Al-Qur'an Surah As-Saf Verse 6

Mufti Taqi Usmani

(Remember) when ‘Īsā, son of Maryam, said, “O children of Isrā’īl, I am a messenger of Allah sent towards you, confirming the Torah that is (sent down) before me, and giving you the good news of a messenger who will come after me, whose name will be AHmad.” But when he came to them with manifest signs, they said, “This is a clear magic.”

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

And ˹remember˺ when Jesus, son of Mary, said, “O children of Israel! I am truly Allah’s messenger to you, confirming the Torah which came before me, and giving good news of a messenger after me whose name will be Aḥmad.”[[ Aḥmad is another name for Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ). Both are derived from ḥa-ma-da which means ‘praise.’ Some Muslim scholars believe this verse refers to John {14:16}, where Jesus says: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another periklytos, to be with you forever.” Periklytos is a Greek word that means ‘the praised one.’ The name of Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ) appears several times in the Gospel of Barnabas, which is deemed apocryphal by Christian authorities.]] Yet when the Prophet came to them with clear proofs, they said, “This is pure magic.”

Ruwwad Translation Center

And [remember] when Jesus, son of Mary, said, “O Children of Israel, I am truly a messenger of Allah to you, confirming the Torah which came before me, and giving glad tidings of a messenger after me whose name will be Ahmad.” But when he came to them with clear proofs, they said, “This is clear magic.”

A. J. Arberry

And when Jesus son of Mary said, 'Children of Israel, I am indeed the Messenger of God to you, confirming the Torah that is before me, and giving good tidings of a Messenger who shall come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad.' Then, when he brought them the clear signs, they said, 'This is a manifest sorcery.'

Abdul Haleem

Jesus, son of Mary, said, ‘Children of Israel, I am sent to you by God, confirming the Torah that came before me and bringing good news of a messenger to follow me whose name will be Ahmad.’ Yet when he came to them with clear signs, they said, ‘This is obviously sorcery.’

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And recall what time Isa, son of Maryam, said: children of Israi'l! verily I am Allah's apostle Unto you, confirming the Taurat which was before me, and giving the glad tidings of an apostle who cometh after me: his name will be Ahmad. Then when he brought Unto them evidences, they said: this is magic manifest.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said; "O Children of Israel! I am the messenger of Allah (sent) to you, confirming the Law (which came) before me, and giving Glad Tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad." But when he came to them with Clear Signs, they said, "this is evident sorcery!"

Abul Ala Maududi

And call to mind when Jesus, son of Mary, said: “O Children of Israel, I am Allah's Messenger to you, I verify the Torah which has come before me, and I give you the glad tiding of a Messenger who shall come after me, his name being Ahmad.” Yet when he came to them with Clear Signs they said: “This is sheer trickery.”

Ahmed Ali

And when Jesus, son of Mary, said: "O children of Israel, I am sent to you by God to confirm the Torah (sent) before me, and to give you good tidings of an apostle who will come after me, whose name is Ahmad (the praised one)." Yet when he has come to them with clear proofs, they say: "This is only magic."

Ahmed Raza Khan

And remember when Eisa the son of Maryam said, “O Descendants of Israel! Indeed I am Allah’s Noble Messenger towards you, confirming the Book Torah which was before me, and heralding glad tidings of the Noble Messenger who will come after me – his name is Ahmed (the Praised One)”; so when Ahmed came to them with clear proofs, they said, “This is an obvious magic.”

Ali Quli Qarai

And when Jesus son of Mary said, ‘O Children of Israel! Indeed I am the apostle of Allah to you, to confirm what is before me of the Torah, and to give the good news of an apostle who will come after me, whose name is Ahmad.’ But when he brought them manifest proofs, they said, ‘This is plain magic.’

Ali Ünal

And Jesus son of Mary said: "O Children of Israel! Surely I am the Messenger of God sent to you, confirming (whatever of the truth is contained in) the Torah which was revealed before me, and bringing the glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad." But when he came to them (the whole of humankind including the later generations of the Children of Israel) with the manifest signs (of his being God’s Messenger), they said: "This (which he preaches and does) is clearly (nothing but) sorcery."

Amatul Rahman Omar

And (recall the time) when Jesus, son of Mary, said, `O Children of Israel! surely I am a Messenger sent to you by Allâh fulfilling (the prophecies contained in) the Torah which preceded me and pronouncing the good news of (the advent of) a great Messenger named Ahmad, who will come after me.´ But when he (- the Prophet Muhammad) came to them with clear proofs, they said, `His are the enchanting ways separating (us from our people).´

English Literal

And when Jesus Mary`s son said: "You Israel`s sons and daughters, that I am God`s messenger to you, confirming to what (is) between my hands from the Torah, and an announcer of good news with a messenger (that) comes from after me, his name (is) Ahmad ." So when he came to them with the evidences, they said: "That (is) clear/evident magic/sorcery."

