What does Quran 68:15 mean?

Quran 68:15 (Surah Al-Qalam, Ayah 15) translates to: "When Our verses are recited to him, he says, "Legends of the former peoples.""

Which Surah and Juz is Quran 68:15 from?

This ayah is from Surah Al-Qalam (The Pen), the 68th surah of the Quran. It appears in Juz 29.

Are there hadiths related to Quran 68:15?

Yes — there are 5 hadiths related to this ayah from Sunan Ibn Majah, Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Sunan an-Nasa'i.

What tafsir is available for Quran 68:15?

Commentary on this ayah is available from Ibn Kathir, Ibn Kathir, Al-Jalalayn, Ibn Abbas — classical scholars of Quranic exegesis.

Ayah 14

أَن كَانَ ذَا مَالٍۢ وَبَنِينَ...

68:15Al-Qalam

Q: What topics does Quran 68:15 relate to?

This ayah connects to these Quranic topics: Divine Revelation, Disbelief, Prophetic Mission, Moral Integrity, Divine Favor.

Ayah 16

سَنَسِمُهُۥ عَلَى ٱلْخُرْطُومِ...

إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَٰتُنَا قَالَ أَسَٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ

Izaa tutlaa 'alaihi aayaatunaa qaala asaateerul awwaleen

When Our verses are recited to him, he says, "Legends of the former peoples."

Themes in this ayah

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The Quran & revelation97

Scores run 0–100: how strongly this ayah speaks to a theme. 70+ is central, 50+ is clear, under 50 is weak.

8 other themes with weak connections

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The Quran & revelation

68:15Ayah 152

5 ayahs in Al-Qalam are strongly about the Quran and revelation. This is one of them.

Next on The Quran & revelation →68:37Or do you have a scripture in which you learn

Tafsir

Scholars offer complementary perspectives

View Full Tafsir: Al-Jalalayn on 68:15→

When Our signs — the Qur’ān — are recited to him he says that they are merely ‘Fables of the ancients!’ in other words he denies them in arrogance on account of the mentioned things which We have bestowed on him out of Our grace a variant reading for an of the previous verse has the interrogative a-an.

“I heard him reciting ‘By the fig, and the olive’.”

Jami` at-Tirmidhi #704Anas (bin Malik) narrated:Hasan

(Another chain) except that he said: "About the length for reciting fifty Ayahs."

Sunan an-Nasa'i #2160Hisam reported from Qatadah, from Anas, that Zaid bin Thabir said; "We took Sahur with the Messenger of Allah then we went to pray." I said:Sahih

"How long was there between them?" He said: "As long as it takes a man to recite fifty verses."

Sunan Abu Dawud #5015Sa'id said:Da'if

Umar passed by Hassan when he was reciting verses in the mosque. He looked at him. Thereupon he said: I used to recite verses when there was present in it the one who was better than you (i.e. the Prophet).

Sunan Ibn Majah #4103Muhammad bin Sirin said :Da'if

"Whenever Anas bin Malik finished narrating a Hadith from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), he would say, 'Or as the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said.'"