Tafseer of Those drawn up in Ranks · As-Saaffaat · 37:167
And indeed, the disbelievers used to say,
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.
And His statement وَإِنْ كَانُوا لَيَقُولُونَ لَوْ أَنَّ عِنْدَنَا ذِكْرًا مِنَ الأوَّلِينَ لَكُنَّا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ ("And indeed, they used to say: 'If only we possessed an admonition from the ancients, we would surely have been the sincere servants of Allah'") (37:167–169): the Exalted, whose remembrance is exalted, says: And these polytheists (mushrikīn) of Quraysh used to say, before Muḥammad ﷺ was sent to them as a prophet: لَوْ أَنَّ عِنْدَنَا ذِكْرًا مِنَ الأوَّلِينَ ("If only we possessed an admonition from the ancients") — by which they meant: a Book sent down from heaven, like the Torah and the Gospel, or a prophet who would come to us like the one who came to the Jews and the Christians.
