وَإِن كُنتُمْ فِى رَيْبٍ مِّمَّا نَزَّلْنَا عَلَىٰ عَبْدِنَا فَأْتُوا۟ بِسُورَةٍ مِّن مِّثْلِهِۦ وَٱدْعُوا۟ شُهَدَآءَكُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ
“And if ye are in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto Our slave (Muhammad), then produce a surah of the like thereof, and call your witness beside Allah if ye are truthful.” — M. M. Pickthall
Taberî9-10. c.✓ Citation verified
This text passage contains the exegesis of multiple verses together. One of the prominent topics is the polytheists asking the Prophet and the believers 'when will this promise come to pass' and the requirement that if the deniers are right in their claims, they must bring proof. Furthermore, regarding the Qur'an's challenge to bring its like, it is noted that the word 'misl' (similitude) here should be understood in terms of exposition/language rather than composition and meaning.
وإنما عنى: ائتوا بسورة من مثله في البيان؛ لأن القرآن أنزله الله بلسان عربي
Zemahşerî12. c.✓ Citation verified
Zemahşerî states in this verse that the polytheists worshipping beings that neither benefit nor harm them is described as a state of ignorance and lack of insight. The verse negates the divine attributes (creation, immortality, knowledge of the unseen) from what they worship and proves creaturely attributes such as being created, mortality, and ignorance of the unseen. He also explains that the phrase 'Is there another god with Allah?' carries the meaning of asking the addressees for proof of this.
نفى عنهم خصائص الإلهية بنفي كونهم خالقين وأحياء لا يموتون وعالمين بوقت البعث ، وأثبت لهم صفات الخلق بأنهم مخلوقون وأنهم أموات وأنهم جاهلون بالغيب
Fahreddin er-Râzî12-13. c.✓ Citation verified
In this text, Fahreddin er-Râzî discusses the referent of the pronoun 'min mislihî' (of its like) in the challenge verses; by presenting the majority view on whether the pronoun refers to the Qur'an or the Prophet, he prefers that it refers to the Qur'an itself. He also presents as two possibilities that the Qur'an's miraculousness occurs either through its eloquence itself or through Allah's preventing opposition (sarfe), and states that in both cases the miracle is established.
والأول مروي عن عمر وابن مسعود وابن عباس والحسن وأكثر المحققين ، ويدل على الترجيح له وجوه : أحدها : أن ذلك مطابق لسائر الآيات الواردة في باب التحدي لا سيما ما ذكره في يونس فوجب صرف الضمير إليه
Kurtubî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Kurtubî, this verse addresses the polytheists who challenged the Qur'an's miraculous nature; when they heard the Qur'an, they said 'this does not resemble Allah's speech, we have doubt about it,' and thereupon this verse was revealed. The connection of the verse with the preceding verse is that Allah first mentions proof of monotheism and His power, then mentions proof of His prophet's prophethood and that what he brought is not fabricated. The pronoun 'mislihî' (its like), according to the majority, refers to the Qur'an; according to some, to the Torah and Gospel; and according to others, to the Prophet (his being unlettered).
يعني القرآن والمراد المشركون الذين تحدوا فإنهم لما سمعوا القرآن قالوا : ما يشبه هذا كلام الله وإنا لفي شك منه فنزلت الآية
İbn Kesîr14. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Ibn Kesîr, this verse is a challenge directed at those who object to the Qur'an; those who claim that Muhammad did not come from Allah are asked to bring a similitude to it, with the help of whoever they wish besides Allah. The exegete notes that the challenge occurs not only through long chapters but also through short chapters like al-Kawthar and al-'Asr, thus every chapter of the Qur'an—regardless of length—bears the attribute of being miraculous. Furthermore, in the section concerning the angels' ignorance of the names in the story of Adam, he transmits views narrated from Ibn Abbas, Suddi, and Ibn Mas'ud, explaining that the angels' ignorance stems from their not knowing the unseen.
والصواب أن كل سورة من القرآن معجزة لا يستطيع البشر معارضتها طويلة كانت أو قصيرة قال الشافعي رحمه الله لو تدبر الناس هذه السورة لكفتهم
Beydâvî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Beydâwî, this verse expresses the transition from the proof of Allah's oneness to the Qur'an's miraculous nature, which is the proof of Muhammad's prophethood; the inability of Arab orators, despite their multitude and their persistence in opposition, to bring a similitude to it is evidence that the Qur'an comes from Allah. Furthermore, the use of the phrase 'mimma' is to dispel the doubt of the disbelievers due to the Qur'an's being revealed piecemeal (munajjaman), and in this way to complete the challenge as a conclusive argument. It is also noted that the construct phrase 'abdinâ' (Our servant) carries the purpose of honoring the Prophet and emphasizing His devotion to Allah.
