Transliteration:( Wa laqad arsalnaa Rusulam min qablika minhum man qasasnaa 'alaika wa minhum mal lam naqsus 'alaik; wa maa kaana li Rasoolin any yaatiya bi Aayatin illaa bi iznil laah; fa izaa jaaa'a amrul laahi qudiya bilhaqqi wa khasira hunaalikal mubtiloon (section 8) )
"And certainly We sent many Messengers before you (O Muhammad). But, there are some of them whom We have mentioned [196] to you, and there are some whom We have not mentioned to you [197]. And it is not for any Messenger that he should bring any argument without Allah's permission [198]. But when the Command of Allah comes, the matter is justly decided, and then the people of falsehood and vanity shall remain losers [199] in grief."
This refers to those Prophets whose names have been clearly mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. Some, like Hazrat Musa and Hazrat Harun (peace be upon them), have been mentioned along with their detailed events, while others such as Hazrat Yasa (peace be upon him) are named but without detailed accounts.
There are also Prophets whose stories are narrated without names, like Hazrat Hizqeel and Hazrat Khidr (peace be upon them).
Some Prophets like Hazrat Danyaal (peace be upon him) are neither named nor described in the Qur’an.
Still, all Prophets have been acknowledged collectively in the Qur’an.
The verse does not deny the knowledge of the Prophet ﷺ about these Prophets. Rather, it means that not all of them are mentioned in the Qur’an.
The Prophet ﷺ was aware of all the Prophets and their nations, as Allah says: “And all that We relate to you of the tidings of the Messengers” (Surah Hud: 120).
During Me’raaj, the Prophet ﷺ met and conversed with many of them. Allah also says: “And ask those of Our Messengers whom We sent before you” (Surah Zukhruf: 45).
This was revealed in response to the idolaters of Makkah, who would constantly demand new miracles like turning mountains into gold.
This verse teaches that no Messenger performs miracles on his own, but only by Allah’s permission.
Some miracles, like Musa’s staff turning into a serpent, were by choice; others, like the revelation of the Qur’an, were not subject to the Prophet’s ﷺ will.
When Allah’s final command arrives, either as punishment or death, then the matter is decided with justice. At that point, it will be too late for belief.
Such people had countless chances and witnessed many miracles, yet persisted in denial.
Their regret and grief on that day will be useless, and they will be declared utter losers.
May Allah protect us from arrogance and grant us true submission to His Messengers.
The tafsir of Surah Muminun verse 78 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Muminun ayat 77 which provides the complete commentary from verse 77 through 78.
(40:78) Indeed We sent many Messengers before you: of them there are some whose account We have narrated to you and there are others whose account We have not narrated to you.[107] It did not lie in any Messenger’s power to bring any Sign[108] except with Allah’s leave. So when Allah’s decree came, the matter was decided with justice, and those steeped in error courted utter loss,[109] then and there.
107. A new theme starts from here. The disbelievers of Makkah said to the Prophet (peace be upon him): We would not believe you to be Allah’s Messenger unless you showed us the miracle that we ask you to show us. In the following verses an answer is being given to this very demand without mentioning it. For the type of the miracles they demanded, see (Surah Houd, Ayat 12); (Surah Al-Hijr, Ayat 7); (Surah Bani Israil, Ayat 90-93); (Surah Al-Furqan, Ayat 21) and the E.Ns thereof.
108. That is, no Prophet ever showed a miracle by his own will and desire, nor had any Prophet the power to show a miracle by himself. Whenever a miracle was shown through a Prophet, it was shown when Allah willed it to be shown through him to the disbelievers. This is the first answer to the disbelievers’ demand.
109. That is, a miracle has never been shown for the mere fun of it. It is a decisive thing. If a nation does not believe even after a miracle has been shown, it is destroyed. You are demanding a miracle only for the sake of fun, but you have no idea that by making such a demand you are, in fact, inviting your own doom. This is the second answer to their demand. For details, please see (Surah Al-Hijr, Ayat 8) (Surah Al-Hijr, Ayat 58-60); (Surah Bani Israil, Ayat 59); (Surah Al-Anbiya, Ayat 5-9); (Surah Al-Furqan, Ayat 22-23); (Surah Ash- Shuara, Ayat 66-67) and the E.Ns thereof.
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