Ar-Ra‘d 13:7
The verses
Those who disbelieve say: If only some portent were sent down upon him from his Lord! Thou art a warner only, and for every folk a guide. — Marmaduke Pickthall
Allah knoweth that which every female beareth and that which the wombs absorb and that which they grow. And everything with Him is measured. — Marmaduke Pickthall
He is the Knower of the Invisible and the Visible, the Great, the High Exalted. — Marmaduke Pickthall
Alike of you is he who hideth the saying and he who noiseth it abroad, he who lurketh in the night and he who goeth freely in the daytime. — Marmaduke Pickthall
The issue
Some of the Quraysh requested Muamhmad to bring forth a miracle to prove the authenticity of his claim of being a prophet (verse 7). He responded, “God knows what each female bears, and what the wombs fall short of or add…” (verse 8). The following verses describe God as omniscient (verse 9-10).
The text responds to the Quraysh’s demands for proof of Muhammad’s claims by giving a description of Allah’s power. There is no relationship here between the request for a miracle and the description of Allah’s ability to know “the unseen and the visible.” Allah’s divine omniscience does not prove that Muhammad was sent by Allah.
Arabic text of this item
طلب قرشيون من محمد الإتيان بمعجزة برهاناً على صحة دعوى النبوة (آية 7)، فكان رده أن <اللهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَحْمِلُ كُلُّ أُنثَى> وما يتعلق بـ <الأَرْحَامُ> (الآية 8)، ويتابع النص ليصف الله بأنه عالم الغيب (الآيات 9 ـ 10).
النص ردّ على مطالبة قريش بمعجزة تبرهن على صحة رسالة محمد بوصف ما هو الله؛ وهنا، لا يوجد رابط بين السؤال عن معجزة والبرهان المقدم من محمد الذي قال إن الله يعلم الغيب؛ لأن كون الله عالماً بالغيب لا يعني أن محمداً مُرسَلٌ منه.
Sources cited
Sources added in review (the original item cited none)
- al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, on Q 13:7 · link checked 2026-10-12
This item merges 4 entries of the original site that carried the same text across the passage (old ids 269, 270, 271, 272; the old ids redirect here).