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سُورَةُ صٓ · 38:4
MeccanRevelation order ٣٨Juzʾ ٢٣Page ٤٥٣

وَعَجِبُوٓا۟ أَن جَآءَهُم مُّنذِرٌۭ مِّنْهُمْ ۖ وَقَالَ ٱلْكَٰفِرُونَ هَٰذَا سَٰحِرٌۭ كَذَّابٌ

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Saheeh International · EN

And they wonder that there has come to them a warner from among themselves. And the disbelievers say, "This is a magician and a liar.

IntroductionRevelationTafsirTransmissionDebate
Bio

Introduction

This is āyah 4 of Sūrat Saad (The Letter "Saad"), the 38th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Meccan period and sits within Juzʾ 23. Meccan verses tend to address faith, the oneness of God, and the hereafter.

This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.

Bio

Revelation & occasion

Asbāb al-Nuzūl
Period
Meccan
Order revealed
38 of 114
Surah
Saad (38)

No specific occasion of revelation (Asbāb al-Nuzūl) is recorded for this āyah in al-Wāḥidī's collection. Many verses were revealed without a single triggering event.

Commentary

Tafsir

4 works

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

And they wonder that a warner has come to them from among themselves. And the disbelievers say: "This is a sorcerer, a liar. (4)"Has he made the gods into One God. Verily, this is a curious thing! (5)And the leaders among them went about (saying): "Go on, and remain constant to your gods! Verily, this is a thing designed! (6)"We have not heard (the like) of this in the religion of these later days. This is nothing but an invention! (7)"Has the Reminder been sent down to him (alone) from among us?" Nay, but they are in doubt about My Reminder! Nay, but they have not tasted (My) torment (8)Or have they the treasures of the mercy of your Lord, the Almighty, the Real Bestower (9)Or is it that the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them is theirs If so, let them ascend up with means (10)They will be a defeated host like the Confederates of the old times (11) The Id…
Provenance

Chains of transmission

Oral — isnād

  1. ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation

    Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.

  2. 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation

    Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.

  3. TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation

    Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.

Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.

Written — the manuscript record

  1. ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation

    The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).

  2. 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation

    Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.

  3. Modern printModern printawaiting curation

    The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.

A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.

The wall

And now — what do you think?

The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.

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Provenance

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