وَما هُوَ بِقَولِ شاعِرٍ ۚ قَليلًا ما تُؤمِنونَ
وَلا بِقَولِ كاهِنٍ ۚ قَليلًا ما تَذَكَّرونَ
And it is not the speech of a poet. Little is the faith that you have!
Nor is it the speech of a soothsayer. Little is the admonition that you take!
EXEGESIS
In verse 41, Little is the faith that you have can mean you have no faith at all, and Little is the admonition that you take in verse 42 can mean you take no admonition at all because it is common for Arabs to say, ‘little it is that he does’ when they mean he does not do anything at all. Or they would say, ‘we passed by a land on which little sprouted’ meaning it was barren and nothing grew from it. See Review of Tafsīr Literature for 2:88.
To detract people from listening to the Apostle of God, the leaders of Quraysh would accuse him of being a poet (10:2), a soothsayer (74:24), and a madman (15:6, 37:26, 44:14, 68:51), which the Quran constantly rebuffs (52:29, 68:2, 69:41-2, 81:22). Such accusations were not unprecedented in the history of God’s apostles. The Pharaoh and his clan called Prophet Moses (a) a madman (26:27, 51:39) and an expert magician (7:109; see also 10:77), as did the other rebellious nations such as the people of Prophet Noah (a) (54:9). So it was that there did not come to those who were before them any apostle but they said: ‘A magician,’ or: ‘A crazy man!’ (51:52).
EXPOSITION
Muslim historians emphasise that the Prophet was not a poet and was never heard reciting even the verses of other poets his entire life. And until he began calling people to Islam, all of Mecca vouched for his integrity, referring to him with the title ‘the truthful and trustworthy’ (al-ṣādiq al-amīn).
The idea behind the Quraysh accusing the Prophet of being a poet, a soothsayer, or mad, was to demolish the Quran’s integrity by casting aspersions on its origins and suggesting it is anything but a divine revelation; especially given that, despite all their efforts, they were unable to produce anything like the Quran’s words. This struggle to come up with something – anything – to discount the Prophet is shown vividly in verses 74:18-25.
We know that those who accused the Prophet of being a poet and a soothsayer were empiricists in their outlook and did not acknowledge the world beyond sense perception. They often scoffed at the idea of an afterlife and a resurrection as well. The Quran asserts the resurrection of man as vehemently (17:49-52, 36:78-79, 75:3-4) as it does the integrity of its words being divine. So, in rejecting the idea of a divine revelation from God, they could then only relate the miracle before them with what they were familiar with – poetry and magic. This may also explain the reason for the oath stated earlier, I swear by what you see and what you do not see. It is indeed the speech of a noble messenger, and it is not the speech of a poet (verses 38-41). The words what you do not see (verse 39) assert the existence of a realm unseen to man.
Little is the faith that you have! (verse 41) and Little is the admonition that you take! (verse 42) is said in the Quran’s defence, that it is as different from poetry or the words of soothsayers as heaven and earth, if one listens to it with sincerity. Unlike poetry that is often the product of one’s imagination and feelings, the Quran (despite its occasional rhymed prose) employs rational arguments and constantly encourages reflection and the use of intellect.
The mention of admonition in verse 42 after faith in verse 41 is to show that faith alone is not sufficient. One also needs to constantly take admonition to sustain one’s faith and remain true to it. The Prophet is told to admonish and remind the faithful frequently (51:55, 87:9-10).
Little is the faith that you have! and Little is the admonition you take! could mean: you have no faith and you take no admonition at all, as explained under the Exegesis. But it can also translate literally as: how few of you it is that have faith! and how few of you it is that take admonition! because the Quran very often speaks of the majority being astray, misguided, and ungrateful (2:243, 3:110, 6:111, 6:116, 7:102, 11:17, 12:103, 40:61, and so on). Such a reading would be instructive and inspiring to the faithful, telling them not to give up the truth and turn a blind eye to it only because the majority reject it.
Another, also less popular interpretation, is for the word admonition (tadhakkarūn) to be translated as remember, such that Little is the admonition you take! would be read as: little it is that you remember. Al-Maḥallī and Suyūṭī explain this as an address to the Meccan polytheists to mean: how little of the Prophet’s past you remember when he lived amongst you and you knew him as ‘the truthful and the trustworthy’. The Quran asks the Meccans this question directly as well: Is it that they do not recognise their apostle, and so they deny him? (23:69), meaning: Is the Apostle a stranger of an unknown background and a person unknown to them? You acknowledge his righteousness, his integrity, and his kindness toward others; yet not enough that it would benefit you and bring you to acknowledge his prophethood.
For Rāzī, these two verses could also be interpreted to mean that minimal belief or reflection enters the hearts of those who oppose the Prophet, before it quickly departs, perhaps similar to the hypocrites who stand up for prayer … not remembering Allah except a little (4:142).
[1] Ibn Kathir, 1/216; Razi, 3/598.
[2] Qarai, footnote to 23:69.
[3] Jalalayn, p. 571.
[4] Razi, 30/634.