Surah 29

Surah 29:48

"You were not accustomed to read from any book before it, or to write it with your right (hand), (for) then the perpetrators of falsehood would indeed have had (reason to) doubt (you)."
Evidence for the Fact that the Qur’an was revealed from Allah Verses 29:47-49
Show Full Scripture Context (29:47-49) — 3 Verses
Verse 47

وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَنزَلۡنَآ إِلَيۡكَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَۚ فَٱلَّذِينَ ءَاتَيۡنَٰهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ يُؤۡمِنُونَ بِهِۦۖ وَمِنۡ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ مَن يُؤۡمِنُ بِهِۦۚ وَمَا يَجۡحَدُ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَآ إِلَّا ٱلۡكَٰفِرُونَ

In this way We have sent down the Book to you. Those to whom We have given the Book believe in it, and among these (people) (there are) some who believe in it. No one denies Our signs but the disbelievers.

Verse 48

وَمَا كُنتَ تَتۡلُواْ مِن قَبۡلِهِۦ مِن كِتَٰبٖ وَلَا تَخُطُّهُۥ بِيَمِينِكَۖ إِذٗا لَّٱرۡتَابَ ٱلۡمُبۡطِلُونَ

You were not accustomed to read from any book before it, or to write it with your right (hand), (for) then the perpetrators of falsehood would indeed have had (reason to) doubt (you).

Verse 49

بَلۡ هُوَ ءَايَٰتُۢ بَيِّنَٰتٞ فِي صُدُورِ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ ٱلۡعِلۡمَۚ وَمَا يَجۡحَدُ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَآ إِلَّا ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ

No! It is clear signs in the hearts of those who have been given knowledge. No one denies Our signs but the evildoers.

Ibn Jarir said: “Allah says, ‘just as We revealed the Books to the Messengers who came before you, O Muhammad, so We have also revealed this Book to you.’” What he said is good and fits the context.

Allah’s saying:

{and those whom We gave the Scripture believe therein} means, those knowledgable rabbis and scholars among them who learned it and recited it properly, such as ‘Abdullah bin Salam, Salman Al-Farisi and others like them.

{as also believe therein some of these} meaning, the Quraysh Arabs and others.

Quoted Scripture
"and none but the disbelievers reject Our Ayat."

No one disbelieves and rejects them except those who conceal the truth with falsehood, and those who try to hide the rays and light of the sun by their covering an eye.

Then Allah says:

Quoted Scripture
"Neither did you read any book before it (this Qur'an) nor did you write any book with your right hand."

meaning, “you lived among your people for a long time before you brought this Qur’an. During this time you never read any book or wrote anything. Your people, as well as others all know that you are an unlettered man who does not read or write.” This is how he was also described in the previous Scriptures, as Allah says:

Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet, the unlettered about whom they find written with them in the Tawrah and the Injil, - he commands them with good; and forbids them from evil.

This is how the Messenger of Allah will remain until the Day of Resurrection, unable to write even one line or one letter. He used to have scribes who would write down the revelation for him, or would write letters from him to be sent to different places.

Allah’s saying:

Quoted Scripture
"In that case, indeed, the followers of falsehood might have doubted."

means, ‘if you had been literate, some ignorant people would have doubted you. They would have said that you learned this from Books inherited from the Prophets which came before.’ Indeed, they did say that, even though they knew that he was unlettered and could not read or write.

And they say: "Tales of the ancients, which he has written down, and they are dictated to him morning and afternoon."

Allah says:

Say: “It has been sent down by Him Who knows the secret of the heavens and the earth}.

And Allah says here:

Quoted Scripture
"Nay, but it is (Quran), the clear Ayat, (preserved) in the breasts of those who have been given knowledge."

meaning, this Qur’an is clear Ayat which indicate the truth, commands, prohibitions and stories. It is memorized by the scholars for whom Allah makes it easy to memorize, recite and interpret. This is like the Ayah,

And We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember; then is there any one who will remember?.

The Messenger of Allah said:

«There has never been any Prophet who was not given that which would make people believe in him. What I have been given is revelation which Allah reveals to me, and I hope that I will have the most followers among them.»

According to the Hadith of Iyad bin Himar, recorded in Sahih Muslim, Allah says:

«"I am testing you and testing others through you, revealing to you a Book which cannot be washed away by water, which you recite while you are asleep and while you are awake.»

This means, if the manuscript where it is written were to be washed with water, there is no need for that manuscript. This is because it is preserved in the hearts and is easy on the tongue (i.e., is easy to recite), and is controlling people’s hearts and minds. It is miraculous in its wording and in its meanings. In the previous Scriptures this Ummah was described as carrying their holy Books in their hearts.

Quoted Scripture
"And none but the wrongdoers deny Our Ayat"

Nobody denies it or tries to undermine its status or rejects it except the wrongdoers, i.e., the arrogant transgressors who know the truth but turn away from it, as Allah says:

Truly, those, against whom the Word (wrath) of your Lord has been justified, will not believe. Even if every sign should come to them, until they see the painful torment.

— from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Vol. 7, Page 498)

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.