Al-Isra: (89) And We have certainly diversified for the people...

This statement is open to several interpretations:

First Interpretation: The challenge (to produce something like the Quran) occurred concerning the entire Quran, as in this verse. It also occurred concerning ten chapters, as in the verse: {Or that they say, "He has forged it." Say, "Then bring ten forged chapters like it"} (Hud: 13). The challenge also occurred concerning a single chapter, as in {Then bring a chapter like it} (Al-Baqarah: 23). The challenge also occurred concerning speech from a single chapter, as in {Then let them produce a discourse like it} (At-Tur: 34). Therefore, the phrase {And We have certainly diversified for the people in this Qur'an every kind of example} might refer to this challenge, as we have explained. Despite their evident inability at all these levels, they remained insistent upon their disbelief.

Second Interpretation: The meaning of {And We have certainly diversified for the people in this Qur'an every kind of example} is that We informed them about the fate of those who remained insistent on disbelief—such as the people of Noah, 'Ad, and Thamud—how We afflicted them with various kinds of trials, explaining this method repeatedly. Yet, these people (the Meccans) did not benefit from this explanation but remained insistent on disbelief.

Third Interpretation: The meaning is that the Almighty mentioned the proofs for Tawhid (monotheism) and the negation of partners and adversaries many times in this Quran. He repeatedly mentioned the doubts of those who denied prophethood and the Hereafter, and answered them. Then, He followed this up by mentioning the conclusive proofs for the authenticity of prophethood and the Hereafter. Yet, these disbelievers did not benefit from hearing them but remained insistent on polytheism and denying prophethood.

He means (the majority of the people of Mecca) {except a disbeliever} (i.e., one who denies the truth). This is because they denied what did not require explicit demonstration.

If one asks: How is it permissible to say {But most of the people refused except disbelief} (fa'abā akthar an-nās illā kuffūran), while it is not permissible to say {I struck except Zayd} (ḍarabtu illā Zayd [in the sense of mā ḍarabtu illā Zayd])?

The answer is that the word abā (refused/declined) implies negation, as if it were said: They were not pleased except with disbelief.

**7 < { And they say, "We will never believe you until you cause a spring to gush forth from the earth for us, * Or you have a garden of date palms and grapes, and cause rivers to flow through them in a surging flow, * Or you make the heaven fall upon us in pieces, as you claim, or you bring Allah and the angels forth before us, * Or you have a house of ornamentation, or you ascend into the sky. And even then we will not believe in your ascension until you send down to us a book that we may read." Say, "Exalted is my Lord! Am I anything but a human messenger?" } > 7

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