Tafseer of The Moon · Al-Qamar · 54:25
Has the message been sent down upon him from among us? Rather, he is an insolent liar."
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 word of the Exalted: Is the reminder revealed to him, from among us? Nay, he is a great liar, an insolent one (25).
The Exalted, Whose praise is exalted, says, reporting the saying of the deniers of His messenger Ṣāliḥ, may Allah's blessing and peace be upon him, among his people Thamūd: is the reminder revealed to him, from among us? By this they mean: has the revelation been sent down upon him and has he been singled out with prophethood from among us, while he is only one of us? — out of their denial that Allah would send a messenger from the children of Ādam.
And His word Nay, he is a great liar, an insolent one — He says: they said: that is not so; nay, he is a great liar, an insolent one (ashir). By "the insolent one" (al-ashir) they mean: the exultant, full of haughtiness and pride; and al-mariḥ (the exultant) is derived from the zest for life.
And al-Ḥasan ibn Muhammad ibn Saʿīd al-Qurashī has already related to me, saying: I said to ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥammād: what is al-kadhdhāb al-ashir? He said: the one who does not care about what he says. And the reciters of the regions read it with a kasra on the shīn of al-ashir and a lightening of the rāʾ. And it is related from Mujāhid that he used to read it as kadhdhābun ashur with a ḍamma on the shīn and a lightening of the rāʾ, and that in the language is the counterpart of al-ḥadhir and al-ḥadhur, and al-ʿajil and al-ʿajul.
And the correct reading therein is, in our judgment, that upon which the reciters of the regions are found, because of the agreement of the authoritative reciters upon it.
