Al-An'am · Makki · ayah 147 of 165

Al-An'am 6:147

فَإِن كَذَّبُوكَ فَقُل رَّبُّكُمْ ذُو رَحْمَةٍ وَٰسِعَةٍ وَلَا يُرَدُّ بَأْسُهُۥ عَنِ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ

“So if they deny you, [O Muḥammad], say, "Your Lord is the possessor of vast mercy; but His punishment cannot be repelled from the people who are criminals."”

Saheeh International

Essence

Called a liar, the Prophet ﷺ answers with mercy first: your Lord's mercy has room for you, and His might is never turned back.

A reflection

Called a liar, and told to speak of mercy

A young man posts a short video about why he prays. By morning the top comment reads: 'Liar. You people are all liars.' Forty people have liked it. His face burns. The reply forming under his thumbs is a warning: 'You will see, on the Day.' It feels righteous. It is mostly his pride, stung in public.

The ayah meets that exact moment. Fa-in kadhdhabūka, so if they call you a liar. The Messenger ﷺ has been rejected, and Allah tells him what to say. Not first a threat. First: rabbukum dhū raḥmatin wāsiʿatin, your Lord is the possessor of vast mercy. One concise commentary notes the gentleness of it. It is a tender way of inviting them to faith, even as they deny.

Only then comes the second half: wa-lā yuraddu baʾsuhu, His might is not turned back. The lexicons picture radd as a false coin handed back to the one who paid it. No one can hand back Allah's decree like a coin they refuse.

Both halves shrink the ego. Nothing you have done has filled His mercy; there is always room. Nothing you can do will push His might away. You are neither too guilty for Him nor strong enough to resist Him.

Someone may ask whether a God who warns of punishment needs to be obeyed, like a tyrant. But He is free of all need (35:15). The warning is for the one warned, like a sign before a cliff. And notice the order He chose when He was the one being denied. Mercy first. The young man's anger wanted to speak first. Allah's word put mercy before it.

The full entry has 6 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.