The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 5) — Page 9
PT. 26 R. 2. AL-AḤQĀF CH. 46 وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَوْ كَانَ And those who disbelieve. 12 say of those who believe: "If it خَيْرًا مَّا سَبَقُونَا إِلَيْهِ وَاِذْ لَمْ يَهْتَدُوا بِهِ were any good, they could not have been ahead of us in attaining it. ' And since they have not been guided thereby, they will say, 'This is an old lie. '3767 فَسَيَقُوْلُوْنَ هَذَا افْكَ قَدِيمُ. وَمِنْ قَبْلِهِ كِتُبُ مُوسَى اِمَامًا وَ رَحْمَةً And before it there was the. 13 Book of Moses, a guide and a وَهُذَا كِتَبٌ مُّصَدِّقَ لِسَانًا عَرَبِيًّا لِيُنْذِرَ mercy; and this is a Book in the الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا وَبُشْرَى لِلْمُحْسِنِينَ Arabic language fulfilling previous prophecies, that it may warn those who do wrong; and as glad tidings to those who do good. 3768 a11:28. 28:44. 20:114; 42:8; 43:4. Israel' could not be, as generally misunderstood, to ‘Abdullah bin Salām, a learned Jew, because 'Abdullāh had accepted Islam in Medina while this Surah was revealed at Mecca. 3767. Commentary: One of the great impediments that stand in the way of truth being accepted by disbelievers is conceit and arrogance. Since it is the poor people and those not high placed in life and generally not conversant with current material sciences, who first accept the Divine Message, the so- called learned and wealthy people regard it beneath their dignity to associate themselves with the humble and lowly believers. It is to this proud attitude of disbelievers that the verse refers. It depicts conceited and arrogant disbelievers as saying to believers, that if there had been any good in the new Teaching, they (disbelievers), who were better placed in life and possessed better knowledge, could not have been outstripped by the former in accepting it, and that, as it was an old, old lie, they could not accept it. 3768. Commentary: Verse 11 above referred to the appearance of a Prophet among the Ishmaelites. The present verse refers to Arabia as the scene of the advent of the Prophet who was to be the like of Moses and to the Book (the Quran) which was to fulfil the prophecies contained in the Book of Moses and which also was to supersede it. The relevant prophecy is as follows: The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye 2905