Surah Al An'am Tafseer

The Qur'an is Allah's Proof Against His Creation

Allah says;

أَن تَقُولُواْ إِنَّمَا أُنزِلَ الْكِتَابُ عَلَى طَأيِفَتَيْنِ مِن قَبْلِنَا

Lest you should say:"The Book was sent down only to two sects before us,

Ibn Jarir commented on the Ayah,

"The Ayah means, this is a Book that We sent down, so that you do not say,

إِنَّمَا أُنزِلَ الْكِتَابُ عَلَى طَأيِفَتَيْنِ مِن قَبْلِنَا

("The Book was sent down only to two sects before us)." This way, you will have no excuse.

Allah said in another Ayah,

وَلَوْلا أَن تُصِيبَهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ فَيَقُولُواْ رَبَّنَا لَوْلا أَرْسَلْتَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولاً فَنَتِّبِعَ ءايَـتِكَ

Otherwise, they would have suffered a calamity because of what their hands sent forth, and said:"Our Lord! Why did You not send us a Messenger We would then have followed Your Ayat."" (28:47)

The Ayah,

عَلَى طَأيِفَتَيْنِ مِن قَبْلِنَا

(to two sects before us),

According to Ali bin Abi Talhah who narrated it from Ibn Abbas,

refers to the Jews and Christians,

Similar was reported from Mujahid, As-Suddi, Qatadah and several others.

Allah's statement,

وَإِن كُنَّا عَن دِرَاسَتِهِمْ لَغَافِلِينَ

"...and for our part, we were in fact unaware of what they studied."

meaning:`we did not understand what they said because the revelation was not in our tongue. We, indeed, were busy and unaware of their message,' so they said.

Allah said next