Surah Hud: (13) Or do they say, "He has forged it..."

Know that when they demanded a miracle, He mentioned the miracle of this Qur'an. Once the single miracle was established, their demand for more was out of transgression and ignorance. Then, its status as a miracle was confirmed by challenging them to produce its like. The detailed discussion of this matter has already been covered in Al-Baqarah and in Surah Yunus.

There are several issues in this verse:

Issue 1: The Pronoun in "{He has forged it}"

The pronoun in "{He has forged it}" refers back to what preceded it, namely, "{It is revealed to you}." This means if they say that what is revealed to you is fabricated, then tell them: "Then produce ten Surahs like it that are forged."

The phrase "like it" (مثله) means "like them" (أمثاله), applying to each of those ten Surahs individually. It is also plausible that it refers to the totality, as the collection of the ten Surahs constitutes a single entity.

Issue 2: The Identity of the Ten Surahs

Ibn Abbas said that the Surahs specified for this challenge are: Al-Baqarah, Aal 'Imran, An-Nisa, Al-Ma'idah, Al-An'am, Al-A'raf, Al-Anfal, At-Tawbah, Yunus, and Hud (peace be upon them). The statement "{Then produce ten Surahs like it that are forged}" refers to the Surahs revealed before this Surah (Hud).

This presents a problem: Surah Hud is Meccan, yet some of the Surahs mentioned as preceding it are Medinan. How can the reference be to ten Surahs that had not yet been revealed at the time of this statement?

Therefore, the better interpretation is that the challenge was issued regarding the general nature of the Surahs that exhibit strength in their composition and structure.

Know that the challenge to produce ten Surahs must necessarily precede the challenge to produce a single Surah. This is analogous to a man telling another, "Write ten lines like the ones I write." If the other proves incapable, the first might say, "I have reduced the demand to just one line like mine."

If you understand this, we say: The challenge for a single Surah is mentioned in Surah Al-Baqarah and Surah Yunus, as previously discussed. The precedence of Surah Hud over Al-Baqarah is clear, as Hud is Meccan and Al-Baqarah is Medinan. As for Surah Yunus, the issue is resolved there too, because both Surah Hud and Surah Yunus are Meccan. The evidence we presented implies that Surah Hud was revealed before Surah Yunus for the statement we mentioned to be coherent.

Issue 3: The Basis of the Qur'an's Inimitability (I'jaz)

People differed regarding the aspect that makes the Qur'an miraculous:

1. Some said: Eloquence (الفصاحة).
2. Some said: Style (الأسلوب).
3. A third said: Lack of contradiction (عدم التناقض).
4. A fourth said: Its inclusion of extensive knowledge (العلوم الكثيرة).
5. A fifth said: Divine diversion/prevention (الصرف).
6. A sixth said: Its inclusion of news of the unseen (الإخبار عن الغيوب).

My chosen view, and that of the majority, is that it is miraculous due to its eloquence (الفصاحة).

They use this verse as proof for the validity of their position. If the basis of inimitability were the abundance of knowledge, news of the unseen, or lack of contradiction, then the phrase "forged" (مفتريات) would have no meaning. However, if the basis of inimitability is eloquence, then this makes perfect sense, because the eloquence of an eloquent speaker manifests in the speech itself, whether the speech is true or false.

Furthermore, if the basis for its miracle were divine diversion (الصرف), then the evidence provided by weak speech (low in eloquence) demonstrating this power would be stronger than the evidence provided by highly eloquent speech.

Then, after establishing the basis for the challenge, the Almighty said: "{And call upon those you can besides Allah, if you are truthful}." This means, if you are truthful in your claim that it is fabricated, as implied by "{Or do they say, 'He has forged it...}'."

Know that this statement indicates that establishing religion necessitates presenting proofs and evidence. This is because the Almighty presented this proof and argument to establish the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him). If religion were not completed only through evidence, mentioning it here would be pointless.

{So if they do not respond to you, then know that it has been sent down with the knowledge of Allah, and that there is no deity except Him. Then will you submit?}