وَإِن كُنتُمۡ فِی رَیۡبࣲ مِّمَّا نَزَّلۡنَا عَلَىٰ عَبۡدِنَا فَأۡتُوا۟ بِسُورَةࣲ مِّن مِّثۡلِهِۦ وَٱدۡعُوا۟ شُهَدَاۤءَكُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمۡ صَـٰدِقِینَ
وقَوْلُهُ تَعالى: ﴿وإنْ كُنْتُمْ في رَيْبٍ مِمّا نَزَّلْنا عَلى عَبْدِنا فَأْتُوا بِسُورَةٍ مِن مِثْلِهِ وادْعُوا شُهَداءَكم مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ إنْ كُنْتُمْ صادِقِينَ﴾ فِيهِ أكْبَرُ دَلالَةٍ عَلى صِحَّةِ نُبُوَّةِ نَبِيِّنا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ مِن وُجُوهٍ:
And His statement, the Exalted: {And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our Servant, then produce a chapter the like of it and call your witnesses other than Allah, if you should be truthful} contains the greatest proof of the validity of the prophethood of our Prophet, peace be upon him, from several aspects:
أحَدُها: أنَّهُ تَحَدّاهم بِالإتْيانِ بِمِثْلِهِ، وقَرَعَهم بِالعَجْزِ عَنْهُ مَعَ ما هم عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الأنَفَةِ والحَمِيَّةِ، وأنَّهُ كَلامٌ مَوْصُوفٌ بِلُغَتِهِمْ، وقَدْ كانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ مِنهم تَعَلَّمَ اللُّغَةَ العَرَبِيَّةَ، وعَنْهم أخَذَ، فَلَمْ يُعارِضْهُ مِنهم خَطِيبٌ، ولا تَكَلَّفَهُ شاعِرٌ، مَعَ بَذْلِهِمُ الأمْوالَ والأنْفُسَ في تَوْهِينِ أمْرِهِ، وإبْطالِ حُجَجِهِ، وكانَتْ مُعارَضَتُهُ لَوْ قَدَرُوا عَلَيْها أبْلَغَ الأشْياءِ في إبْطالِ دَعْواهُ وتَفْرِيقِ أصْحابِهِ عَنْهُ؛ فَلَمّا ظَهَرَ عَجْزُهم عَنْ مُعارَضَتِهِ دَلَّ ذَلِكَ عَلى أنَّهُ مِن عِنْدِ اللَّهِ الَّذِي لا يُعْجِزُهُ شَيْءٌ، وأنَّهُ لَيْسَ في مَقْدُورِ العِبادِ مِثْلُهُ، وإنَّما أكْبَرُ ما اعْتَذَرُوا بِهِ أنَّهُ مِن أساطِيرِ الأوَّلِينَ، وأنَّهُ سِحْرٌ، فَقالَ تَعالى: ﴿فَلْيَأْتُوا بِحَدِيثٍ مِثْلِهِ إنْ كانُوا صادِقِينَ﴾ [الطور: ٣٤] وقالَ: ﴿فَأْتُوا بِعَشْرِ سُوَرٍ مِثْلِهِ مُفْتَرَياتٍ﴾ [هود: ١٣] فَتَحَدّاهم بِالنَّظْمِ دُونَ المَعْنى في هَذِهِ الصُّورَةِ، وأظْهَرَ عَجْزَهم عَنْهُ فَكانَتْ هَذِهِ مُعْجِزَةً باقِيَةً لِنَبِيِّنا ﷺ إلى قِيامِ السّاعَةِ، أبانَ اللَّهُ تَعالى بِها نُبُوَّةَ نَبِيِّهِ وفَضَّلَهُ بِها؛ لِأنَّ سائِرَ مُعْجِزاتِ الأنْبِياءِ عَلى سائِرِ الأنْبِياءِ نُقِضَتْ بِانْقِضائِهِمْ، وإنَّما يُعْلَمُ كَوْنُها مُعْجِزَةً مِن طَرِيقِ الأخْبارِ.
One of them: That He challenged them to produce the like of it, and rebuked them for their inability to do so, despite their pride and fervor, and that it is speech composed in their language. And the Prophet ﷺ was from among them, he learned the Arabic language and took it from them, yet no orator from among them opposed it, nor did any poet attempt it, despite their expending of wealth and lives in weakening his cause and invalidating his proofs. And opposing it, had they been able to, would have been the most effective of things in invalidating his claim and dispersing his companions from him. So when their inability to oppose it became apparent, that indicated that it is from Allah, Whom nothing can frustrate, and that its like is not within the capacity of servants. Indeed, the greatest excuse they offered was that it was from the tales of the ancients, and that it was magic. So He, the Exalted, said: {Then let them produce a statement like it, if they should be truthful} [At-Tur: 34] and He said: {Then produce ten chapters like it, fabricated} [Hud: 13]. So He challenged them with the composition, not the meaning, in this form, and He made their inability to do so apparent. Thus, this was an enduring miracle for our Prophet ﷺ until the establishment of the Hour, by which Allah the Exalted clarified the prophethood of His Prophet and favored him with it; because all the other miracles of the prophets upon all the other prophets ended with their passing, and their being miracles is only known through the channel of reports.
