Surah al-Furqan (The Criterion ) 25 : 5

Explanatory Note

The sūrah gives other examples of their false accusations against the Prophet and the Qur’ān: “And they say: Fables of ancient times which he has caused to be written down, so that they might be read out to him morning and evening.” The Qur’ān gives accounts of the history of past communities for the dual purpose of serving as lessons and admonition for people, and providing guidance for them. The unbelievers, however, label such true accounts of history as ‘fables of ancient times’, alleging that the Prophet sought such fables to be written down so that they could be read out to him, because he was unlettered, unable to read. When they were read to him every morning and evening, he would then recite them to people claiming that they were revealed to him by God. Such unfounded allegations do not stand up to any examination. We need only look at the logical sequence of the historical accounts given in the Qur’ān, the relevance of each story to the context in which it is placed, and the perfect balance and harmony between the objectives of each story and the sūrah in which it occurs. All this confirms the deliberate choice and meticulous presentation of Qur’ānic historical accounts. Nothing of this is found in legends and fables that are related for entertainment. They hardly ever serve a basic theme or support a particular idea.