Surah Ash-Shu'ara, Verse 1

Tafsir of 26:1

Which was revealed in Makkah بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Qur'an and the Disbelievers turning away; They could be compelled to believe if Allah so willed At the beginning of the explanation of Surat Al-Baqarah we discussed the letters which appear at the beginning of some Surahs. Allah's saying: تِلْكَ ءايَاتُ الْكِتَبِ الْمُبِينِ (These are the Ayat of the Book Mubin.) means, these are the verses of the Clear Qur'an, i.e. the clear and unambiguous Book which distinguishes between truth and falsehood, misguidance and guidance. لَعَلَّكَ بَخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ (It may be that you are going Bakhi` yourself,) means, destroy yourself -- because of your keenness that they should be guided and your grief for them. أَلاَّ يَكُونُواْ مُؤْمِنِينَ (that they do not become believers.) Here Allah is consoling His Messenger for the lack of faith of those among the disbelievers who do not believe in him. This is like the Ayat: فَلاَ تَذْهَبْ نَفْسُكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَسَرَتٍ (So destroy not yourself in sorrow for them) (35:8).…

Source: Ibn Kathir (Abridged)