And when you do not bring a (Qur'anic) verse to them, they say: "Why don't you make one up?" Say: "I follow only what my Lord reveals to me." These (revelations) are an evident proof from your Lord, and a guidance and grace for those who believe.
And O dear Prophet (Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) when you do not bring to them a verse, they say, “Why did you not fabricate it?” Say, “I follow only what is divinely revealed to me from my Lord”; this (the Holy Qur’an) is an enlightenment from your Lord, and a guidance and a mercy for the Muslims.
And when thou bringest them not a sign, they say, 'Why hast thou not chosen one?' Say: 'I follow only what is revealed to me from my Lord; this is clear testimony from your Lord, guidance, and mercy for a people of believers.'
And yet, when thou [O Prophet] dost not produce any miracle for them, some [people] say, "Why dost thou not seek to obtain it [from God]? Say: "I only follow whatever is being revealed to me by my Sustainer: this [revelation] is a means of insight from your Sustainer, and a guidance and grace unto people who will believe.
And whenever thou bringest not unto them, as a sign, they say: wherefore hast not thou selected it? Say thou: I only follow that which hath been revealed unto me by my Lord. This is an enlightenment from your Lord and a guidance and a mercy unto a people who believe.
And if you do not bring them a miracle [according to their (i.e. Quraish-pagans') proposal], they say: "Why have you not brought it?" Say: "I but follow what is revealed to me from my Lord. This (the Quran) is nothing but evidences from your Lord, and a guidance and a mercy for a people who believe."
If you do not produce a miracle for them, they say, “Why don’t you improvise one.” Say, “I only follow what is inspired to me from my Lord.” These are insights from your Lord, and guidance, and mercy, for a people who believe.
[O Prophet!] When you do not produce before them any miracle, they say: 'Why do you not choose for yourself a miracle?' Say to them: 'I follow only what is revealed to me by my Lord. This is nothing but a means of insight into the truth, and guidance and mercy from your Lord to the people who believe.
And if you do not bring them a miracle, they say: "Why have you not brought it" Say: "I but follow what is revealed to me from my Lord. This (the Qur'an) is nothing but evidences from your Lord, and a guidance and a mercy for a people who believe."
And when thou bringest not a verse for them they say: Why hast thou not chosen it? Say: I follow only that which is inspired in me from my Lord. This (Qur'an) is insight from your Lord, and a guidance and a mercy for a people that believe.
When you do not bring them a sign, they say, ‘Why do you not improvise one?’ Say, ‘I only follow what is revealed to me from my Lord; these are insights from your Lord, and a guidance and mercy for a people who have faith.’
When you do not bring them a verse, they say, 'Why have you not chosen one' Say: 'I follow only what is revealed to me from my Lord. This (Koran) is a veritable proof from your Lord, guidance and mercy for people who believe'
And when you, [O Muhammad], do not bring them a sign, they say, "Why have you not contrived it?" Say, "I only follow what is revealed to me from my Lord. This [Qur'an] is enlightenment from your Lord and guidance and mercy for a people who believe."
If you, (Muhammad), do not show them a miracle, they will keep on insisting that you must show them one. Say, "I only follow what is revealed to me from my Lord. This (Quran) contains wisdom for you from your Lord. It contains guidance and mercy for those who have faith.
And when you bring them not a revelation they say: Why do you not forge it? Say: I only follow what is revealed to me from my Lord; these are clear proofs from your Lord and a guidance and a mercy for a people who believe.
Wai<u>tha</u> lam tatihim bi<u>a</u>yatin q<u>a</u>loo lawl<u>a</u> ijtabaytah<u>a</u> qul innam<u>a</u> attabiAAu m<u>a</u> yoo<u>ha</u> ilayya min rabbee h<u>atha</u> ba<u>sa</u>iru min rabbikum wahudan wara<u>h</u>matun liqawmin yuminoon<b>a</b>
When you do not bring them a sign, they say, "Why do you not invent one?" Say, "I follow only what is revealed to me by my Lord. This Book is an enlightenment from your Lord and a guide and mercy to true believers.
