Surah Al-Muddathir 74:23
ﱑ ﱒ ﱓ
Then he turned back and was arrogant
Tafsir of Al-Muddathir 74:23
Tafsir
Mafatih al-Ghayb
Verse range: 74:23
Al-Muddaththir (The Cloaked One): (23) Then he turned away and grew arrogant
He turned away from all the people towards his family and grew arrogant, meaning he became too proud for belief, saying: **{This is nothing but magic that has an effect.}**
He mentioned this doubt immediately after turning away and growing arrogant, indicated by the conjunction fa' (then/so), to show the sequence of events.
Regarding the word {يُؤْثَرُ} (is transmitted/has an effect), there are two interpretations:
- It derives from the root meaning of transmitting a story (atharta al-hadīth āthuruhu athran), meaning he narrated it from people who came before him, after they had passed away. This is the original meaning, which later came to mean narrating from those who preceded.
- It means it is superior to all other magic (yu'tharu 'alā jamī' al-siḥr). In this case, it is derived from the root meaning of preference or superiority (īthār).
Then he said:
**{This is nothing but the saying of mortals.}**