Quran 13:43 — Surah Ar-Ra'd Ayah 43 | Arabic, Translation & Tafsir

وَقَدْ مَكَرَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ فَلِلَّهِ ٱ...

13:43

Ar-Ra'd

وَيَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَسْتَ مُرْسَلًۭا ۚ قُلْ كَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ شَهِيدًۢا بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَكُمْ وَمَنْ عِندَهُۥ عِلْمُ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ

Wa yaqoolul lazeena kafaroo lasta mursalaa; qul kafaa billaahi shaheedam bainee wa bainakum wa man 'indahoo 'ilmul Kitaab

And those who have disbelieved say, "You are not a messenger." Say, [O Muhammad], "Sufficient is Allah as Witness between me and you, and [the witness of] whoever has knowledge of the Scripture."

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Ibn Kathir

Allah as Sufficient Witness to the Prophet's Message

Allah and those who have Knowledge of the Scripture are Sufficient as Witness to the Message of the Prophet

Allah says, the disbelievers reject you and say,

لَسْتَ مُرْسَلاً

(You are not a Messenger.) from Allah,

قُلْ كَفَى بِاللَّهِ شَهِيداً بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكُمْ

(Say: "Sufficient as a witness between me and you is Allah...") meaning, say, `Allah is sufficient for me and He is the witness over me and you. He is witness that I (Muhammad) have conveyed the Message from Him and over you, O rejecters, to the falsehood that you invent.' Allah said,

وَمَنْ عِندَهُ عِلْمُ الْكِتَـبِ

(and those too who have knowledge of the Scripture.) This refers to `Abdullah bin Salam, according to Mujahid. However, this opinion is not plausible, since this Ayah was revealed in Makkah and `Abdullah bin Salam embraced Islam soon after the Prophet emigrated to Al-Madinah. A more suitable explanation is that narrated by Al-`Awfi from Ibn `Abbas that this Ayah refers to Jews and Christians. Qatadah said that among them are, `Abdullah bin Salam, Salman (Al-Farisi) and Tamim Ad-Dari. The correct view is that this Ayah,

وَمَنْ عِندَهُ

(and those too who have. ..), refers to the scholars of the People of the Scriptures who find the description of Muhammad in their Books and the good news of his advent that were conveyed to them by their Prophets. Allah said in other Ayat,

وَرَحْمَتِى وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ فَسَأَكْتُبُهَا لِلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَـوةَ وَالَّذِينَ هُم بِـَايَـتِنَا يُؤْمِنُونَالَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِىَّ الأُمِّىَّ الَّذِى يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِى التَّوْرَاةِ وَالإِنجِيلِ

(And My mercy embraces all things. That (mercy) I shall ordain for those who have Taqwa, and give Zakah; and those who believe in Our Ayat; Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write whom they find written with them in the Tawrah and the Injil.) 7:156-157 and,

أَوَلَمْيَكُن لَّهُمْ ءَايَةً أَن يَعْلَمَهُ عُلَمَاءُ بَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ

(It is not a sign to them that the learned scholars of the Children of Israel knew it (as true))26:197 There are similar Ayat that affirm that the scholars of the Children of Israel know this fact from their divinely revealed Books. This is the end of Surat Ar-Ra`d, and all praise is due to Allah and all favors are from Him.

View Full Tafsir: Allah as Sufficient Witness to the Prophet's MessageAyahs 43–43

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, 'If anyone says to his brother, 'O misbeliever! Then surely, one of them such."

Sahih al-Bukhari #5871Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "If a man says to his brother, O Kafir (disbeliever)!' Then surely one of them is such (i.e., a Kafir). "

Jami` at-Tirmidhi #2317It was narrated from Ibn 'Umar, that the Messenger of Allah(s.a.w) passed by Ibn Sayyad with a group of his Companions – among them `Umar bin Al-Khattab – while he was playing with two boys at the fort of Banu Maghalah, and he was a boy. He did not realize until the Messenger of Allah(s.a.w) struck him with his hand on his back, then he said:

“Do you testify that I am the Messenger of Allah?” So Ibn Sayyad looked at him, and said: 'I testify that you are the Messenger to the illiterates.'” He said: “Then Ibn Sayyad said to the Prophet(s.a.w): 'Do you testify that I am the Messenger of Allah?' So the Prophet(s.a.w) said: 'I believe in Allah and His Messengers.' Then the Prophet(s.a.w) said: 'Who has come to you?' Ibn Sayyad said: 'A truthful one and a liar came to me.' So the Prophet(s.a.w) said: 'The matter has been confused for you.' Then the Messenger of Allah(s.a.w) said: 'I have concealed something from you.' And he had concealed (the verse): The day when the sky will bring forth a visible smoke. Ibn Sayyad said: 'It is, “Ad-Dukh.'” So the Messenger of Allah(s.a.w) said: 'Beat it! You can never surpass your ability.' `Umar said: 'O Messenger of Allah! Permit me to chop off his head!' The Messenger of Allah(s.a.w) said: 'If he is indeed him, then you will never overpower him, and if he is not, then there is no good in you killing him.'” (Sahih)

Sunan Ibn Majah #4091Miqdam bin Ma'dikarib Al-Kindi narrated that:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Soon there will come a time that a man will be reclining on his pillow, and when one of my Ahadith is narrated he will say: 'The Book of Allah is (sufficient) between us and you. Whatever it states is permissible, we will take as permissible, and whatever it states is forbidden, we will take as forbidden.' Verily, whatever the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has forbidden is like that which Allah has forbidden."

Sahih al-Bukhari #4753Narrated Anas bin Malik:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said to Ubai (bin Ka`b). "Allah has ordered me to recite to you:--'Those who disbelieve among the people of the Scripture and among the idolators are not going to stop (from their disbelief.') (Sura 98) Ubai said, "Did Allah mention me by name?" The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Yes." On that, Ubai wept.