your wealth, nor honor among you, nor dominion over you. Rather, Allah has sent me to you as a Messenger, has revealed a Book to me, and has commanded me to be a bearer of glad tidings and a warner. I have delivered my Lord’s message to you and offered you sincere counsel. If you accept from me what I have brought, that will be your portion of good in this world and the Hereafter; but if you reject it, I shall remain patient with Allah’s decree until He judges between me and you”—or as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said.

They replied, “O Muḥammad, since you will not accept what we proposed, you know that no people on earth live in a land more constricted, possess less wealth, or endure a harsher life than we do. So ask your Lord, who sent you with what He sent you, to move these mountains that have hemmed us in, to expand our land, and to make rivers flow through it like the rivers of Syria and Iraq. Also ask Him to bring back to life some of our forefathers—let Qusayy ibn Kilāb be among them, for he was an honest elder—so that we may question them about what you claim: is it true or false? If you do what we have asked and they confirm you, we will believe you and will know thereby your rank with Allah, that He has indeed sent you as a messenger, just as you say.”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ answered, “I was not sent for that. I have only brought you what Allah commanded me, and I have conveyed to you what I was sent with. If you accept it, that is your share in this world and the Hereafter; but if you reject it, I will remain patient with Allah’s command until He judges between me and you.”

They said, “If you will not do this for us, then do something for yourself: ask your Lord to send us an angel who will confirm what you say, negotiate with us on your behalf, and ask Him to grant us gardens, treasures, and palaces of gold and silver, and to enrich you so that you no longer have to stand in the markets seeking a livelihood as we do. Do this so we may recognize the superiority of your standing with your Lord—if you are truly a messenger, as you claim.”

He said, “I will not do that. I am not one to ask my Lord for such things, nor was I sent for that purpose. Allah has only sent me as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner. If you accept what I have brought, that will be your portion in this world and the Hereafter; and if you reject it, I will remain patient with Allah’s decree until He judges between me and you.”

They said, “Then make the sky fall upon us, as you have claimed that your Lord will do if He so wills, for we will never believe you unless you do so.”

He replied, “That rests with Allah; if He wills, He will do that to you.”

They said, “O Muḥammad, did your Lord not know that we would sit with you, ask you what we have asked, and demand from you what we demand? Should He not have informed you beforehand how to respond to us, and told you what He will do with us if we do not accept what you have brought? We have heard that someone in al-Yamāmah teaches you—he is called ‘the Merciful’—and, by Allah, we will never believe in the Merciful at all! We have given you fair warning, O Muḥammad. By Allah, we will not leave you and what you have done to us until we destroy you or you destroy us.”

One of them said, “We worship the angels—they are the daughters of Allah.”

Another said, “We will never believe you until you bring Allah and the angels before us, face to face.”