If thou bring them not a revelation, they say: "Why hast thou not got it together?" Say: "I but follow what is revealed to me from my Lord: this is (nothing but) lights from your Lord, and Guidance, and mercy, for any who have faith."
وَإِذَا لَمْ تَأْتِهِم بِـَٔايَةٍ قَالُوا۟ لَوْلَا ٱجْتَبَيْتَهَا قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أَتَّبِعُ مَا يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَىَّ مِن رَّبِّى هَٰذَا بَصَآئِرُ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ
And If you O Messenger come with a sign, they reject it and turn away from it; and if you do not come to them with a sign, they ask why he did not produce one. Say to them O Messenger: 'It is not up to me to just come with a sign. Rather, I only follow what was revealed to me from Allah: the Qur’ān which I recite to you, an evidence and proof from Allah your Creator, the arranger of your lives, a guidance and mercy for the believers among His creation. As for those who do not have faith, then they are lost and wretched.'
And If you O Messenger come with a sign, they reject it and turn away from it; and if you do not come to them with a sign, they ask why he did not produce one. Say to them O Messenger: 'It is not up to me to just come with a sign. Rather, I only follow what was revealed to me from Allah: the Qur’ān which I recite to you, an evidence and proof from Allah your Creator, the arranger of your lives, a guidance and mercy for the believers among His creation. As for those who do not have faith, then they are lost and wretched.'
<p>Commentary</p><p>Mentioned in the verses cited above is the proof that the Holy Prophet ﷺ the true Messenger of Allah. Also answered there are doubts raised by his antagonists. Then, as a corollary, some religious injunctions have been taken up.</p><p>To prove that they are Messengers of Allah, all prophets, may peace be upon them all, are given miracles. It was in consonance with it that the Holy Prophet ﷺ the foremost among prophets, was blessed with so many miracles which exceed the number of those given to past prophets and which are clear too.</p><p>The miracles of the Holy Prophet ﷺ as proved from the Qur'an, and authentic Hadith reports, are fairly numerous. Muslim religious scholars have written separate books about them. ` Allamah Jalalud-Din as-Suyuti's book, al-Khasais a1-Kubra, in two volumes, is a well-known work on this subject.</p><p>But, despite the manifestation of so many miracles, his opponents stuck to their unreasonable demands asking for ever-new miracles of their choice. This has also been mentioned earlier in this very Surah.</p><p>The first of the two verses cited above provides an answer to their demand as a matter of principle. To put it briefly, the miracle of a prophet is a testimony and proof of his mission as a Messenger of Allah. Take the example of the claim of a plaintiff that stands proved by some trustworthy evidence. The other party has not challenged it in any way. If so, no court in the world would give this party the right to demand from the plaintiff that it would accept the claim only when he produces its evidence from a number of particularly specified people. And that the said party would, without challenging the present evidence, not accept it. Therefore, after having seen so many manifest miracles, the antagonists had no right to say that they would take him to be a Messenger of Allah only if he were to show their custom-ordered miracles. This is nothing but a hostile demand that no court of justice would accept as valid.</p><p>So, in the first verse (203), it was said when he does not show them the miracle specified by them, they use it as a pretext to deny that he was a Messenger of Allah. Had he been one, he would have shown them the miracle of their choice! The Holy Prophet ﷺ has been asked to tell them that his mission does not call for the showing of miracles on his own. Instead, his basic mission was to follow the injunctions sent to him by his Lord through the medium of Wahy (revelation) and it included the task of their preaching as well. Therefore, he was busy doing what he was assigned to do. As for the verification of his status as a Messenger of Allah, the miracles already manifested before them were more than enough for that purpose. Now that they have already seen those, the demand for some particular miracle is nothing but an exercise in hostility that is not worth noticing.</p><p>Then, out of the miracles shown, the Qur'an by itself is a great miracle. It has challenged the whole world to come up with a small Surah the like of it and it has failed to do so. This, then, is an open sign that the Qur'an is no human word, instead, is the inimitable Word of Allah, the most exalted.