Maʿmar, from Qatāda regarding His statement: "then produce a surah the like thereof", he says: a surah the like of this Qurʾān (1).

493- Muḥammad b. ʿAmr al-Bāhilī narrated to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim narrated to us, from ʿĪsā b. Maymūn, from ʿAbd Allāh b. Abī Najīḥ, from Mujāhid: "then produce a surah the like thereof", the like of the Qurʾān.

494- Al-Muthannā narrated to us, he said: Abū Ḥudhayfa narrated to us, he said: Shibl narrated to us, from Ibn Abī Najīḥ, from Mujāhid, the like of it.

495- Al-Qāsim narrated to us, he said: Al-Ḥusayn narrated to us, he said: Ḥajjāj narrated to me, from Ibn Jurayj, from Mujāhid: "then produce a surah the like thereof", he said: "the like thereof" the like of the Qurʾān (2).

So the meaning of the statement of Mujāhid and Qatāda which we mentioned from them (3) is: that God, Exalted is His mention, said to those among the disbelievers who argued with Him regarding His Prophet Muḥammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him: then produce a surah from the like of this Qurʾān from your speech, O Arabs, just as Muḥammad brought it in your languages and the meanings of your speech.

And other people have said: The meaning of His statement: "then produce a surah the like thereof", is from the like of Muḥammad among human beings, because Muḥammad is a human being like you (4).

Abū Jaʿfar said: The first interpretation, which Mujāhid and Qatāda said, is the correct interpretation. Because God, Exalted is His praise, said in another surah: {Or do they say, "He invented it"? Say, "Then bring forth a surah like it"} [Sūrat Yūnus: 38], and it is known that the surah is neither an equal nor a match to Muḥammad, so that it could be said: then produce a surah like Muḥammad.

If a questioner says: You mentioned that God meant by His statement (5), "then produce a surah the like thereof",