99كَذٰلِكَ نَقُصُّ عَلَيكَ مِن أَنباءِ ما قَد سَبَقَ ۚ وَقَد آتَيناكَ مِن لَدُنّا ذِكرًاMuhammad AsadTHUS DO WE relate unto thee some of the stories of what happened in the past; and [thus] have We vouchsafed unto thee, out of Our grace, a reminder.1The adverb kadhalika ("thus") which introduces this verse is meant to stress the purpose of all Qur'anic references to past events - be they historical or legendary - as well as the manner in which the relevant stories are treated. Since the purpose underlying every Qur'anic narrative is, invariably, the illustration of certain fundamental truths, the narrative as such is often condensed and elliptic, omitting all that has no direct bearing on the point or points which the Qur'an means to bring out. The term "reminder" alludes to the unceasing guidance which God offers to man through His revelations.