52الَّذينَ آتَيناهُمُ الكِتابَ مِن قَبلِهِ هُم بِهِ يُؤمِنونَMuhammad AsadAs for those unto whom We have vouchsafed revelation aforetime - they [are bound to] believe in this one [as well];1This is both a statement of historical fact - alluding to conversions of Jews and Christians in Muhammad's lifetime - and a prophecy. It must, however, be understood that, in the above context, God's "vouchsafing" revelation implies a conscious, sincere acceptance of its teachings by those to whom it has been conveyed: for it is this sincerity that has enabled them - or will enable them - to realize that the Qur'an preaches the same ethical truths as those forthcoming from earlier revelations. (Cf. 26:196-197 and the corresponding notes 83-85.)