Al-Jathiyah · Makki · ayah 25 of 37

Al-Jathiyah 45:25

وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتُنَا بَيِّنَـٰتٍ مَّا كَانَ حُجَّتَهُمْ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُوا۟ ٱئْتُوا۟ بِـَٔابَآئِنَآ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ

“And when Our verses are recited to them as clear evidences, their argument is only that they say, "Bring [back] our forefathers, if you should be truthful."”

Saheeh International

Essence

Clear signs were recited, and the only reply was a dare: bring our dead fathers back today, or it is all untrue.

A reflection

An 'argument' that is not one

The ayah calls their reply their ḥujja, their argument. Two classical commentators stop on the word. Why call it an argument when it is no such thing? Because, they say, it is said with a smile. They presented it as if it were a proof, so it is named that way in irony. It is like an old line of Arabic poetry describing two armies meeting: their greeting to each other was a painful blow. In other words: they had no argument at all.

The word itself makes the irony sharper. The lexicons say the root of ḥujja first meant setting out on purpose for a place; the maḥajja was the main beaten road. One lexicon suggests a proof is so called because it is the road by which the truth is reached. The image is established.

Their 'road' led nowhere. Bring back our fathers, now, or you are lying.

Picture a debate night at a community centre. One speaker spends twenty minutes laying out a careful case, with evidence and answers to objections. Her opponent stands up and says only: if you're so sure, prove it right now, here, in this room. The audience laughs. It feels like a win. But nothing has actually been answered. A demand has been dressed in an argument's clothes.

That is a common modern move too. Faced with a serious case they cannot answer, people reach for a dare. Show me God. Show me a miracle on demand. Make the dead speak, now.

The ayah's wording names the move for what it is. It is not foolish to have questions; the surah has been inviting questions since its third ayah. But a dare is not a question. It is a way of ending the conversation while seeming to win it.

When you hear such a dare, you need not be rattled. You can note, calmly, that it is not an argument.

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.