came to them; yet they had only asked for it out of sheer obstinacy. Concerning the idolaters He said:

“Even if We were to send down to you a Book inscribed on parchment, and they were to touch it with their own hands, those who disbelieve would still say, ‘This is nothing but manifest sorcery.’” (Q 6:7)

He likewise mentioned that the People of the Book had asked Moses for something even greater than that—namely, to behold Allah openly—and said:

“The People of the Book ask you to have a scripture sent down to them from heaven. They had already asked Moses for something even greater than this when they said, ‘Show us Allah openly,’ so the thunderbolt seized them for their wrongdoing. Then they adopted the calf after clear proofs had come to them; yet We forgave them for that and gave Moses evident authority.” (Q 4:153) (153)

“And We raised the Mount above them because of their covenant; and We said to them, ‘Enter the gate in prostration,’ and We said to them, ‘Do not transgress concerning the Sabbath,’ and We took from them a solemn covenant.” (Q 4:154)

Yet even after all this they broke the covenant, rejected the signs of Allah, and killed the prophets without right, and so on. Because of their wrongdoing and their turning people away from the path of Allah, He made unlawful for them many good things that had previously been permissible. In all of this there is a lesson for the community of Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—that the people now rejecting you are a community devoid of guidance.