(88) “Say, ‘If all mankind and the jinn were to join together to produce the like of this Quran, they could not produce its like, even if they helped one another.’”

This is conclusive evidence and a manifest proof of the truth and veracity of what the Messenger brought. Allah challenged mankind and the jinn to produce its like and declared that they would never do so; even if they all cooperated in the endeavor, they would be unable to accomplish it.

It occurred exactly as Allah had declared. The enemies of the Messenger who denied him had every incentive to refute what he brought by any possible means, and they were masters of language and eloquence. Had they possessed even the slightest competence or ability to do so, they would have done it.

It is therefore known that they yielded completely, willingly or unwillingly, and were incapable of producing anything to rival it.

How could a creature made from dust—deficient in every respect and possessing no knowledge, power, will, volition, speech, or perfection except what comes from his Lord—rival the speech of the Lord of the earth and the heavens, who knows every hidden thing, possesses absolute perfection, is worthy of all praise, and possesses immense glory? If the sea, replenished by seven more seas, were ink and all the trees were pens, the ink would run out and the pens would be exhausted, but the words of Allah would not be exhausted.

Just as no created being resembles Allah in His attributes, His speech is likewise one of His attributes, in which no one resembles Him. Thus, nothing is like Him in His essence, His names, His attributes, or His actions—Blessed and Exalted is He.

Woe, then, to anyone who confuses the speech of the Creator with the speech of a creature and claims that Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—falsely attributed it to Allah and invented it himself.