Tafseer of The Rock · Al-Hijr · 15:10
And We had certainly sent [messengers] before you, [O Muhammad], among the sects of the former peoples.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Allah, exalted be His remembrance, says to His Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ: We have sent, before you, O Muḥammad, messengers to the former peoples — the mention of the messengers has been omitted because His word وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ already indicates it sufficiently. By "the parties of the former peoples" (shiyaʿ al-awwalīn) He means: the communities of the former peoples; the singular is shīʿa. One also calls the followers of a man his shīʿa.
And in accordance with what we have said about this, the scholars of Qurʾānic exegesis also spoke.
Mention of those who said that:
Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: ʿAbdullāh related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ فِي شِيَعِ الأوَّلِينَ : he said: "The communities of the former peoples."
Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: Isḥāq informed us, saying: Hishām related to us, on the authority of ʿAmr, on the authority of Saʿīd, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ فِي شِيَعِ الأوَّلِينَ : he said: "Among the communities."