</p><p>For this reason, it was said: هَـٰذَا بَصَائِرُ‌ مِن رَّ‌بِّكُمْ (This is (a Book of) insights from your Lord). It means that this Qur'an has come from your Lord as a compendium of many proofs and miracles. Whoever deliberates into it, even summarily, could not part with it without believing that it was nothing but the Word of Allah, the most exalted, and that nothing created has anything to do with it. After that, it was said: وَهُدًى وَرَ‌حْمَةٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ (and a guidance and mercy for a people who believe). It means that, no doubt, this Qur'an is a proof of what is true for the whole world, but it is an escort to the purpose of life and a medium of deserving the mercy of Allah Ta` ala only for those who believe in it.</p>
CommentaryMentioned in the verses cited above is the proof that the Holy Prophet ﷺ the true Messenger of Allah. Also answered there are doubts raised by his antagonists. Then, as a corollary, some religious injunctions have been taken up.To prove that they are Messengers of Allah, all prophets, may peace be upon them all, are given miracles. It was in consonance with it that the Holy Prophet ﷺ the foremost among prophets, was blessed with so many miracles which exceed the number of those given to past prophets and which are clear too.The miracles of the Holy Prophet ﷺ as proved from the Qur'an, and authentic Hadith reports, are fairly numerous. Muslim religious scholars have written separate books about them. ` Allamah Jalalud-Din as-Suyuti's book, al-Khasais a1-Kubra, in two volumes, is a well-known work on this subject.But, despite the manifestation of so many miracles, his opponents stuck to their unreasonable demands asking for ever-new miracles of their choice. This has also been mentioned earlier in this very Surah.The first of the two verses cited above provides an answer to their demand as a matter of principle. To put it briefly, the miracle of a prophet is a testimony and proof of his mission as a Messenger of Allah. Take the example of the claim of a plaintiff that stands proved by some trustworthy evidence. The other party has not challenged it in any way. If so, no court in the world would give this party the right to demand from the plaintiff that it would accept the claim only when he produces its evidence from a number of particularly specified people. And that the said party would, without challenging the present evidence, not accept it. Therefore, after having seen so many manifest miracles, the antagonists had no right to say that they would take him to be a Messenger of Allah only if he were to show their custom-ordered miracles. This is nothing but a hostile demand that no court of justice would accept as valid.So, in the first verse (203), it was said when he does not show them the miracle specified by them, they use it as a pretext to deny that he was a Messenger of Allah. Had he been one, he would have shown them the miracle of their choice! The Holy Prophet ﷺ has been asked to tell them that his mission does not call for the showing of miracles on his own. Instead, his basic mission was to follow the injunctions sent to him by his Lord through the medium of Wahy (revelation) and it included the task of their preaching as well. Therefore, he was busy doing what he was assigned to do. As for the verification of his status as a Messenger of Allah, the miracles already manifested before them were more than enough for that purpose. Now that they have already seen those, the demand for some particular miracle is nothing but an exercise in hostility that is not worth noticing.Then, out of the miracles shown, the Qur'an by itself is a great miracle. It has challenged the whole world to come up with a small Surah the like of it and it has failed to do so. This, then, is an open sign that the Qur'an is no human word, instead, is the inimitable Word of Allah, the most exalted.For this reason, it was said: هَـٰذَا بَصَائِرُ‌ مِن رَّ‌بِّكُمْ (This is (a Book of) insights from your Lord). It means that this Qur'an has come from your Lord as a compendium of many proofs and miracles. Whoever deliberates into it, even summarily, could not part with it without believing that it was nothing but the Word of Allah, the most exalted, and that nothing created has anything to do with it. After that, it was said: وَهُدًى وَرَ‌حْمَةٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ (and a guidance and mercy for a people who believe). It means that, no doubt, this Qur'an is a proof of what is true for the whole world, but it is an escort to the purpose of life and a medium of deserving the mercy of Allah Ta` ala only for those who believe in it.
