Tafheem ul Quran
Surah 2 Al-Baqarah, Ayat 23-24
وَاِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ فِىۡ رَيۡبٍ مِّمَّا نَزَّلۡنَا عَلٰى عَبۡدِنَا فَاۡتُوۡا بِسُوۡرَةٍ مِّنۡ مِّثۡلِهٖ وَادۡعُوۡا شُهَدَآءَكُمۡ مِّنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰهِ اِنۡ كُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِيۡنَ
﴿2:23﴾
فَاِنۡ لَّمۡ تَفۡعَلُوۡا وَلَنۡ تَفۡعَلُوۡا فَاتَّقُوۡا النَّارَ الَّتِىۡ وَقُوۡدُهَا النَّاسُ وَالۡحِجَارَةُ ۖۚ اُعِدَّتۡ لِلۡكٰفِرِيۡنَ
﴿2:24﴾
(2:23) If you are in any doubt whether it is We Who have revealed this Book
to Our servant, then produce just a surah like it, and call all your supporters
and seek in it the support of all others save Allah. Accomplish this if you
are truthful.24 (2:24) But if you fail to do this – and you will most certainly fail – then
have fear of the Fire whose fuel is men and stones25 and which
has been prepared for those who deny the Truth.
Notes
24. Before this, in Makka, opponents had often been challenged to produce
anything of comparable merit if they believed the Qur'an to be the work of a
human being. In Madina the same challenge was reiterated. (For similar challenges
made elsewhere in the Qur'an, see
(10: 38);
(11: 13);
(17: 88) and
(52: 33)
25. This suggests, in a subtle manner, that in the Next Life not only will
the unbelievers become the fuel of hell-fire, but that the same fate will befall the
idol-stones they worshipped and before which they had prostrated themselves. They
will then know, for sure, how far their idols had any share in godhead.