Tafsir of Al-Isra 17:90

"And they said, 'We will not believe...'"

When the inimitability of the Qur’an became clear, joined by other miracles and proofs, and the argument was established against them and they were defeated, they began to make excuses by proposing [other] signs. This is the action of one who is stunned, refuted, and stumbling in the skirts of bewilderment.

They said: "We will not believe you until..."

"{You cause to gush forth}" — or read as tufajjir (with lightened jīm) — "{from the earth}" — meaning the land of Mecca — "{a spring}" — an abundant fountain that naturally flows with water and does not cease. It is a yaf‘ūl form derived from naba‘a al-mā’ (the water gushed), like ya‘būb from ‘abba al-mā’.

"{As you have claimed}" — they mean the words of Allah Almighty: "{If We willed, We could cause the earth to swallow them, or let fall upon them fragments from the sky}" — or [they said]: "{Or you make the sky fall upon us, as you have claimed, in fragments, or bring Allah and the angels before us}" — meaning as a guarantor (kafīl) of what you say, witnessing its truth.

The meaning is: "Bring Allah before us, and the angels before us," like the poet’s saying: I am, regarding him and my father, innocent, For I and Qayyār are strangers to it.

Or it means "face-to-face" (muqābilan), like ‘ashīr meaning mu‘āshir (companion). Similar to this is: "{Why are not angels sent down to us, or [why] do we not see our Lord?}" (Al-Furqan: 21).

"{Or you have a house of gold}" — meaning gold — "{in the sky}" — in the ascents of the sky; the possessive noun is omitted. It is said: "He ascended (raqā) the ladder and the step."

"{And we will not believe in your ascent}" — we will not believe because of your ascent — "{until you bring down to us a book}" — from the sky containing your verification.

It is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah said: "I will not believe you until you take a ladder to the sky, then ascend it while I watch until you reach it, then come back with a written scroll, accompanied by four angels who testify for you that you are as you say."

They did not intend by these suggestions anything but obstinacy and contention. Even if every sign had come to them, they would have said, "This is magic," as the Almighty said: "{And even if We had sent down to you a book on parchment...}" (Al-An'am: 7), and "{And [even if] We opened to them a gate from the heaven and they continued therein to ascend}" (Al-Hijr: 14).

Since they denied the enduring sign, which is the Qur’an and the other miracles—which are not inferior to what they proposed, but rather greater—there was no way to enlighten them.

"{Say, 'Exalted is my Lord!}" — and it is read: "He said, 'Exalted is my Lord,'" meaning the Messenger said it. "Exalted is my Lord" is an expression of astonishment at their demands upon him.

"{Was I ever but}" — a messenger like all other messengers, "{a human being}" — like them. Messengers do not bring their people anything except what Allah manifests through them of signs. The matter of signs is not up to me; it belongs only to Allah, so why do you demand them of me?

"{And what prevented the people from believing when guidance came to them except that they said, 'Has Allah sent a human messenger?' Say, 'If there were upon the earth angels walking securely, We would have sent down to them from the heaven an angel as a messenger.'}"