Surah 10, Yunus (Prophet Yunus), Mecca 51
The Quranic Text & Ali’s translation:
فَإِن
كُنتَ فِي شَكٍّ
مِّمَّا أَنزَلْنَا
إِلَيْكَ فَاسْأَلِ
الَّذِينَ
يَقْرَؤُونَ
الْكِتَابَ
مِن قَبْلِكَ...
10: 94. If thou wert in doubt as to what We have revealed unto thee, then ask those who have been reading the Book from before thee:
...لَقَدْ جَاءكَ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ فَلاَ تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمُمْتَرِينَ ﴿٩٤﴾
the Truth hath indeed come to thee from thy Lord:
so be in nowise of those in doubt.
Transliteration Fa in kunta fi syakkim mimma_ anzalna_ ilaika fas'alil lazina yaqra'u_nal kita_ba min qablik(a), laqad ja_'akal haqqu mir rabbika fala_ taku_nanna minal mumtarin(a).
Other translations:
10: 94 [Yunus, Mecca 51]
Asad
And so, [O man ,] if you are in doubt about [the truth of] what We have [now] bestowed upon you form on high [note 115], ask those who read the divine writ [revealed] before thy time [116]: [and you will find that,] surely, the truth has now come unto you from your Sustainer. Be not, then, among the doubters.
Pickthall
And if thou (Muhammad) art in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto thee, then question those who read the Scripture (that was) before thee. Verily the Truth from thy Lord hath come unto thee. So be not thou of the waverers.
Yuksel
If you are in doubt regarding what We have sent down to you, then ask those who have been studying the book from before you. The truth has come to you from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt.
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Asad’s comments
115 – Some of the commentators assume that verses 94 and 95 are addressed to the Prophet Muhammad – as assumption which is highly implausible in view of the admonition (in verse 95)’ “Be not among those who are bent on giving the lie to God’s messages”: for it is obvious that God’s chosen Prophet was never in danger of falling into such a sin. Consequently, Razi interprets these two verses as being addressed to man in general, and explains the reference to “what We have bestowed upon you from on high” in the sense given in my rendering. This interpretation makes it clear, moreover, that the above passage is closely connected with verses 57-58, which speak of the guidance vouchsafed to mankind through the ultimate divine writ, the Quran.
Note 116 – I.e., the Jews and the Christians. The “reading” is here a metonym for belief, namely in the Bible, which – notwithstanding the fact that its text has been corrupted in the course of time – still contains clear reference to the advent of the Prophet Muhammad and thus, by implication to the truth of the divine message revealed through him. In its wider sense, the above verse alludes to the unbroken continuity of man’s religious experience and to the fact , frequently stressed in the Quran, that everyone of God’s apostles preached one and the same basic truth (See… 5:48) and the corresponding notes 66 and 67). ]]
Ali’s comments:
1475 Allah's Truth is all one, and even in different forms men sincere in Religion recognize the oneness. So sincere Jews like 'Abdullah ibn Salam, and sincere Christians like Waraqa or the Nestorian monk Bahira, were ready to recognise the mission of Muhammad Al-Mustafa. "The Book" in this connection is Revelation generally, including pre-Islamic revelations. (10.94)
1476 Cf. iii. 60 and n. 399. (10.94)
Amatulla’s comments: –
10-94
This is an important verse validating the truth in the existing scriptures at that time of the Prophet Muhammad: it is validating the fundamental or core idea of on ever true religion that is believing in God, and the Hereafter, and living in compliance with His greater Will and Moral Law [submission] that one can sense through the faculty of conscience or inner ability given to humans by God [‘FITRA’ SEE 30:30 of QURAN]. This is the truth every prophet down through the ages has professed. That is why the Quran stresses that nothing new is being given to the Prophet Muhammad [ see 41:43]: all the prophets and all scriptures convey this core truth.
And here God is addressing the Prophet rhetorically to convey this idea to the people at large. This rhetorical address is not to imply that the Prophet actually was in doubt but to convey to others that if anyone is in doubt that he/she should consult the prior revelations to see this amazing similarity of the core message. In spite of the corruptions that took place down through the time by human manipulation this core message is still there in every scripture that existed at the time of the Prophet and today. In spite of all those distortions God is exhorting one to recognize the constancy of the core message to prove that Prophet Muhammad is a prophet and the revelation [the Quran] is from God. This continuity should be the paramount proof if one sincerely consults other scriptures.