Surah Al-Qalam

Chapter 68 · Verse 51 · Revealed in Makkah

وَإِن يَكَادُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَٰرِهِمْ لَمَّا سَمِعُوا۟ ٱلذِّكْرَ وَيَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُۥ لَمَجْنُونٌۭ

And indeed, those who disbelieve would almost make you slip with their eyes when they hear the message, and they say, "Indeed, he is mad."

Translation: Saheeh International

Listen to recitation

Mishary Rashid Alafasy

Reflection — Ibn Kathir

The Command to be Patient and to refrain from being Hasty like Yunus was

Allah says,

فَاصْبِرْ

Reflection — Maarif ul Quran

وَإِن يَكَادُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُ‌وا لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَارِ‌هِمْ (And indeed the disbelievers seem to trip you up with their glances when they hear the Reminder, and say, "He is a madman indeed 68:51). The verb 'layuzliqunaka' is derived from izlaq which means 'to trip up or to cause someone to fall or make a mistake' [ Raghib ]. The verse says to the Holy Prophet that disbelievers cast angry looks at him that they might frighten him into giving up his mission or intimidate him into yielding to their pressure tactics. When they listen to Divine words, they call him a madman. But far from it, his teaching contains the quintessence of wisdom - the Qur'an puts it thus:

وَمَا هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ‌ لِّلْعَالَمِينَ (And it is nothing else but a Reminder for all the worlds.... 68:52). Divine words are a Reminder and an admonition for the entire universe. The Reminder will lift the people from the lowest depths of degradation to the highest summits of greatness and glory. It would also cleanse them and free them from moral blemishes and raise their spiritual stature. Is it possible for an insane person to receive and deliver such a Sublime Divine Message? Can a Prophet of such a high caliber be called a madman? The earlier verses of this Surah rebutted the charge of insanity against the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Towards the end of the Surah, the same charge of lunacy is rebutted again in a different style.

What does this verse bring up for you today?

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