Surah 2. Al-Baqara, Ayah 23
| وَإِنْ كُنْتُمْ فِي رَيْبٍ مِمَّا نَزَّلْنَا عَلَىٰ عَبْدِنَا فَأْتُوا بِسُورَةٍ مِنْ مِثْلِهِ وَادْعُوا شُهَدَاءَكُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ |
| Transliteration | : | wa- 'in kuntum fe rayb min maa nazzalnaa calaa cabd -naa fa- i'to bi- sorah min mithl -hi wa- udco shuhadaa' -kum min doni 'allaah 'in kuntum s.aadiqen |
| Pickthall | : | And if ye are in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto Our slave (Muhammad), then produce a sura or the like thereof, and call your witnesses beside Allah if ye are truthful. |
| Asad | : | And if you doubt any part of what We have bestowed from on high, step by step, upon Our servant [Muhammad],14 then produce a surah of similar merit, and call upon any other than God to bear witness for you15 - if what you say is true! |
| Malik | : | If you are in doubt as to whether the revelations which We have sent to Our servant (Muhammad) are from Us or not, then produce one Surah like this; and call your witnesses (gods that you call upon) besides Allah to assist you, if you are right in your claim. |
| Yusuf Ali | : | And if ye are in doubt as to what We have revealed from time to time to Our servant then produce a Surah like thereunto; and call your witnesses or helpers (if there are any) besides Allah if your (doubts) are true. 42 |
Note - 14I.e., the message of which the doctrine of God's oneness
and uniqueness is the focal point. By the use of the word
"doubt" (rayb), this passage is meant to recall the
opening sentence of this surah: "This divine writ - let
there be no doubt about it...", etc. The gradualness of
revelation is implied in the grammatical form nazzalna -
which is important in this context inasmuch as the
opponents of the Prophet argued that the Qur'an could not
be of divine origin because it was being revealed
gradually, and not in one piece (Zamakhshari).
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Note - 15Lit., "come forward with a surah like it, and call upon
your witnesses other than God" - namely, "to attest that
your hypothetical literary effort could be deemed equal
to any part of the Qur'an." This challenge occurs in two
other places as well (10:38 and 11:13, in which
latter case the unbelievers are called upon to produce
ten chapters of comparable merit); see also 17:88.
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Note - 42How do we know that there is revelation, and that is from
God? Here is a concrete test. The Teacher of God's
Truth has placed before you many Suras. Can you produce
one like it? If there is any one besides God, who can
inspire spiritual truth in such noble language, produce
your evidence. Or is it that your doubts are merely
argumentative, refractory, against your own inner light,
or conscience? All true revelation is itself a miracle,
and stands on its own merits.
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I.e., the message of which the doctrine of God's oneness and uniqueness is the focal point. By the use of the word "doubt" (rayb), this passage is meant to recall the opening sentence of this surah: "This divine writ - let there be no doubt about it...", etc. The gradualness of revelation is implied in the grammatical form nazzalna - which is important in this context inasmuch as the opponents of the Prophet argued that the Qur'an could not be of divine origin because it was being revealed gradually, and not in one piece (Zamakhshari). |
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Lit., "come forward with a surah like it, and call upon your witnesses other than God" - namely, "to attest that your hypothetical literary effort could be deemed equal to any part of the Qur'an." This challenge occurs in two other places as well (10:38 and 11:13, in which latter case the unbelievers are called upon to produce ten chapters of comparable merit); see also 17:88. |
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How do we know that there is revelation, and that is from God? Here is a concrete test. The Teacher of God's Truth has placed before you many Suras. Can you produce one like it? If there is any one besides God, who can inspire spiritual truth in such noble language, produce your evidence. Or is it that your doubts are merely argumentative, refractory, against your own inner light, or conscience? All true revelation is itself a miracle, and stands on its own merits. |
