Tafsir of Ash-Shu`ara' 26:199

Regarding the reading of His saying, the Exalted: "And he read it to them" (faqara'ahu 'alayhim): The apparent meaning is that the subject pronoun refers to "some of the A'jamayn (non-Arabs/mute beings)," and they are among the attributes of rational beings. The intention is to express the extremity of their obstinacy and the intensity of their stubbornness in contention. It is as if it were said: "Even if We had revealed it with this eloquent, miraculous composition upon one who is unable to speak Arabic, or upon that which by nature does not speak at all—such as mute animals—and he [the Messenger] read it to them in a manner that was authentic and extraordinary, they would not have been believers in it," with the miracle of the reading being joined to the miracle of what is read.

It is said that A'jamayn is the plural of A'jam, which is more general than being either rational or otherwise. Al-Tabarsi narrated this from 'Abd Allah ibn Muti', mentioning that it was reported from Ibn Mas'ud that he was asked about this verse while he was upon a camel; he pointed to it and said, "This is among the A'jamayn." Al-Tabari, according to what is in al-Bahr, narrates something similar from Ibn Muti'. The intention here is also to express the extremity of their obstinacy.

Others have said: It is the plural of A'jam, intended to mean that which does not possess intellect. In this case, the subject pronoun in "he read" (qara'ahu) refers to the Prophet ﷺ, and the pronoun in "to them" ('alayhim) refers to some of the A'jamayn, as does the pronoun in "they were" (kanu). The meaning would be: "If We had revealed this Quran upon some beasts, and Muhammad ﷺ had read it to those beasts, they—those beasts—would not have been believers in it." Thus, these [disbelievers] are the same, for they are like cattle, or even more astray in their path. The [weakness] in this is not hidden.

It is also said: The meaning is, "Even if We had revealed it to some non-Arabs in the language of the non-Arabs, and he had read it to them, they would not have been believers in it," due to their failure to understand what is in it. 'Abd al-Razzaq, 'Abd ibn Humayd, and Ibn Jarir reported this from Qatadah. However, this is remote from what the context requires, which is the expression of their persistence in contention and obstinacy.

Some have used this verse to argue against the inclusion of the Arabic language in the definition of the Quran, for if it were taken as a requirement, its revelation in a non-Arab language would be inconceivable, as that would necessitate that the same thing be both Arabic and non-Arabic, which is impossible.

The response to this is that the pronoun in "We revealed it" (nazzalnahu) does not refer to the specific Quran defined by its Arabic nature, but rather to the Quran in the absolute sense, intending by it whatever is read, regardless of whether it is Arabic or otherwise. This is similar to the reference of a pronoun to a general term contained within a specific one, as in His saying, "No long-lived person is granted longevity, nor is anything cut from his life," where the pronoun in "his life" refers to a person without the attribute of "long-lived," for it is inconceivable that the life of one granted longevity would be decreased, as is evident.

Others have said in response: The discourse involves the omission of a genitive addition, and the intended meaning is, "Even if We had revealed [the meaning of] it in the language of the non-Arabs upon some non-Arabs." Ponder this.

The mention of "some" (ba'd) in all these views is an indication that the one upon whom it is hypothetically revealed is an individual from among that group, whoever he may be. The phrase "in it" (bihi) is linked to "believers," and perhaps its precedence over the latter is for the sake of importance and to maintain the consonance of the verse endings.