Faridul Haque

And remember when Eisa the son of Maryam said, “O Descendants of Israel! Indeed I am Allah’s Noble Messenger towards you, confirming the Book Torah which was before me, and heralding glad tidings of the Noble Messenger who will come after me – his name is Ahmed (the Praised One)”; so when Ahmed came to them with clear proofs, they said, “This is an obvious magic.”

Hamid S. Aziz

And when Jesus son of Mary said, "O children of Israel! Surely I am the messenger of Allah to you, verifying that which is before me in the Torah and giving the Good News (Gospel) of a Messenger who will come after me, his name being Ahmad." But when he came to them with clear arguments they said, "This is clear sorcery."

Hilali & Khan

And (remember) when 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), said: "O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allah unto you confirming the Taurat [(Torah) which came] before me, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad. But when he (Ahmad i.e. Muhammad SAW) came to them with clear proofs, they said: "This is plain magic."

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And when Moses said to his people: O my people, why do you malign me, when you know that I am Allah’s messenger to you? But when they deviated, Allah made their hearts deviate. And Allah guides not the transgressing people.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And when Isa son of Marium said: O children of Israel! surely I am the apostle of Allah to you, verifying that which is before me of the Taurat and giving the good news of an Apostle who will come after me, his name being Ahmad, but when he came to them with clear arguments they said: This is clear magic.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And when Jesus son of Mary said: O Children of Israel! Lo! I am the messenger of Allah unto you, confirming that which was (revealed) before me in the Torah, and bringing good tidings of a messenger who cometh after me, whose name is the Praised One. Yet when he hath come unto them with clear proofs, they say: This is mere magic.

Muhammad Sarwar

Jesus, son of Mary, said to the Israelites, "I am the Messenger of God sent to you. I confirm the Torah which is in existence and give you the glad news of the coming of a Messenger who will come after me named Ahmad." When this Messenger came to them with all the proofs (to support his truthfulness), they said, "He is simply a magician".

Qaribullah & Darwish

And when (Prophet) Jesus, the son of Mary said: 'Children of Israel, I am sent to you by Allah to confirm the Torah that was before me, and to give news of a Messenger (Prophet Muhammad) who will come after me whose name shall be Ahmad' Yet when he came to them with clear proofs, they said: 'This is clearsorcery'

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And (remember) when `Isa, son of Maryam, said: "O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allah unto you, confirming the Tawrah [which came] before me, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad. "But when he came to them with clear proofs, they said: "This is plain magic."

Wahiduddin Khan

Remember when Jesus, son of Mary, said, "O Children of Israel, I am sent to you by God, confirming the Torah that came before me and bringing good news of a messenger to follow me, whose name will be Ahmad." Yet when he came to them with clear signs, they said, "This is merely sorcery."

Talal Itani

And when Jesus son of Mary said, “O Children of Israel, I am God’s Messenger to you, confirming what preceded me of the Torah, and announcing good news of a messenger who will come after me, whose name is Ahmad.” But when he showed them the miracles, they said, “This is obvious sorcery.”

Tafsir jalalayn

And, mention, when Jesus son of Mary said, `O Children of Israel -- he did not say `O my people' [as did Moses] because he was not related to them in any way -- I am indeed God's messenger to you, confirming what is before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger who will come after me, whose name is Ahmad.' God, exalted be He, says; Yet when he brought them, [when] Ahmad brought the disbelievers, the clear signs, the revelations and the indications, they said, `This, namely, what has been brought, is manifest sorcery!' (sihrun; a variant reading has shirun, `a sorcerer', meaning the one who has brought them [is a manifest sorcerer]).

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

وَإِذْ قَالَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ يَا بَنِي إِسْرَايِيلَ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُم

مُّصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاة

وَمُبَشِّرًا بِرَسُولٍ يَأْتِي مِن بَعْدِي اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ

And when `Isa, son of Maryam, said;"O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allah unto you, confirming the Tawrah before me, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad."
`Isa said,

"The Tawrah conveyed the glad tidings of my coming, and my coming confirms the truth of the Tawrah. I convey the glad tidings of the Prophet who will come after me. He is the unlettered, Makkan, Arab Prophet and Messenger, Ahmad."
`Isa, peace be upon him, is the last and final Messenger from among the Children of Israel. He remained among the Children of Israel for a while, conveying the good news of the coming of Muhammad, whose name is also Ahmad, the Last and Final Prophet and Messenger. After Muhammad, there will be no Prophethood or Messengers.

How admirable the Hadith is that Al-Bukhari collected in his Sahih from Jubayr bin Mut`im, who said,

"I heard the Messenger of Allah say,

إِنَّ لِي أَسْمَاءً أَنَا مُحَمَّدٌ وَأَنَا أَحْمَدُ وَأَنَا الْمَاحِي الَّذِي يَمْحُو اللهُ بِهِ الْكُفْرَ وَأَنَا الْحَاشِرُ الَّذِي يُحْشَرُ النَّاسُ عَلَى قَدَمَيَّ وَأَنَا الْعَاقِب

I have names.

- I am Muhammad and Ahmad.

- I am Al-Mahi through whom Allah will eliminate disbelief.

