Ash-Shu'ara · Makki · ayah 197 of 227

Ash-Shu'ara 26:197

أَوَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُمْ ءَايَةً أَن يَعْلَمَهُۥ عُلَمَـٰٓؤُا۟ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ

“And has it not been a sign to them that it is recognized by the scholars of the Children of Israel?”

Saheeh International

Essence

The scholars of the Children of Israel, the very experts Makkah consulted, recognised what had come; their knowledge itself was a sign.

A reflection

The expert they had chosen themselves

Two neighbours have argued for a year over where their gardens meet. Finally one of them hires a surveyor, a man he chose and trusts. The surveyor walks the line, checks the old deeds, and sets the pegs exactly where the other neighbour always said they were. There is nothing left to argue about. His own expert ended it.

This ayah works the same way. Was it not a sign for them that the scholars of the Children of Israel know it?

One classical commentator explains why this witness counted for the Makkans in particular. They used to turn to the People of the Book in matters of religion, he says, because they assumed they had knowledge. The Jewish scholars were, in effect, Quraysh's own chosen experts.

The commentaries also carry an early report on this ayah. The people of Makkah sent to the Jews of Madinah to ask about Muhammad ﷺ. The answer came back: this is his time, and we find his description in the Torah.

So the ayah does not ask Quraysh to accept an outsider's authority. It points to an authority they had already accepted. Their own referee had looked at the evidence.

There is a strategy here for any disagreement worth winning honestly. Do not begin with the witnesses you trust. Begin with the ones the other side trusts. If even they agree, the argument is no longer yours against theirs.

It also asks something of us. When the experts we chose ourselves tell us something unwelcome, do we suddenly find reasons to doubt them? The Makkans did. Most people are tempted to. It is worth noticing the moment we start.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.