Tafseer of Ornaments of gold · Az-Zukhruf · 43:21
Or have We given them a book before the Qur'an to which they are adhering?
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: أَمْ آتَيْنَاهُمْ كِتَابًا مِنْ قَبْلِهِ (Or have We given them a book before this?). The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: We did not give these fabricators, who say "had the All-Merciful willed it, we would not have worshipped the gods," any book containing the certain truth of what they say about that, before this Qurʾān which We have sent down to you, O Muḥammad. فَهُمْ بِهِ مُسْتَمْسِكُونَ (so that they hold fast to it). He says: so that they hold fast to that book which would have come to them from Me before this Qurʾān, acting in accordance with it, submitting themselves to what it contains, and adducing it against you as proof.
----------------------
The footnotes:
(3) "Mā": absent in the printed edition.
