Quran Universe
26:210

وَمَا تَنَزَّلَتۡ بِهِ ٱلشَّيَٰطِينُ

Wama tanazzalat bihi alshshayateenu

And the devils have not brought the revelation down.

Word by word
  1. وَمَاAnd not
  2. تَنَزَّلَتۡhave brought it down
  3. بِهِhave brought it down
  4. ٱلشَّيَٰطِينُthe devils
Ash-Shu'ara · 26:210Makkah

It was not the devils who brought it down.

Answering the claim of magic and soothsaying

Who brought it
the devilscorrupt and misguide
Jibrilthe trustworthy Ruh
What the content shows
devils' workcorrupting people
the Quranright, light, guidance

Quraysh called the Prophet ﷺ a sorcerer. Allah answers: it is not the Shayatin who brought it down. Ibn Kathir explains the nature of devils is to corrupt and misguide, while this Book enjoins what is right, forbids evil, and is light and guidance.

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

And it is not the Shayatin (devils) who have brought it down (210)Neither would it suit them nor are they able (211)Verily, they have been removed far from hearing it (212)

The Qur'an Was Brought Down by Jibril, Not Shaytan

Allah tells us about His Book, which falsehood cannot approach from before or behind it, sent down by the All-Wise, Worthy of all praise. He states that it has been brought down by the trustworthy Ruh (i.e., Jibril) who is helped by Allah,

وَمَا تَنَزَّلَتْ بِهِ الشَّيَاطِينُ

(And it is not the Shayatin who have brought it down.) Then He tells us that it could not be the case for three reasons that the Shayatin brought it down. One is that it would not suit them, i.e., they have no desire to do so and they do not want to, because their nature is to corrupt and misguide people, but this contains words enjoining what is right and forbidding what is evil, and light, guidance and mighty proofs. There is a big difference between this and the Shayatin, Allah says:

وَمَا يَنبَغِي لَهُمْ

(Neither would it suit them)

وَمَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ

(nor are they able.) meaning, even if they wanted to, they could not do it. Allah says:

لَوْ أَنزَلْنَا هَٰذَا الْقُرْآنَ عَلَىٰ جَبَلٍ لَّرَأَيْتَهُ خَاشِعًا مُّتَصَدِّعًا مِّنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ

(Had We sent down this Qur'an on a mountain, you would surely have seen it humbling itself and rent asunder by the fear of Allah)(59:21).

Then Allah explains that even if they wanted to and were able to bear it and convey it, they still would not be able to achieve that, because they were prevented from hearing the Qur'an when it was brought down, for the heavens were filled with guardians and shooting stars at the time when the Qur'an was being revealed to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, so none of the Shayatin could hear even one letter of it, lest there be any confusion in the matter. This is a part of Allah's mercy towards His servants, protection of His Laws, and support for His Book and His Messenger ﷺ. Allah says:

إِنَّهُمْ عَنِ السَّمْعِ لَمَعْزُولُونَ

(Verily, they have been removed far from hearing it.) This is like what Allah tells us about the Jinn:

وَأَنَّا لَمَسْنَا السَّمَاءَ فَوَجَدْنَاهَا مُلِئَتْ حَرَسًا شَدِيدًا وَشُهُبًا - وَأَنَّا كُنَّا نَقْعُدُ مِنْهَا مَقَاعِدَ لِلسَّمْعِ ۖ فَمَن يَسْتَمِعِ الْآنَ يَجِدْ لَهُ شِهَابًا رَّصَدًا

(And we have sought to reach the heaven; but found it filled with stern guards and flaming fires. And verily, we used to sit there in stations, to (steal) a hearing, but any who listens now will find a flaming fire watching him in ambush.) until;

أَمْ أَرَادَ بِهِمْ رَبُّهُمْ رَشَدًا

(or whether their Lord intends for them a right path)[72:8-10].