أرسل الله تعالى محمداً ﷺ في قومٍ كانوا فصحاءَ ذوي ألسنةٍ بليغة (أي في اللغة). وكانت لهم أسواقٌ ومواسمُ يتنافسون فيها في نقاء شعرهم وجماله وبلاغته، فيُكتب الشعرُ الفائز بماء الذهب ويُعلَّق على جدران الكعبة التي كانت أشرفَ بقعةٍ مقدسةٍ عندهم. ثم ينتشر الخبر فتفتخر القبائل وتكتسب بذلك المجدَ والشرف. وفي هذا الواقع أيّد الله تعالى محمداً ﷺ بمعجزةٍ من جنس ما كانوا يفتخرون به ويعتزّون بمثله، فكانت كلاماً عربياً يستعمل الحروف والعبارات نفسَها التي كانوا يصوغون منها أشعارهم، وكان كلامَ الله المعجزَ الذي يستحيل على البشر أن يأتوا بمثله.

Allah Ta’Aalaa sent Muhammad (saw) amongst a people who were eloquent and pure of tongue (i.e. in language). They had seasonal markets and fairs in which they would compete in respect to the purity, beauty and eloquence of their poetry. The winning poetry would then be written in gold and hung upon the walls of the Ka’bah which was their most sanctified and sacred place. The news would then spread and the tribes would gain pride and honour through this. Within this reality Allah Ta’Aalaa provided Muhammad (saw) with a miracle which was of the same kind or within the same category that they found pride and honour in. It was Arabic speech utilising the same letters and expressions that they would formulate their poetry from and it was the Kalaam (speech) of Allah that was miraculous and inimitable (impossible for humans to replicate).

تحدّى اللهُ العربَ بالقرآن، فطالبهم أن يأتوا بمثله، وأن يأتوا بسورةٍ واحدةٍ تُشبهه. قال اللهُ تعالى:

Allah challenged the Arabs with the Qur’aan by challenging them to bring something similar and like it and indeed even to just bring one Soorah that was similar to it. Allah Ta’Aalaa said: