Tafseer of Explained in detail · Fussilat · 41:45
And We had already given Moses the Scripture, but it came under disagreement. And if not for a word that preceded from your Lord, it would have been concluded between them. And indeed they are, concerning the Qur'an, in disquieting doubt.
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.
The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ فَاخْتُلِفَ فِيهِ وَلَوْلا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِنْ رَبِّكَ لَقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُمْ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَفِي شَكٍّ مِنْهُ مُرِيبٍ (And indeed, We gave Mūsā the Book, and disagreement arose concerning it. And were it not for a word that had preceded from your Lord, then it would have been judged between them. And indeed, they are concerning it in disquieting doubt) (45).
The Exalted, exalted be His remembrance, says: ( وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ ) (And indeed, We gave Mūsā the Book), O Muḥammad — by which the Torah is meant — just as We gave you the Furqān. ( فَاخْتُلِفَ فِيهِ ) (and disagreement arose concerning it), he says: those who had received it, of the Jews, differed among themselves regarding acting according to what is in it. ( وَلَوْلا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِنْ رَبِّكَ لَقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُمْ ) (And were it not for a word that had preceded from your Lord, then it would have been judged between them), he says: and were it not for that which had preceded of the decree and judgment of Allah concerning them, namely that He deferred their punishment until the Day of Resurrection.
As Muḥammad related to us, he said: Aḥmad related to us, he said: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, concerning His saying: ( وَلَوْلا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِنْ رَبِّكَ ) (And were it not for a word that had preceded from your Lord), he said: they were deferred until the Day of Resurrection.
And His saying: ( وَإِنَّهُمْ لَفِي شَكٍّ مِنْهُ مُرِيبٍ ) (And indeed, they are concerning it in disquieting doubt), he says: and indeed, the group among them who are upon falsehood are surely in doubt concerning what they have said about it. ( مُريب ) (disquieting), he says: their saying concerning it, what they have said, disquiets them, for they spoke without certainty, and they said it only by way of conjecture.
