Three Questions by a Christian and their Answers — Page 12
12 17 That is: They say, 'Why are not signs such as those (which you ask for, i. e. , signs of chastisement) sent down to him?' Say, 'The signs are with Allah and within His power and I am only a Warner', i. e. , my duty is simply to warn you of the Day of Punishment, and I do not bring it down on my own. Allah further says: Is this sign of mercy not enough for them, (who want to have the sign of chastisement inflicted on them), that We have sent down to thee (O Unlettered Prophet sa ), the Book (comprising all perfections), which is recited to them? i. e. , the Holy Quran—which is a sign of mercy—serves the same purpose which the unbelievers want to achieve through the signs of chastisement. The pur- pose of the unbelievers of Mecca in demanding a sign of chastisement was that it should bring them the conviction which mere seeing could not do, for they feared that mere seeing might delude them and they may suffer from optical illusions. To remove this suspicion and misgiving, Allah says: You want a sign that should bring conviction to you. Why then ask for a sign of punishment? Is not the sign of mercy—the Holy Quran—sufficient for this purpose, whose bright and refulgent rays dazzle your eyes, and which reveals to you its inherent excellences, its verities and its miraculous qualities, the like of which you can never produce. The Quran is already exerting its miracu- 17 Al-‘Ankab u t, 29:54 [Publishers]