The Quran

قُل أَرَأَيتُم إِن كانَ مِن عِندِ اللَّهِ وَكَفَرتُم بِهِ وَشَهِدَ شاهِدٌ مِن بَني إِسرائيلَ عَلىٰ مِثلِهِ فَآمَنَ وَاستَكبَرتُم ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَهدِي القَومَ الظّالِمينَ

Ali Unal

Say: “Do you ever consider that if this Qur’ān is from God, and you disbelieve in it while (many) a witness from among the Children of Israel (those who had knowledge of Revelation) had already testified to the like of it and (also) believed, whereas you are too arrogant to believe: (is this not plain deviation and wrong)? Surely God does not guide the wrongdoing people.”¹

As a continuation of the argument put forward in the previous verse, this verse means that God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, is saying, in effect: “I am no novelty nor different among the Messengers. Many came before me with Books similar to the Qur’ān in the teachings they contained. One of these Books was the Torah, which was granted to Moses, upon him be peace. And many knowledgeable ones among the Children of Israel believed in it. But you, having no exact knowledge of Divine Books and Messengership, venture to disbelieve in its like – the Qur’ān. Then is this not plain deviation, wrong, and misjudgment?”