لما قرر وحدانيته تعالى وبين الطريق الموصل إلى العلم بها، ذكر عقيبه ما هو الحجة على نبوة محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم، وهو القرآن المعجز بفصاحته التي بذت فصاحة كل منطيق وإفحامه
Comparison
Common ground
The common point shared by Taberî, Fahreddin er-Râzî, Kurtubî, Ibn Kesîr, and Beydâwî is that the verse contains a challenge (tahaddî) directed at the Qur'an's miraculous nature; it is emphasized that following the polytheists'/opponents' objection to the Qur'an, Allah asks them to bring a similitude to it. Furthermore, many exegetes (Taberî, Fahreddin er-Râzî, Kurtubî) share the method of combining linguistic/rhetorical analysis with narrations (especially views of the Companions and Successors: Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Qatada, Ibn Mas'ud, etc.) when discussing the referent of the pronoun 'mislihî.' Apart from Zemahşerî, the others directly address the issue of miraculousness.
Differences
While Taberî treats the word 'misl' from the perspective of exposition/language, he leaves aside the challenge's dimension of composition and meaning; this reflects more the early period linguistic-narration school. Zemahşerî shifts the topic to a completely different axis (possibly a different verse/context), dealing with the ignorance of polytheism and the negation of divine attributes through grammar and rhetoric; he does not engage in the discussion of miraculousness/challenge, which demonstrates the characteristic analytical character specific to the text in the Mu'tazilite-rhetorical method. Fahreddin er-Râzî, when discussing the referent of the pronoun, presents two possibilities (eloquence/sarfe theory) through rational division with a theological approach; this shows the characteristic depth of the Ash'arite-theological school. Kurtubî adds the narration of the occasion of revelation and transmits three different views on the referent of the pronoun (the Qur'an, the Torah and Gospel, the Prophet's being unlettered), thus presenting a broader range of narrations. Ibn Kesîr emphasizes that the challenge occurs not only through long but also short chapters (al-Kawthar, al-'Asr), extending the miraculousness to the entire Qur'an; this follows a synthetic method by directly quoting from earlier exegetes (Taberî, Zemahşerî, Fahreddin er-Râzî). Beydâwî, on the other hand, adds a unique linguistic-contextual interpretation by emphasizing the relationship of the phrase 'mimma' to the Qur'an's being revealed in stages, and mentions the aspect of honor in the construct phrase 'abdinâ.'
Historical context
The earliest exegete Taberî (3rd/9th century) provides simple linguistic analysis based on narrations from earlier scholars, while in later periods (Zemahşerî 6th/12th century, Fahreddin er-Râzî 6th-7th/12th-13th century), with the development of rhetoric and theology, more technical and systematic methods such as grammar, qur'anic reading differences, and rational-logical reasoning came to the fore. Kurtubî (7th/13th century) and Ibn Kesîr (8th/14th century) employ an approach that balances narration and reasoned interpretation, synthesizing the views of earlier exegetes; Ibn Kesîr's direct quotation from Taberî, Zemahşerî, and Fahreddin er-Râzî demonstrates the cumulative/progressive development of the exegetical tradition. The latest exegete Beydâwî (late 7th/13th century) adopts a concise and concentrated linguistic-rhetorical style, presenting the accumulated knowledge of earlier periods within a shorter and more systematic framework. Thus, while the fundamental theme of challenge/miraculousness remains constant, the method has gradually evolved from narration to reasoned interpretation, from simplicity to technical-theological depth.
Modern connection
In our time, this verse can present a framework that reminds us of the harmony between knowledge and faith: the diversity of methods that exegetes developed over centuries—ranging from narration to linguistic analysis, from there to rational reasoning—constitutes an example of how different bodies of knowledge can meet around a common truth. This situation can suggest that in our time too, different disciplines (language, logic, history) can continue their efforts to understand the text through dialogue on a tolerant and constructive basis. Moreover, the emphasis that even short chapters can demonstrate expressive power serves as a cautious reminder about the importance of sincerity and depth rather than quantity in worship and recitation.
AI analysis — not a fatwa or ruling, not yet reviewed by a scholar