Transliteration:( Wa laqad aatainaa Moosal Kitaaba fakhtulifa fee; wa lawlaa Kalimatun sabaqat mir Rabbika laqudiya bainahum; wa innahum lafee shakkim minhu mureeb )
"And certainly We bestowed upon Musa a Book, but differences were made therein. And if a Word had not gone before from your [125] Lord, then the matter would have been decided [126] between them. And surely, they are in a confusing doubt about it."
This refers to the Tawrah given to Prophet Musa (peace be upon him). Among the Bani Israel, some believed in it, while others rejected it or distorted it. Just like in the case of the Qur'an, the divine message was met with division—not because of any flaw in the message, but due to the rebelliousness of the people.
Allah Almighty had already decreed that final judgment and full punishment for disbelievers would take place on the Day of Judgment. If this Divine Word had not been issued earlier, then their matter would have already been decided and punishment would have descended in this world.
Alternatively, it indicates that after the arrival of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, such general punishments (like those of Aad and Thamud) were withheld, as his mercy provides a grace period for people to reflect and accept the truth.
Despite the clarity of the divine message, these people remain trapped in perplexing doubt, wavering between acceptance and rejection. Their confusion stems not from the lack of guidance, but from their own arrogance, envy, and blind following of inherited beliefs.
This verse draws a parallel between the rejection faced by Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) and that of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, warning that despite differences in time, the patterns of disbelief and rebellion remain the same, and so do the consequences.
The tafsir of Surah Fussilat verse 45 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Fussilat ayat 44 which provides the complete commentary from verse 44 through 45.
(41:45) And in the past We gave Moses the Book and yet it became an object of dispute.[56] If your Lord’s decree had not gone forth before, a decisive judgement would have been made among them, once and for all.[57] Surely they are in a disquieting doubt about it.[58]
56. That is, some people had believed in it and some others had made up their minds to oppose it.
57. It has two meanings:
(1) If Allah had not already decreed that the people would be given enough respite for consideration the disputants would have long been destroyed.
(2) If Allah had not already decreed that the disputes would finally be decided on the Day of Judgment, the reality would have been made plain as to who is in the right and who is in the wrong.
58. In this brief sentence the spiritual disease of the disbelievers of Makkah has been clearly diagnosed. It says that they are involved in doubt about the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and this doubt has caused them great anguish and confusion. That is, although apparently they deny the Quran as being Allah’s Word and the Prophet (peace be upon him) as being His Messenger very vehemently, yet this denial is not based on any conviction, but their minds are afflicted with great vacillation, and doubt. On the one hand, their selfish motives, their interests and their prejudices demand that they should belie the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and oppose them strongly. On the other hand, their hearts are convened from within, that the Quran is, in fact, a unique and un-paralleled Word the like of which has never been heard from any literary man or poet. Neither can the insane utter such things in their madness, nor can devils come to teach God-worship, piety and righteousness to the people. Likewise, when they say that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a liar, their heaps from within put them to shame, and ask: Can such a person ever be a liar? When they brand him a madman, their hearts cry out from within and ask: Do you really think that he is mad? When they accuse that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is not interested in the truth but is working for selfish motives, their hearts from within curse them and ask: Do you call this virtuous man selfish, whom you have never seen striving for the sake of wealth and power and fame, whose life has been free from every tract of selfinterest, who has always been working to bring about goodness and piety, but has never acted from any selfish motives.
[1399]- An alternative meaning is "he was opposed over it." [1400]- See footnote to 10:19.
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