7وَيَقولُ الَّذينَ كَفَروا لَولا أُنزِلَ عَلَيهِ آيَةٌ مِن رَبِّهِ ۗ إِنَّما أَنتَ مُنذِرٌ ۖ وَلِكُلِّ قَومٍ هادٍMuhammad AsadHowever, they who are bent on denying the truth [refuse to believe and] say, "Why has no miraculous sign ever been bestowed on him from on high by his Sustainer?"1 [But] thou art only a warmer; and [in God] all people have a guide.2I.e., to prove that he (Muhammad) is really a prophet inspired by God. But the Qur'an makes it clear in several places (e.g., 6:7 and 111, 10:96-97 or 13:31) that even a miracle would not convince those who are "bent on denying the truth".According to the classical commentators, this sentence lends itself to several interpretations: (1) "Thou art only a warmer; and every nation has had a guide like thee (i.e., a prophet)"- which would be in consonance with the Qur'anic doctrine of the continuity of prophetic guidance; or (2) "Thou art only a warmer - but [at the same time] also a guide unto all people" - which would stress the universality of the Qur'anic message as contrasted with the time-bound and ethnically limited missions of the earlier prophets; or (3) "Thou art only a warmer bound to do no more than deliver the message entrusted to thee, while it is God alone who can truly guide men's hearts towards faith". Since the last of the above three interpretations is the most plausible and has, moreover, the support of 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, Mujahid and Ad-Dahhak, I have adopted it in my rendering. According to Zamakhshari, this interpretation is further strengthened by the subsequent reference to God's omniscience.