Al-An'am (The Cattle): (7) And if We sent down to you...

Know that the groups who rebel against accepting the call of the Prophets are numerous.

The first group are those who have exaggerated their love for this world, seeking its pleasures and desires to the extent that they become completely engrossed in them and seize upon their attainment. This preoccupation prevents them from accepting the Prophets' call. These are the ones Allah Almighty mentioned in the preceding verse, clarifying that the pleasures of this world are fleeting while the punishment for disbelief remains. It is not rational to endure eternal punishment for the sake of base, perishable delights.

The second group are those who interpret the miracles of the Prophets (peace be upon them) as mere sorcery, not as miracles. These are the ones Allah Almighty mentions in this verse. Herein lie several issues:

Issue 1:

Allah Almighty clarifies in this verse that even if these disbelievers witnessed a book descending upon you, O Muhammad, all at once, they would not believe in it. Instead, they would interpret it as sorcery and trickery.

The phrase {in a scroll} (فى قِرْطَاس) means that if the book descended all at once, in a single sheet, and they saw it, touched it, and witnessed it with their own eyes, they would still find fault with it and claim it was magic.

Objection: Is the appearance and descent of the book from the sky considered a miracle or not?

1. If it is not a miracle, then their rejection of its guidance toward prophethood is not blameworthy.
2. If it is a miracle, it cannot be claimed that it is one, because an angel is capable of sending things down from the sky. Before believing in the truthfulness of the Prophets and Messengers, the infallibility of angels was not established. Before accepting the Messengers, there is no doubt that we could permit the possibility that this book descending from the sky came from some Jinn or devils, or from some angels whose infallibility has not been proven. If this possibility remains, then the descent of the book from the sky ceases to be evidence of truthfulness.

Response: That is not the intention. The intention is that even if they saw it, they would remain doubtful and claim, "Our sight has merely been bewitched." If they then touched it with their hands, the visual perception might be strengthened by the tactile perception, reaching the utmost degree of clarity and strength. Yet, these people would still remain doubtful as to whether what they saw and touched actually existed or not. This indicates that they have reached a level of ignorance bordering on sophistry. This is the meaning intended by the verse, not what you mentioned. And Allah knows best.

Issue 2:

The Qadi (Judge) stated that this verse indicates that it is not permissible for Allah Almighty to withhold a kindness (Lutf) from a servant, knowing that if He performed it, the servant would believe. This is because the verse explains that the book is not sent down only because if it were sent down, they would say this very thing. It is not permissible for Him to inform us of this unless it is known that if they accepted it and believed, He would certainly have sent it down. Thus, the obligation of Lutf (Divine Kindness/Guidance) is established by this.

However, one could argue: His statement, "If Allah had sent down this book to them, they would have said this," does not imply that Allah Almighty will send it down to them. If they did not say this statement, it would only be based on the Dalil al-Khitab (argument from silence/omission), which he [the Qadi] does not consider a valid proof. Furthermore, not everything Allah does is obligatory upon Him. This verse, if it indicates anything, only indicates what did happen, not the obligation for it to happen. And Allah knows best.

**{And they said, "Why was not an angel sent down to him?" If We had sent down an angel, the matter would have been decided; then they would not have been reprieved. Or if We had made him an angel, We would have made him a man, and thus We would have obscured for them what they are obscuring for themselves.}*