His praise, meant by His statement: "and you know" one of the two groups; rather, the address is directed generally to all people, because He challenged all people with His statement: "O mankind, worship your Lord" — is that its interpretation is what Ibn ʿAbbās and Qatāda said, that He means by it every legally responsible person who is knowledgeable of the Oneness of God (1), and that He has no partner in His creation, yet associates others with Him in His worship, whoever they may be among people, whether Arab or non-Arab, literate or illiterate, even if the address was to the disbelievers among the People of the Book who were around the abode of the migration of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, and the hypocrites among them, and those among them who were polytheists and transitioned to hypocrisy upon the arrival of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him.

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The statement regarding the interpretation of His statement: {And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our Servant, then produce a surah the like thereof}

Abū Jaʿfar said: This is an argument from God, Mighty and Majestic, for His Prophet Muḥammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him, against the polytheists of his people among the Arabs and their hypocrites, and the disbelievers of the People of the Book and their misguided ones, whose stories He began with His statement, Exalted is His praise: "Indeed, those who disbelieve - it is all the same for them whether you warn them or do not warn them," and it is them He addresses with these verses, and their likes He means by them (2). God, Exalted is His praise, said: And if you, O polytheists among the Arabs and disbelievers from the two Books, are in doubt — which is rayb — about what We have sent down upon Our Servant Muḥammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him, of the light, the proof, and the verses of the Criterion: that it is from Me, and that I am the One who sent it down to him, and you do not believe in him and do not consider him truthful in what he says, then produce an argument that repels his argument. For you know that the argument of every possessor of prophethood for his truthfulness in his claim to prophethood is to bring a proof that all of creation is incapable of bringing the like of. And among the arguments of Muḥammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him, for his truthfulness, and his proof for the reality of his prophethood (3), and that what he brought is from Me, is the inability of all of you, and all those you seek help from among your aides and supporters, to produce a surah the like thereof. And if you are incapable of that — while you are the people of mastery in eloquence, rhetoric, and sharpness of tongue (4) — then you know that others are even more incapable of what you were incapable of. Just as the proof of those who preceded of My messengers and prophets for their truthfulness, and their argument for their prophethood from the signs, was that which all of My creation is incapable of bringing the like of. It is then established with you that Muḥammad did not fabricate it or invent it, because if it were a fabrication and invention from him, you and all My creation would not be incapable of bringing its like. Because Muḥammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him, is nothing more than a human being like you, and in a similar state as you in body, physical stature, and sharpness of tongue — so it could be thought that he has the ability to do what you are incapable of, or it could be imagined that you are incapable of what he is capable of.