Say, “Had Allah willed, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have made it known to you. I had lived my whole life among you before this ˹revelation˺. Do you not understand?”
“If God so willed, I would not have recited it to you, and (so) He would not have made it known to you”
This reading has a particle of negation which reinforces the preceding negation by mā.
وَلَأَدْرَاكُم
wa-la-adrākumū bihī
“If God so willed, I would not have recited it to you, and He would have made it known to you (through other means)”
In this reading, one alif is unpronounced, so this phrase is affirmed (as the apodosis of the conditional), not negated. NB: another narration from al-Bazzī has alif like the majority reading.
Explanation
These readings are complementary, as each describes a hypothetical scenario: God could have decided to send another messenger or none at all, but instead He has sent Muhammad (ﷺ) to recite the Quran to them [al-Alusi].
He has revealed to you ˹O Prophet˺ the Book in truth, confirming what came before it, as He revealed the Torah and the Gospel
Explanation
These readings are complementary, as each describes a hypothetical scenario: God could have decided to send another messenger or none at all, but instead He has sent Muhammad (ﷺ) to recite the Quran to them [al-Alusi].