Tafseer of The Criterion · Al-Furqaan · 25:4
And those who disbelieve say, "This [Qur'an] is not except a falsehood he invented, and another people assisted him in it." But they have committed an injustice and a lie.
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 praise — says: And these unbelievers (kāfirūn) toward Allah, who have taken gods besides Him, said: "This Qurʾān which Muḥammad has brought us is nothing but إِفْكٌ — a lie and slander — افْتَرَاهُ — which he himself has invented and fabricated." And as for His word وَأَعَانَهُ عَلَيْهِ قَوْمٌ آخَرُونَ: it is related that they said: "It is the Jews who teach Muḥammad what he brings us." That is the meaning of His word وَأَعَانَهُ عَلَيْهِ قَوْمٌ آخَرُونَ — He says: And the Jews have helped Muḥammad in this lie which he has invented.
Mention of who said that:
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — both of them on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the word of Allah وَأَعَانَهُ عَلَيْهِ قَوْمٌ آخَرُونَ — he said: "The Jews."
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid — likewise.
And as for His word فَقَدْ جَاءُوا ظُلْمًا وَزُورًا — Allah — exalted be His praise — says: Those who made this statement — namely those who said: إِنْ هَذَا إِلا إِفْكٌ افْتَرَاهُ وَأَعَانَهُ عَلَيْهِ قَوْمٌ آخَرُونَ — have come with wrongdoing (ẓulm), namely their ascribing of the word of Allah and His revelation to the category of a lie which Muḥammad ﷺ had invented. We have already explained earlier that the meaning of wrongdoing (ẓulm) is: to put something in the wrong place. The wrongdoing of those who made this statement toward the Qurʾān consisted in their describing it with their words with something other than its true attribute. And the zūr: its original meaning is the making fair-seeming of falsehood. The meaning of the sentence is therefore: Those who said إِنْ هَذَا إِلا إِفْكٌ افْتَرَاهُ وَأَعَانَهُ عَلَيْهِ قَوْمٌ آخَرُونَ have come with mere lie.
In accordance with what we said about this, the exegetes spoke.
Mention of who said that:
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — both of them on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid; and al-Qāsim related to me, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid — concerning فَقَدْ جَاءُوا ظُلْمًا وَزُورًا — he said: "Lie."
