Surah At-Tur (52): 34 - So let them produce a discourse like it...

This means: If Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a poet, then among you are eloquent poets, intelligent soothsayers, those who extemporize speeches and short poems, and those who narrate stories—and there is no difference between a deficiency or an addition in their speech. So let them produce something like what he has brought. The term taqawwul (fabrication/utterance) here implies lying.

There is a subtle indication here: the form tafa''ala (as in taqawwul) often implies pretense or feigning something that is not truly present. For example, tamarrada means he pretended to be sick when he was not. Thus, it is as if they were saying: "He is lying; what he says is merely the form of speech, but it lacks true substance." This implies that the one who accuses him of fabrication is, in reality, the truthful one.

And His saying, {Nay, but they do not believe} (At-Tur: 32), clarifies this: During the time the revelation was descending and the miracle was occurring, they were witnessing it. This witnessing should have compelled them to testify to his truthfulness to others and to be like guiding stars for the believers, as the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were. Yet, they were not like that; rather, they were less than that—they were not even among the common believers who did not witness those events or where the matter was not so clearly manifested.

And His saying, {So let them produce}: The fa' (so) indicates immediate consequence. If the situation is as described (i.e., if they claim he is lying or mistaken), then they must produce something like what he brought to validate their claims and invalidate his. There are several discussions regarding this:

Some scholars hold that {So let them produce} is a command intended to demonstrate their inability (a challenge). This is typical when someone claims an ability, and the speaker's goal is to expose their weakness. However, the apparent meaning here is that the command is to be taken literally, because He did not say, "Produce [anything] absolutely," but rather, "if they are truthful." Given the existence of that condition (truthfulness in their claims), the production is obligatory. A command of challenge in the words of Allah is exemplified by: {Indeed, Allah brings the sun from the east; so cause it to come from the west. Then the one who disbelieved was struck dumb} (Al-Baqarah: 258). This distinction does not introduce any flaw into the argument here.

The Mu'tazila argue: "Hadith" (discourse/speech) means something created (muhdath), and since the Qur'an calls itself hadith, it must be created. We reply: Hadith is a shared term; it is used for both the created (muhdath) and the eternal (qadim). This is why it is valid to say, "This is an old hadith (hadithun qadim)," meaning something ancient in time, not negating its primordial nature. There is no dispute over this usage.

Grammarians state that the adjective follows the noun it modifies in definiteness and indefiniteness. Here, the modified noun (hadith) is indefinite, yet it is followed by a phrase involving mithl (like), which is then connected to the definite noun (the Qur'an) via idafa (genitive construction). How can this be? We reply: Mithl (like) and ghayr (other than) do not become definite through idafa. This is true for all words similar to them. The reason is that ghayr or mithl and their equivalents are inherently maximally indefinite. If you say, "I did not see anyone like Zayd," this encompasses everything, as any object is like Zayd in being a thing—a stone is like him in body, size, and possibility; a plant is like him in growth, decay, and perishability; and an animal is like him in movement, perception, and other attributes.

As for ghayr, when used in idafa, it becomes indefinite. When detached from idafa, it can sometimes become definite. If you say, "The Other than Zayd," it becomes highly ambiguous, as it refers to countless things. However, if you detach it, you might say al-ghayr (The Other), treating ghayr and mukhālafah (difference) as belonging to the same category, or you might treat al-ghayr as a subject noun intending a specific meaning.

{if they are truthful}: Meaning, truthful in their claim that it is {fabrication} (At-Tur: 33). We have already mentioned that this refers back to their previous accusations: that he is a soothsayer, mad, a poet, or a fabricator. If they were truthful in any one of these claims, producing something like the Qur'an would have been easy for them. Their inability proves they were lying in all of them.

We have already established that the Qur'an is undoubtedly miraculous. If creation is incapable of producing anything close to it when challenged, then its miracle is either due to its eloquence (the view of most Sunnis), or it is due to Allah diverting the minds of the intelligent away from producing anything similar, and restraining their tongues from uttering anything close to it. This is like preventing the capable from performing the impossible, such as if someone tells another, "I will move this mountain," which is highly improbable. Similarly, if someone claims, "I will perform an act that creation cannot do, like moving an apple from its place," it is improbable. Furthermore, any act accompanied by a claim of divine origin becomes miraculous. This is the view of some theologians, and there is no corruption in it. It can also be said that it is miraculous due to both eloquence and divine restraint.

7 < { Did they create themselves, or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay, but they have no certainty. } > 7 !