26.ash-Shuara, Mecca 47

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَإِنَّهُ لَتَنزِيلُ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿١٩٢﴾

26: 192. Verily this is a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds:

C3223. The hostile reception of some of the previous Messengers having been mentioned, the special characteristics of the Qur-an are now referred to, to show

- that it is true, and

- that its rejection by the Makkan Pagans was of a piece with previous experience in the history of man:

vested interests resist Truth, but it conquers.

نَزَلَ بِهِ الرُّوحُ الْأَمِينُ ﴿١٩٣﴾

26: 193. With it came down the Spirit of Faith and Truth --

C3224. Ruh al Amin, the epithet of Gabriel, who came with the inspired Messages to the holy Prophet, is difficult to render in a single epithet in translation.

In n. 3187 to 26:107 I have described some of the various shades of meaning attached to the adjective Amin as applied to a Prophet.

A further signification as attached to the Spirit of Inspiration is that it is the very quintessence of Faith and Truth, unlike the lying spirits which delude men with falsehood.

On the whole, I think "the Spirit of Faith and Truth" will represent the original best here.

عَلَى قَلْبِكَ لِتَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُنذِرِينَ ﴿١٩٤﴾

26: 194. To thy heart and mind that thou mayest admonish

C3225. Qalb (Heart) signifies not only the seat of the affections, but also the seat of the memory and understanding.

The process of inspiration is indicated by the impression of the divine Message on the inspired one's heart, memory, and understanding, from which it was promulgated in human speech to the world.

In this case the human speech was the perspicuous Arabic tongue, which would be plainly intelligible to the audience who would immediately hear it and be through them transmitted to all the world.

بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِيٍّ مُّبِينٍ ﴿١٩٥﴾

26: 195. In the perspicuous Arabic tongue.

وَإِنَّهُ لَفِي زُبُرِ الْأَوَّلِينَ ﴿١٩٦﴾

26: 196. Without doubt it is (announced) in the mystic Books of former peoples.

C3226. The word Zubur, used here, is plural of Zabar, which is mentioned in the Quran as the Book revealed to the prophet Da'ud.

It has also been used in the Quran in generic sense of "Book" (54:52).

Here the word refers to the earlier Revelations. (Eds).

أَوَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُمْ آيَةً أَن يَعْلَمَهُ عُلَمَاء بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ ﴿١٩٧﴾

26: 197. Is it not a Sign to them that the learned of the Children of Israel knew it (as true)?

C3227. Many of the Jewish Doctors recognised the holy Prophet's Message as a Message from Allah, e.g., 'Abdullah ibn Salam and Mukhairiq.

The latter was a man of property, which he left for Islam.

(There were also Christian monks and learned men who recognised the Prophet's mission.)

Asad’s Version:

26:192 NOW, BEHOLD, this [divine writ) has indeed been bestowed from on high by the Sustainer of all the worlds: 77

(26:193) trustworthy divine inspiration has alighted with it from on high

(26:194) upon thy heart, [O Muhammad] so that thou mayest be among those who preach

(26: 195) in the clear Arabic tongue. 82

26:196 And, verily, [the essence of) this [revelation) is indeed found in the ancient books of divine wisdom [as well]. 85

Other versions:

[[Asad’s notes - 80 Thus the discourse returns to the theme enunciated at the beginning of this surah, namely, the phenomenon of divine revelation as exemplified in the Qur'an, and men's reactions to it.

81 According to almost all the classical commentators, the expression ar-ruh al-amin (lit., "the faithful [or "trustworthy"] spirit") is a designation of Gabriel, the Angel of Revelation, who, by virtue of his purely spiritual, functional nature, is incapable of sinning and cannot, therefore, be other than utterly faithful to the trust reposed in him by God (cf 16:50). On the other hand, since the term ruh is often used in the Qur'an in the sense of "divine inspiration" (see surah 2, note 71, and surah 16, note 2), it may have this latter meaning in the above context as well, especially in view of the statement that it had "alighted from on high upon the heart" of the Prophet.

82 See 14:4 - "never have We sent forth any apostle otherwise than [with a message] in his own people's tongue" - and the corresponding note 3. That the message of the Qur'an is, nevertheless, universal has been stressed in many of its verses (e.g., in 7:158 or 25:1). The other prophets mentioned in the Qur'tn who "preached in the Arabic tongue" were Ishmael, Hud, Salih and Shu'ayb, all of them Arabians, in addition, if we bear in mind that Hebrew and Aramaic are but ancient Arabic dialects, all the Hebrew prophets may be included among "those who preached in the Arabic tongue".

83 Lit., "in the scriptures (zubur, sing, zabur) of the ancients" (see surah 21, note 101). This interpretation of the above verse - advanced among others by Zamakhshari and Baydawi (and, according to the former, attributed to Imam Abu Hanifah as well) - is in full consonance with the oft-repeated Qur'anic doctrine that the basic teachings revealed to Muhammad are in their purport (ma'ani) identical with those preached by the earlier prophets. Another, more popular interpretation is, "... this [Qur'an] has been mentioned [or "foretold") in the earlier scriptures" (see in this connection note 33 on 2:42 and - with particular reference to a prediction made by Jesus - note 6 on 61:6).]]