Meccan · Surah 17 of 114

Al-Israa 17:88

The Night Journey · ayah 88 of 111

قُل لَّئِنِ ٱجْتَمَعَتِ ٱلْإِنسُ وَٱلْجِنُّ عَلَىٰٓ أَن يَأْتُوا۟ بِمِثْلِ هَٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانِ لَا يَأْتُونَ بِمِثْلِهِۦ وَلَوْ كَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍۢ ظَهِيرًۭا

Qul la-ini ijtamaAAati al-insu waljinnuAAala an ya/too bimithli hatha alqur-ani laya/toona bimithlihi walaw kana baAAduhum libaAAdinthaheera

"Say, "If mankind and the jinn gathered in order to produce the like of this Qur’ān, they could not produce the like of it, even if they were to each other assistants.""

Saheeh International translation

Recitation by Mishary Alafasy

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Other English translations

Abdel Haleem (Oxford)+

"Say, ‘Even if all mankind and jinn came together to produce something like this Quran, they could not produce anything like it, however much they helped each other.’"

Pickthall (classic)+

"Say: Verily, though mankind and the jinn should assemble to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like thereof though they were helpers one of another."

Yusuf Ali (classic)+

"Say: "If the whole of mankind and Jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help and support."

Tafsīr · classical commentary

Ibn Kathir

Abridged English, public domain

If Allah willed, He could take away the Qur'an

Allah mentions the blessing and great bounty that He has bestowed upon His servant and Messenger Muhammad by revealing to Him the Noble Qur'an to which falsehood cannot come, from before it or behind it, (it is) sent down by the All-Wise, Worthy of all praise. Ibn Mas`ud said, "A red wind will come to the people, meaning at the end of time, from the direction of Syria, and there will be nothing left in a man's Mushaf (copy of the Qur'an) or in his heart, not even one Ayah." Then Ibn Mas`ud recited:

وَلَئِن شِئْنَا لَنَذْهَبَنَّ بِالَّذِى أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ

(And if We willed, We could surely take away that which We have revealed to you.)

Challenging by the Qur'an

Then Allah points out the great virtue of the Qur'an, and says that even if mankind and the Jinn were all to come together and agree to produce something like that which was revealed to His Messenger , they would never be able to do it, even if they were to cooperate and support and help one another. This is something which is impossible. How could the words of created beings be like the Words of the Creator Who has no equal and peer, for there is none like unto Him

وَلَقَدْ صَرَّفْنَا لِلنَّاسِ

(And indeed We have fully explained to man- kind,) meaning, `We have furnished them with evidence and defini- tive proof, and We have shown them the truth and explained it in detail, yet despite that most of mankind insist on disbelief, i.e., denying and rejecting the truth.'

Tafsir Saʿdi

English translation, public domain

Это - убедительное доказательство и неопровержимый довод в пользу правдивости всего, что проповедовал Божий посланник, да благословит его Аллах и приветствует. Аллах бросил вызов людям и джиннам и предложил им сочинить нечто, подобное Священному Корану. А затем Аллах возвестил, что им никогда не удастся сочинить нечто подобное, даже если они станут сотрудничать и помогать друг другу. Все действительно происходит так, как это предсказал Аллах. Неверующие, которые враждуют с Аллахом и Его посланником, любыми способами пытаются изобличить во лжи пророческое учение. Они прекрасно владеют языками и обладают красноречием. И если бы они имели хотя бы малейшую возможность сочинить нечто, подобное Корану, то они непременно сделали бы это. Следовательно, неверующие смирились с собственным бессилием. Одни из них смирились по доброй воле, а другие - вопреки своему желанию. Они не смогли противостоять истине. Да и как могло быть иначе, если они являются творениями, созданными из праха и обладающими качествами, которые лишены всякого совершенства? Они обладают знанием, силой, желанием, волей, речью или совершенством только тогда, когда этого желает Аллах. Разве ж они могли противостоять речи Господа небес и земли, который ведает обо всем сокровенном, обладает абсолютным совершенством, достоин всякой похвалы, обладает безграничным величием и удивительной речью? Разве они могли соперничать с Господом, Чьи слова не будут исчерпаны даже в том случае, если будут записаны письменными тростями, изготовленными из всех деревьев земли, при помощи семи океанов чернил? Воистину, если это произойдет, то чернила закончатся, а письменные трости источатся до того, как иссякнут слова Великого Аллаха. Качества творений не похожи на Его божественные качества, и их речь не может быть похожа на Его божественную речь. Никто не может сравниться с Всеблагим и Всевышним Аллахом своей сущностью, именами, качествами или деяниями. И горе всякому, кто не видит разницы между словами Творца и речью творений! Горе тому, кто полагает, что Мухаммад, да благословит его Аллах и приветствует, сочинил Священный Коран и приписал его Аллаху!

Maʿārif al-Qur'ān

Mufti Shafi Usmani, English

The subject in verse 88: قُل لَّئِنِ اجْتَمَعَتِ الْإِنسُ وَالْجِنُّ (If all humans and jinns join together...) appears in some other verses of the Holy Qur'an as well. Challenging the humankind, it has been said there: If you do not take the Qur'an to be the word of Allah, rather take it to be a word of man, then, you too are human, why would you not come up with its like? Along with that challenge, it was also said in this verse: Not the human-kind alone, you are welcome to join up with jinns, but you, all combined together, will still be unable to come out with one Surah - even one verse - like that of the Qur'an.

The repetition of this subject at this place may possibly be to show the futility of what the deniers of the message were trying to do. Here they were trying to test the veracity of the mission of a prophet of Allah by asking all sorts of questions, the one about the Ruh being one of them. Being an exercise in futility, why would they go about digging into unnecessary issues only to determine whether or not the prophet sent to them was true? Why they would not look into the Qur’ an as it is? It leaves no room for doubt in the veracity of the Holy Prophet ﷺ as Prophet and Messenger of Allah ﷺ . The reason is simple. When the humans and jinns of the whole world are incapable of producing the least like of it, what doubt could there be in that it is but the Divine Word. And once it is proved so manifestly that the Holy Qur'an is Divine Word, hardly any doubt remains in that the Holy Prophet ﷺ was a true prophet and messenger of Allah ﷺ .

Tafsīr sourced from quran.com's open API. These are classical commentaries; for personal rulings consult a qualified scholar.

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