The Quran

Preface

أَكانَ لِلنّاسِ عَجَبًا أَن أَوحَينا إِلىٰ رَجُلٍ مِنهُم أَن أَنذِرِ النّاسَ وَبَشِّرِ الَّذينَ آمَنوا أَنَّ لَهُم قَدَمَ صِدقٍ عِندَ رَبِّهِم ۗ قالَ الكافِرونَ إِنَّ هٰذا لَساحِرٌ مُبينٌ

Yusuf Ali

it a matter of wonderment to men that We have sent Our inspiration to a man from among themselves?-¹ that he should warn mankind (of their danger), and give the good news to the Believers that they have before their Lord the lofty rank of Truth.² (But) say the Unbelievers: “This is indeed an evident sorcerer!”

Is it not still more wonderful that the inspired man should be one of ourselves? The Arabs had known Muḥammad in other relations and conditions, and when the mighty Message came through his mouth-the message of Wisdom and Power, such as no man could speak as from himself, least of all a man not instructed in human learning?they could only in their wonder attribute it to magic and sorcery. They failed to understand that magic and sorcery were projections of their own mind, while here was solid, enduring Truth from God!
God’s Message was and is not all smooth and agreeable. The first thing is to convince us of our sin and wrongdoing, and warn us of our danger. If we have Faith, we then learn what a high rank we obtain in the sight of God, through His glorious Truth, which makes us pure and free. According to another view the word “qadama” here refers to the fact that the acts of a person precede him to his Lord. The word sidq qualifies these acts with sincerity and genuineness. (R).