَمٞ لِّتَتۡلُوَاْ عَلَيۡهِمُ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَوۡحَيۡنَآ إِلَيۡكَ وَهُمۡ يَكۡفُرُونَ بِٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِۚ قُلۡ هُوَ رَبِّي لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ عَلَيۡهِ تَوَكَّلۡتُ وَإِلَيۡهِ مَتَابِ

Kathalika arsalnaka fee ommatin qad khalat min qabliha omamun litatluwa AAalayhimu allathee awhayna ilayka wahum yakfuroona bialrrahmani qul huwa rabbee la ilaha illa huwa AAalayhi tawakkaltu wailayhi matabi

Thus have We sent you to a community before which [other] communities have passed on so you might recite to them that which We revealed to you, while they disbelieve in the Most Merciful. Say, "He is my Lord; there is no deity except Him. Upon Him I rely, and to Him is my return."

Word by word
  1. كَذَٰلِكَThus
  2. أَرۡسَلۡنَٰكَWe have sent you
  3. فِيٓto
  4. أُمَّةٖa nation
  5. قَدۡverily
  6. خَلَتۡhave passed away
  7. مِنfrom
  8. قَبۡلِهَآbefore it
  9. أُمَمٞnations
  10. لِّتَتۡلُوَاْso that you might recite
  11. عَلَيۡهِمُto them
  12. ٱلَّذِيٓwhat
  13. أَوۡحَيۡنَآWe revealed
  14. إِلَيۡكَto you
  15. وَهُمۡwhile they
  16. يَكۡفُرُونَdisbelieve
  17. بِٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِۚin the Most Gracious
  18. قُلۡSay
  19. هُوَHe
  20. رَبِّي(is) my Lord
  21. لَآ(there is) no
  22. إِلَٰهَgod
  23. إِلَّاexcept
  24. هُوَHim
  25. عَلَيۡهِUpon Him
  26. تَوَكَّلۡتُI put my trust
  27. وَإِلَيۡهِand to Him
  28. مَتَابِ(is) my return
Ar-Ra'd · 13:30Madinah

He is my Lord, I rely on Him, I turn to Him.

The Prophet's answer to people rejecting the Most Merciful

The mission
earlier nationsmessengers rejected too
now
the Prophet ﷺsent to recite revelation
to people who
reject Ar-Rahmanthe Most Merciful
His reply
argue backmatch their anger
my Lord, my trustand to Him I turn

The Prophet ﷺ was sent like messengers before him, who were also rejected. Ibn Kathir notes the Quraysh disliked the name Ar-Rahman, and at Hudaybiyyah refused to write it. The reply is calm: He is my Lord, in Him I trust, to Him I return.

Your coworkers joke about religion at lunch, and you feel the heat rise. You could argue, or go silent and ashamed. There is a third way: quiet certainty. He is my Lord, I rely on Him. Nothing more needs proving.

When people reject my faith, I have to win the argument.

I can state who my Lord is, trust Him, and leave it there.

Try this

Memorise the last line of this verse and say it to yourself the next time faith feels awkward in public.

Related6:3417:110
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Thus have We sent you to a community before whom other communities have passed away, in order that you might recite unto them what We have revealed to you, while they disbelieve in the Most Gracious (Allah). Say: "He is my Lord! None has the right to be worshipped but He! In Him is my trust, and to Him I turn. (30)

Our Prophet (ﷺ) was sent to recite and call to Allah's Revelation

Allah says, 'Just as We sent you, O Muhammad, to your Ummah,

لِّتَتْلُوَ عَلَيْهِمُ الَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ

(..in order that you might recite unto them what We have revealed to you,) so that you deliver to them Allah's Message. Likewise, We sent others to earlier nations that disbelieved in Allah. The Messengers whom We sent before you, were also denied and rejected, so you have an example in what they faced. And since We sent Our torment and revenge on those people, then let these people fear what will strike them, for their denial of you is harsher than the denial that the previous Messengers faced,'

تَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَىٰ أُمَمٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ

(By Allah, We indeed sent (Messengers) to the nations before you.)[16:63] Allah said in another Ayah,

وَلَقَدْ كُذِّبَتْ رُسُلٌ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَصَبَرُوا عَلَىٰ مَا كُذِّبُوا وَأُوذُوا حَتَّىٰ أَتَاهُمْ نَصْرُنَا ۚ وَلَا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ ۚ وَلَقَدْ جَاءَكَ مِن نَّبَإِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ

(Verily, many Messengers were denied before you, with patience they bore the denial and suffering until; till Our help reached them, and none can alter the Words (decree) of Allah. Surely, there has reached you the information (news) about the Messengers (before you).)[6:34], meaning, 'How We gave them victory and granted the best end for them and their followers in this life and the Hereafter. ' Allah said next,

وَهُمْ يَكْفُرُونَ بِالرَّحْمَٰنِ

(while they disbelieve in the Most Gracious (Allah).) Allah says, 'These people, that We sent you to, disbelieve in the Most Gracious and deny Him, because they dislike describing Allah by Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim [the Most Gracious, Most Merciful].' This is why on the day of Al-Hudaybiyyah, as Al-Bukhari narrated, they refused to write, "In the Name of Allah, Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim," saying, "We do not know Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim!" Qatadah narrated this words. Allah the Exalted said,

قُلِ ادْعُوا اللَّهَ أَوِ ادْعُوا الرَّحْمَٰنَ ۖ أَيًّا مَّا تَدْعُوا فَلَهُ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ

(Say: "Invoke Allah or invoke the Most Gracious (Allah), by whatever name you invoke Him, for to Him belong the Best Names.)[17:110] In his Sahih, Imam Muslim recorded that 'Abdullah bin 'Umar said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

إِنَّ أَحَبَّ الْأَسْمَاءِ إِلَى اللهِ تَعَالَى عَبْدُ اللهِ وَعَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ

(The most beloved names to Allah the Exalted are: 'Abdullah and 'Abdur-Rahman.) Allah said next,

قُلْ هُوَ رَبِّي لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ

(Say: "He is my Lord! None has the right to be worshipped but He!") meaning: for I believe in Allah in Whom you disbelieve and affirm His Divinity and Lordship. He is my Lord, there is no deity worthy of worship except Him,

عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ

(In Him is my trust,) in all of my affairs,

وَإِلَيْهِ مَتَابِ

(and to Him I turn.) meaning: to Him I return and repent, for He alone is worthy of all this and none else besides Him.