The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 630
CH. 7 AL-A'RĀF PT. 9 ادَعَوْتُمُوهُمْ أَمْ أَنْتُمْ صَامِتُونَ whether you call them or you remain silent. 1079 إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ عِبَادُ Surely, those whom you. 195 call on beside Allah are mere servants like you. Then "call on them and let them answer you, if you are truthful. 1080 أَمْثَالُكُمْ فَادْعُوهُمْ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَدِقِينَ الَهُمْ اَرْجُلٌ يَمْشُونَ بِهَا أَمْ لَهُمُ اَيْدِ Have they feet wherewith. 196 تَبْطِشُونَ بِهَا أَمْ لَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ تُبْصِرُونَ wherewith they hold, or have they walk, or have they hands they eyes wherewith they see, بِهَا أَمْ لَهُمْ أَذَانَّ يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا قُلِ or have they ears wherewith ادْعُوا شُرَكَاءَكُمْ ثُمَّ كِيدُون فَلَا they hear? Say, “Call upon the bojisfé;emlé تنظرُونِ partners you associate with God, then contrive you all against me, and give me no time. 1081 "35:15. 2:8; 22:47; 45:24. 10:72; 11:56. 1079. Commentary: This verse refers to inanimate things such as idols and images which some people, out of their ignorance, take as gods. 1080. Commentary: The verse constitutes an open challenge to the idol-worshippers or believers in the plurality of gods that all animate and inanimate things that they call on beside Allah will never answer their prayers, because they do not possess the power to do so. 1081. Commentary: This and the next verse are an amplification of the challenge held out in the previous one. Disbelievers are challenged to call upon their gods to help them in their campaign against Islam, to make use of their entire resources and to muster all their forces to attack it, combining their feet, hands, eyes and ears (symbolic of different classes of men) and leaving no stone unturned to bring it to naught and to waste no time in attacking the Holy Prophet and then see what harm their combined and determined efforts do to him. God has promised to help His Prophet and to make his cause prosper and triumph (5:68 & 58:22). The above challenge was made at Mecca, when Islam, being yet in its infancy, was very weak and the Holy Prophet and his followers seemed to be entirely at the mercy of their cruel 1070