Tafsir of Fussilat 41:43

"What is said to you..."—up to the end of the verse—is a consolation to him (may Allah Almighty bless him and grant him peace) regarding the harm he suffers from the disbelievers, such as their impugning his Book and other matters. The "speaker" refers to the disbelievers; that is, "What the disbelievers of your people say concerning you and concerning what has been sent down to you of the Quran [is] nothing but what was already said" to the messengers before you. That is, [it is] like what the former disbelievers said to the messengers before you, consisting of harmful speech that involves impugning what was sent down to them. This is similar to the words of the Almighty: “Likewise, no messenger came to those before them but they said, ‘A sorcerer or a madman’” (51:52), and His words: “Indeed, your Lord is full of forgiveness and [also] full of painful punishment.”

43

"Indeed, your Lord..." serves as a justification for the command to patience that is understood from the context. It is as if it were said: "Nothing is said to you except the likes of what was said to your peers among the messengers; therefore, be patient as they were patient. Indeed, your Lord is full of great forgiveness for His allies, and full of painful punishment for His enemies; thus, He will grant victory to His allies and take vengeance upon His enemies."

Alternatively, it is the answer to an implicit question, as if it were asked: "What then?" The response is: "Indeed, your Lord is full of forgiveness for His allies and full of painful punishment for His enemies." He supported those messengers before you (peace be upon them) accordingly and took vengeance upon their enemies; He will surely do the same for you and for your enemies.

It is also permitted that the "speaker" is Allah Almighty, and the meaning—based on what you have heard from Abu Hayyan—is to make this sentence the predicate of "Indeed." That is: "What Allah Almighty reveals to you concerning the disbelievers who harm you is nothing but what was revealed to the messengers before you concerning the disbelievers who harmed them, [revealing] that their end is evil—in this world by destruction, and in the Hereafter by painful punishment. So, be patient; indeed, your Lord..."

It is also possible that "Indeed, your Lord..." is considered, by virtue of its content, an interpretation of what is said. The essence of the meaning is: "What is revealed to you and to the messengers is only the promising of believers with forgiveness and disbelievers with punishment, not the reverse, as the disbelievers claim regarding the laws." [This implies:] "Nothing is revealed to you except the same laws that were revealed to the messengers, rather than worldly matters." The habit of the disbelievers has been to deny this; therefore, it is of no concern to you if your people deny it, so be patient through it.

Some consider "Indeed, your Lord..." to be a justification for what is understood from the context, while others consider it an interpretation of that which is said—meaning the laws—because they are the divine commands and prohibitions, which are summarized within it; though this view has a degree of remoteness. Qatadah held the view we mentioned first.

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that he said regarding this verse: "‘What is said to you’—of denial—‘is nothing but what was already said to the messengers before you.’ Just as they denied you, they denied [others], and just as they were patient with the harm their people inflicted upon them, so too be patient with the harm your people inflict upon you."

The selection of "painful" (alīm) over "severe" (shadīd)—even though it is more suitable for the verse endings—is to signal that the composition of the Quran is not like rhymed prose or orations; rather, its beauty is inherent, and the consideration in it is for the meanings rather than the words. It is appropriate to describe the punishment with this [adjective] here, for the punishment is the consequence of the painful denial.