Sura-26 [Al Shu'ara'mecca 47]

The Quranic Text & Ali’s version:

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.)

وَلَوْ نَزَّلْنَاهُ عَلَى بَعْضِ الْأَعْجَمِينَ ﴿١٩٨﴾

26:198. Had We revealed it to any of the non-Arabs,

فَقَرَأَهُ عَلَيْهِم مَّا كَانُوا بِهِ مُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿١٩٩﴾

26:199. And had he recited it to them, they would not have believed in it.

C3228. The turn of Arabia having come for receiving Allah's Revelation, as was foretold in previous Revelations, it was inevitable that it should be in the Arab tongue through the mouth of an Arab. Otherwise it would have been unintelligible, and the Arabs could not have received the Faith and become the vehicles for its promulgation as actually happened in history.

Other versions:

26:197

Is it not evidence enough for them 84 that [so many] learned men from among the children of Israel have recognized this [as true]? 85 (26:198) But [even] had We bestowed it from on high upon any of the non- Arabs, (26: 199) and had he recited it unto them [in his own tonguej, they would not have believed in it. 86

[[ Asad’s notes - 84 I.e., for those who disbelieve in the prophethood of Muhammad.

85 Sc., "and in consequence have become Muslims" : for instance, 'Abd Allah ibn Salim, Ka'b ibn Malik and other learned Jews of Medina in the lifetime of the Prophet, Ka'b al-Ahbar the Yemenite and a number of his compatriots during the reign of 'Umar, and countless others throughout the world who embraced Islam in the course of centuries. The reason why only learned Jews and not learned Christians as well are spoken of in this context lies in the fact that - contrary to the Torah, which still exists, albeit in a corrupted form - the original revelation granted to Jesus has been lost (see surah 3, note 4) and cannot, therefore, be cited in evidence of the basic identity of his teachings with those of the Qur'an.

86 As the Qur'an points out in many places, most of the Meccan contemporaries of Muhammad refused in the beginning to believe in his prophethood on the ground that God could not have entrusted "a man from among themselves" with His message: and this in spite of the fact that the Qur'an was expressed "in the clear Arabic tongue", which they could fully understand: but (so the argument goes) if the Prophet had been a foreigner, and his message expressed in a non- Arabic tongue, they would have been even less prepared to accept it - for then they would have had the legitimate excuse that they were unable to understand it (cf. 41 :44).

87 I.e., not to take root in their hearts, but to "go into one ear and out of the other". As regards God's "causing" this to happen, see surah 2, note 7, and surah 14, note 4. ]

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

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.)

وَلَوْ نَزَّلْنَاهُ عَلَى بَعْضِ الْأَعْجَمِينَ ﴿١٩٨﴾

198. Had We revealed it to any of the non-Arabs,

فَقَرَأَهُ عَلَيْهِم مَّا كَانُوا بِهِ مُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿١٩٩﴾

199. And had he recited it to them, they would not have believed in it.

كَذَلِكَ سَلَكْنَاهُ فِي قُلُوبِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ ﴿٢٠٠﴾

200. Thus have We caused it to enter the hearts of the Sinners.

26:200 Thus have We caused this [message] to pass [unheeded] through the hearts of those who are lost in sin:

كَذَلِكَ سَلَكْنَاهُ فِي قُلُوبِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ ﴿٢٠٠﴾