- I am Al-Hashir who will be the first to be resurrected, with the people being resurrected Hereafter.

- I am also Al-`Aqib (i.e., there will be no Prophet after me)."

Also Muslim collected this Hadith from Az-Zuhri from Jubayr. Muhammad bin Ishaq recorded that Khalid bin Ma`dan said that some Companions of Allah's Messenger said,

"O Allah's Messenger! Tell us about yourself."

He said,

دَعْوَةُ أَبِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَبُشْرَى عِيسَى وَرَأَتْ أُمِّي حِينَ حَمَلَتْ بِي كَأَنَّهُ خَرَجَ مِنْها نُورٌ أَضَاءَتْ لَهُ قُصُورُ بُصْرَى مِنْ أَرْضِ الشَّام

I am the (result of the) invocation made to Allah from my father Ibrahim and the good news `Isa delivered. When my mother was pregnant with me, she had a dream in which she saw a light emanating from her that radiated the palaces of Basra in Ash-Sham."

This Hadith has a good chain of narration that is supported by other similar narrations.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Al-`Irbad bin Sariyah said, "The Messenger of Allah said,

إِنِّي عِنْدَ اللهِ لَخَاتَمُ النَّبِيِّينَ وَإِنَّ ادَمَ لَمُنْجَدِلٌ فِي طِينَتِهِ وَسَأُنَبِّيُكُمْ بِأَوَّلِ ذَلِكَ دَعْوَةُ أَبِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَبِشَارَةُ عِيسَى بِي وَرُوْيَا أُمِّي الَّتِي رَأَتْ وَكَذَلِكَ أُمَّهَاتُ النَّبِيِّينَ يَرَيْن

I was written with Allah as the Last and Final of the Prophet, even when Adam was still clay. I will tell of the first good news announcing my advent, the (result of the) invocation to Allah made from my father Ibrahim, the good news `Isa conveyed, and the dream that my mother saw. The mothers of all Prophets see similar dreams."

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Umamah said,

"I said, `O Allah's Messenger! What was the first good news of your coming?'

He said,

دَعْوَةُ أَبِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَبُشْرَى عِيسَى وَرَأَتْ أُمِّي أَنَّهُ يَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا نُورٌ أَضَاءَتْ لَهُ قُصُورُ الشَّام

The (result of the) invocation to Allah made from my father Ibrahim and the good news `Isa conveyed. My mother saw a light emanating from her that filled the palaces of Ash-Sham in a dream."

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abdullah bin Mas`ud said that;

the Messenger of Allah sent eighty men, including Abdullah bin Masud, Jafar bin Abi Talib, Abdullah bin Urfutah, Uthman bin Mazun, Abu Musa, and others, to An-Najashi.

The Quraysh sent Amr bin Al-`As and Umarah bin Al-Walid with a gift for An-Najashi. When they, Amr and `Umarah, came to An-Najashi, they prostrated before him and stood to his right and left. Amr and Umarah said,

"Some of our cousins migrated to your land; they have abandoned us and our religion."

An-Najashi said, "Where are they"

They said, "They are in your land, so send for them," so An-Najashi summoned the Muslims.

Jafar said to the Muslims, "I will be your speaker today." So, the Muslims followed Jafar and when he entered on the king he did not prostrate after greeting him.

They said to Jafar, "Why do you not prostrate before the king'?'

Jafar said, "We only prostrate for Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored."

They said, "Why?"

He said,

"Allah has sent a Messenger to us from Him, who ordered us not to prostrate to anyone except Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored. He also ordered to perform prayer and give charity."

Amr bin Al-`As said, "They contradict your creed about `Isa, son of Maryam."

The king asked, "What do you say about `Isa and his mother Maryam?"

Ja`far said,

"We only say what Allah said about him, that he is Allah's Word, a soul created by Allah and sent down to the honorable virgin who was not touched by a man nor bearing children before."

An-Najashi lifted a straw of wood and said,

"O Ethiopians, monks and priests! By Allah, what they say about `Isa is no more than what we say about him, not even a difference that equals this straw. You are welcomed among us, and greetings to him who sent you. I bear witness that he is Allah's Messenger whom we read about in the Injil. He is the Prophet who `Isa, son of Maryam, foretold the good news about his advent. Live wherever you wish. By Allah, had I not been entrusted with the responsibilities of kingship, I would have gone to him, so that I could be honored by carrying his slippers and his water for ablution."

The king ordered that the gifts of the idolators be returned to them.

Abdullah bin Mas`ud soon returned and later on participated in the battle of Badr. He said that when the Prophet received the news that An-Najashi died, he invoked Allah to forgive him.

Allah said,

فَلَمَّا جَاءهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ قَالُوا هَذَا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ



But when he came to them with clear proofs, they said;"This is plain magic."

this refers to Ahmad, who was anticipated, in accordance with the early Scriptures and early generations, according to Ibn Jurayj and Ibn Jarir.

When the Prophet appeared bringing clear signs, the disbelievers and rejecters said,
هَذَا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ
(This is plain magic).