<h2 class="title">Idolators ask to witness Miracles</h2><p>`Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas commented on Allah's statement, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">قَالُواْ لَوْلاَ اجْتَبَيْتَهَا</div><p>(they say, "Why have you not brought it") "They say, `Why have you not received a miracle"', or, "Why have you not initiated or made it" Ibn Jarir reported that, `Abdullah bin Kathir said that Mujahid said about Allah's statement, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَإِذَا لَمْ تَأْتِهِم بِـَايَةٍ قَالُواْ لَوْلاَ اجْتَبَيْتَهَا</div><p>(And if you do not bring them a miracle, they say: "Why have you not brought it") "They say, `Produce a miracle of your own."' Qatadah, As-Suddi, `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam and Ibn Jarir agreed with this. Allah said next, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَإِذَا لَمْ تَأْتِهِم بِـَايَةٍ</div><p>(And if you do not bring them an Ayah) a miracle or a sign. Similarly, Allah said, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">إِن نَّشَأْ نُنَزِّلْ عَلَيْهِمْ مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ ءَايَةً فَظَلَّتْ أَعْنَـقُهُمْ لَهَا خَـضِعِينَ </div><p>(If We will, We could send down to them from the heaven a sign, to which they would bend their necks in humility.) 26:4 The pagans asked the Prophet, why did you not strive hard to bring us an Ayah (miracle) from Allah so that we witness it and believe in it. Allah said to him, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أَتَّبِعُ مَا يِوحَى إِلَىَّ مِن رَّبِّى</div><p>(Say: "I but follow what is revealed to me from my Lord.") I do not ask such things of my Lord. I only follow what He reveals and commands me. Therefore, if Allah sends a miracle, I will accept it. Otherwise, I will not ask for it unless He allows me. Certainly, Allah is Most Wise, the All-Knower. Allah next directs the servants to the fact that this Qur'an is the most powerful miracle, clearest evidence and most true proof and explanation, saying, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">هَـذَا بَصَآئِرُ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ</div><p>(This (the Qur'an) is nothing but evidences from your Lord, and a guidance and a mercy for a people who believe.) </p>
Idolators ask to witness Miracles`Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas commented on Allah's statement, قَالُواْ لَوْلاَ اجْتَبَيْتَهَا(they say, "Why have you not brought it") "They say, `Why have you not received a miracle"', or, "Why have you not initiated or made it" Ibn Jarir reported that, `Abdullah bin Kathir said that Mujahid said about Allah's statement, وَإِذَا لَمْ تَأْتِهِم بِـَايَةٍ قَالُواْ لَوْلاَ اجْتَبَيْتَهَا(And if you do not bring them a miracle, they say: "Why have you not brought it") "They say, `Produce a miracle of your own."' Qatadah, As-Suddi, `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam and Ibn Jarir agreed with this. Allah said next, وَإِذَا لَمْ تَأْتِهِم بِـَايَةٍ(And if you do not bring them an Ayah) a miracle or a sign. Similarly, Allah said, إِن نَّشَأْ نُنَزِّلْ عَلَيْهِمْ مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ ءَايَةً فَظَلَّتْ أَعْنَـقُهُمْ لَهَا خَـضِعِينَ (If We will, We could send down to them from the heaven a sign, to which they would bend their necks in humility.) 26:4 The pagans asked the Prophet, why did you not strive hard to bring us an Ayah (miracle) from Allah so that we witness it and believe in it. Allah said to him, قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أَتَّبِعُ مَا يِوحَى إِلَىَّ مِن رَّبِّى(Say: "I but follow what is revealed to me from my Lord.") I do not ask such things of my Lord. I only follow what He reveals and commands me. Therefore, if Allah sends a miracle, I will accept it. Otherwise, I will not ask for it unless He allows me. Certainly, Allah is Most Wise, the All-Knower. Allah next directs the servants to the fact that this Qur'an is the most powerful miracle, clearest evidence and most true proof and explanation, saying, هَـذَا بَصَآئِرُ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ(This (the Qur'an) is nothing but evidences from your Lord, and a guidance and a mercy for a people who believe.) 