Tafsir of Az-Zukhruf 43:58

"And they said, 'Are our gods better, or is he?'"

(This is said) as a preamble to the falsehood they built upon, which is disguised with that which fools are deceived by: "Are our gods better, or is he?"—meaning: Is it manifest to you that Jesus, peace be upon him, is better than our gods? Thus, since he is—according to your claim—in the Fire, there is no harm in them and us being therein.

The Kufans realized both hamzas—the interrogative hamza and the radical hamza—while the rest of the seven (reciters) facilitated the second between (the sound of) the hamza and the vowel. Al-A’mash, in a narration by Abu al-Azhar, recited it with one hamza, following the pattern of a declarative statement, and it is apparent that this is due to the omission of the interrogative.

"They did not cite him to you except for the sake of argument. Rather, they are a contentious people."

(58) This is an invalidation of their falsehood in general, not merely relying on what was detailed in His saying, "Indeed, those for whom the best has preceded from Us..." It serves as a reminder that its falsehood would not be hidden from anyone with a shred of sense, let alone others; however, stubbornness blinds and deafens.

Meaning: They did not cite this to you except for the sake of argumentation and disputation, not for the sake of seeking the truth, for it is in the utmost degree of falsehood. Rather, they are a people of stubborn, intense enmity, fashioned for contention—that is, the questioning of creation and obstinacy.

"Argument" (jadalan) is in the accusative case as a maf’ul li-ajlihi (an object for the sake of which the action is performed). It is also said that it is a verbal noun in the position of a hal (circumstantial accusative), meaning: "arguing." Ibn Miqsam recited it as jidalan, with a kasra under the jim and an alif after the dal.