Overview (Verses 15 - 17)
 
A Demand to Change the Qur’ān
 
Once they have been made aware that they are the successors to earlier guilty communities, the sūrah then provides examples of their deeds: “When Our revelations are recited to them in all their clarity, those who have no hope of meeting Us say: ‘Bring us a discourse other than this Qur’ān, or else alter it.’ Say: ‘It is not for me to alter it of my own accord. I only follow what is revealed to me. I dread the torment of an awesome day if I should disobey my Lord!’ Say: Had God so willed, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have brought it to your knowledge. I spent a whole lifetime among you before it [was revealed to me]. Will you not, then, use your reason?’ Who is more wicked than one who attributes his lying inventions to God or denies His revelations? Indeed those who are guilty shall not be successful. They worship, side by side with God, what can neither harm nor benefit them, and say: ‘These will intercede for us with God.’ Say: Do you presume to inform God of something in the heavens or on earth that He does not know? Limitless is He in His glory, and exalted above whatever they may associate with Him.’ All mankind were once but one single community, and then they disagreed among themselves. Had it not been for a decree from your Lord that had already gone forth, all their differences would have been resolved. They ask: ‘Why has no sign been sent down to him by his Lord?’ Say: ‘God’s alone is the knowledge of what is beyond the reach of human perception. Wait, then, if you will: I too am waiting.’” (Verses 15-20) Such was their attitude to God’s Messenger, the Prophet Muĥammad (peace be upon him), when they were given power in the land. “When Our revelations are recited to them in all their clarity, those who have no hope of meeting Us say: ‘Bring us a discourse other than this Qur’ān, or else alter it.’” (Verse 15) This is a very strange request which betrays a lack of seriousness and a total ignorance of the role of the Qur’ān in human life and the reason for its revelation. Those who expect to meet God would never entertain such a request.
 
The Qur’ān is a complete constitution for human life. It is so well formulated that it satisfies all human needs at both individual and community levels. It takes human life along the road to perfection, in as much as man can achieve this in this world, then to complete perfection in the life to come. Those who realize the nature of the Qur’ān would not even think of asking for a different one let alone changing some of it.
 
Most probably those who did not have any expectation of meeting God tried to be too clever. They looked on the matter as a kind of literary challenge. All that Muĥammad needed to do was to accept the challenge and compose a different discourse, or to replace some parts of it. Here he receives clear instructions: “Say: ‘It is not for me to alter it of my own accord. I only follow what is revealed to me. I dread the torment of an awesome day if should disobey my Lord!’” (Verse 15) The matter is not one of a competition, demonstrating skills or poetic talent. The Qur’ān is a constitution outlining a complete code of living devised by the One who controls the whole universe. He is the One who has created man and knows what suits him best. The Prophet cannot alter it on his own initiative. He only conveys God’s message and follows what is revealed to him. Any change in the Qur’ān represents a very serious act of disobedience to God, and such a person is liable to severe punishment on the Day of Judgement. That is indeed a prospect to dread.
 
Say: ‘Had God so willed, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have brought it to your knowledge. I spent a whole lifetime among you before it [was revealed to me]. Will you not, then, use your reason?’ (Verse 16)
 
The Qur’ān is a revelation given by God. That it must be conveyed to you is also an order issued by God, and one which must be obeyed. Had God willed that the Prophet not recite it to you, he would not have done so, and had He willed not to bring it to your knowledge, He would have kept it from you. Its revelation and recitation to people so that they become aware of its message are all matters decided by God alone. The Prophet is commanded to say all this to people and to further say that he had spent a lifetime among them, forty full years, without ever telling them anything about the Qur’ān, because it had not yet been bestowed to him from on high. Had it been within his power to produce something similar to it, or even like some parts of it, why would he have waited a whole lifetime to do so? It again boils down to the fact that the Qur’ān is God’s revelation. The role of the Prophet is simply to convey it to mankind.
 
The Prophet is further instructed to make it clear that he would never have invented a lie and attributed it to God. Far be it from him to do anything of the kind. He would never have claimed to have received revelations unless that were absolutely true. For the one who attributes a fabrication to God and the one who denies His revelations go too far in the wrong: “Who is more wicked than one who attributes his lying inventions to God or denies His revelations?” (Verse 17) As the Prophet warns them strongly against committing the second of these two very grave wrongs, he himself would not even commit the first by inventing fabrications and attributing them to God. “Indeed, those who are guilty shall not be successful.” (Verse 17)