Surah 17. Al-Israa, Ayah 93

I.e., "miracles are in the power of God alone" (cf. 6:109 and the corresponding note [94]).

A reply to this demand of the unbelievers is found in verse {7} of Al-An'am, revealed - according to Suyuti - shortly after the present surah. But the allusion to, this and the preceding "conditions" is not merely historical: it illustrates a widely prevalent, psychologically contradictory attitude of mind - a strange mixture of prima-facie scepticism and primitive credulity which makes belief in a prophetic message dependent on the prophet's "performing miracles" (cf. 6:37 and {109} and 7:203). Since the only miracle granted by God to Muhammad is the Qur'an itself (see the first part of verse {59} of this surah, as well as note [71] above), he is bidden, in the next passage, to declare that these demands are irrelevant and, by implication, frivolous.

Cf. vi. 35 about a ladder to the skies.

Cf. vi. 7 for the foolish idea of materialistic sceptics that a spiritual revelation could come down from the heavens on a piece of parchment that they can touch.

A prophet or messenger of Allah is a man at the command of Allah, and not to satisfy the disingenuous whims and fancies of Unbelievers. Miracles greater than any that their foolish fancies could devise were before them. The Qur-an was such a miracle, and it is a standing miracle that lasts through the ages. Why did they not believe? The real reason was spite and jealousy like that of Iblis. See next verse.