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An-Nahl 103

Ayah 103 of 128 · Meccan

وَلَقَدۡ نَعۡلَمُ أَنَّهُمۡ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّمَا يُعَلِّمُهُۥ بَشَرٞۗ لِّسَانُ ٱلَّذِي يُلۡحِدُونَ إِلَيۡهِ أَعۡجَمِيّٞ وَهَٰذَا لِسَانٌ عَرَبِيّٞ مُّبِينٌ ١٠٣

And We certainly know that they say, "It is only a human being who teaches him [i.e., the Prophet (ﷺ)]." The tongue of the one they refer to is foreign,1 and this [recitation, i.e., Qur’ān] is [in] a clear Arabic language.

Translation: Saheeh International (English)

1 Having seen the Prophet (ﷺ) speaking with a foreign man on occasion, the Quraysh accused him of repeating the man's words.

Word by word

Each word's meaning and sound

  1. وَلَقَدۡAnd certainlywalaqad
  2. نَعۡلَمُWe knownaʿlamu
  3. أَنَّهُمۡthat theyannahum
  4. يَقُولُونَsayyaqūlūna
  5. إِنَّمَاOnlyinnamā
  6. يُعَلِّمُهُۥteaches himyuʿallimuhu
  7. بَشَرٞۗa human beingbasharun
  8. لِّسَانُ(The) tonguelisānu
  9. ٱلَّذِي(of) the onealladhī
  10. يُلۡحِدُونَthey referyul'ḥidūna
  11. إِلَيۡهِto himilayhi
  12. أَعۡجَمِيّٞ(is) foreignaʿjamiyyun
  13. وَهَٰذَاwhile thiswahādhā
  14. لِسَانٌ(is) a languagelisānun
  15. عَرَبِيّٞArabicʿarabiyyun
  16. مُّبِينٌclearmubīnun

Tafsir

I know very well that the idolaters say: It is a human being who is teaching Muhammad (peace be upon him). They are lying in this claim of theirs. The language of the person whom they assume is teaching him is non-Arabic, whereas this Qur’ān has been revealed in the clear and highly eloquent Arabic language. How then do they claim that he received it from a non-Arab?!

Al-Mukhtasar in interpreting the Noble Quran