وهَذِهِ مُعْجِزَةٌ باقِيَةٌ بَعْدَهُ، كُلُّ مَنِ اعْتَرَضَ عَلَيْها بَعْدُ قَرَّعْناهُ بِالعَجْزِ عَنْهُ، فَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُ حِينَئِذٍ مَوْضِعُ الدَّلالَةِ عَلى تَثْبِيتِ النُّبُوَّةِ، كَما كانَ حُكْمُ مَن كانَ في عَصْرِهِ مِن لُزُومِ الحُجَّةِ بِهِ وقِيامِ الدَّلالَةِ عَلَيْهِ والوَجْهُ الآخَرُ مِنَ الدَّلالَةِ أنَّهُ مَعْلُومٌ عِنْدَ المُؤْمِنِينَ بِالنَّبِيِّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ وعِنْدَ الجاحِدِينَ لِنُبُوَّتِهِ أنَّهُ كانَ مِن أتَمِّ النّاسِ عَقْلًا، وأكْمَلِهِمْ خُلُقًا، وأفْضَلِهِمْ رَأْيًا، فَما طَعَنَ عَلَيْهِ أحَدٌ في كَمالِ عَقْلِهِ ووُفُورِ حِلْمِهِ وصِحَّةِ فَهْمِهِ وجَوْدَةِ رَأْيِهِ، وغَيْرُ جائِزٍ عَلى مَن كانَ هَذا وصْفَهُ أنْ يَدَّعِيَ أنَّهُ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ قَدْ أرْسَلَهُ إلى خَلْقِهِ كافَّةً، ثُمَّ جَعَلَ عَلامَةَ نُبُوَّتِهِ ودَلالَةَ صِدْقِهِ كَلامًا يُظْهِرُهُ ويَقْرَعُهم بِهِ، مَعَ عِلْمِهِ بِأنَّ كُلَّ واحِدٍ مِنهم يَقْدِرُ عَلى مِثْلِهِ، فَيَظْهَرُ حِينَئِذٍ كَذِبُهُ وبُطْلانُ دَعْواهُ، فَدَلَّ ذَلِكَ عَلى أنَّهُ لَمْ يَتَحَدّاهم بِذَلِكَ ولَمْ يُقَرِّعْهم بِالعَجْزِ عَنْهُ إلّا وهو مِن عِنْدِ اللَّهِ لا يَقْدِرُ العِبادُ عَلى مِثْلِهِ.
And this is a miracle that endures after him. Anyone who objects to it thereafter, we rebuke him with his inability to do so. Then the basis of the proof for establishing prophethood becomes clear to him, just as was the case for those in his era, for whom the proof was binding and the evidence established against them. The other aspect of the proof is that it is known among the believers in the Prophet, peace be upon him, and among the deniers of his prophethood, that he was among the most complete of people in intellect, the most perfect of them in character, and the best of them in judgment. No one ever impugned him for the perfection of his intellect, the abundance of his forbearance, the soundness of his understanding, or the excellence of his judgment. And it is not plausible for someone of this description to claim that he is the Prophet of Allah, whom He has sent to all of creation, and then make the sign of his prophethood and the proof of his truthfulness a speech that he presents and with which he rebukes them, while knowing that every single one of them is capable of producing its like, for then his lie and the invalidity of his claim would become apparent. This indicates that he did not challenge them with it and did not rebuke them for their inability to meet it except that it was from Allah, the like of which servants are incapable of producing.
الثّالِثُ: قَوْلُهُ تَعالى في نَسَقِ التِّلاوَةِ: ﴿فَإنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلُوا ولَنْ تَفْعَلُوا﴾ فَأخْبَرَ أنَّهم لا يُعارِضُونَهُ ولا يَقَعُ ذَلِكَ مِنهم، وذَلِكَ إخْبارٌ بِالغَيْبِ ووُجِدَ مُخْبِرُهُ عَلى ما هو بِهِ ولا تَتَعَلَّقُ هَذِهِ بِإعْجازِ النَّظْمِ، بَلْ هي قائِمَةٌ بِنَفْسِها في تَصْحِيحِ نُبُوَّتِهِ؛ لِأنَّهُ إخْبارٌ بِالغَيْبِ، كَما لَوْ قالَ لَهم: " الدَّلالَةُ عَلى صِحَّةِ قَوْلِي أنَّكم مَعَ صِحَّةِ أعْضائِكم وسَلامَةِ جَوارِحُكم لا يَقَعُ مِن أحَدٍ مِنكم أنْ يَمَسَّ رَأْسَهُ وأنْ يَقُومَ مِن مَوْضِعِهِ " فَلَمْ يَقَعْ ذَلِكَ مِنهم، مَعَ سَلامَةِ أعْضائِهِمْ وجَوارِحِهِمْ، وتَقْرِيعِهِمْ بِهِ مَعَ حِرْصِهِمْ عَلى تَكْذِيبِهِ، كانَ ذَلِكَ دَلِيلًا عَلى صِحَّةِ نُبُوَّتِهِ؛ إذْ كانَ مِثْلُ ذَلِكَ لا يَصِحُّ إلّا كَوْنُهُ مِن قِبَلِ القادِرِ الحَكِيمِ الَّذِي صَرَفَهم عَنْ ذَلِكَ في تِلْكَ الحالِ.
The third: His statement, the Exalted, in the sequence of the recitation: {But if you do not - and you will never be able to}. So He informed that they would not oppose it and that this would not occur from them. And this is a report of the unseen, and what was reported came to pass as it was. This is not related to the inimitability of the composition; rather, it stands on its own in validating his prophethood, because it is a report of the unseen. It is as if he had said to them: “The proof of the validity of my statement is that despite the soundness of your limbs and the health of your bodies, not one of you will touch his head or stand up from his place.” And that did not occur from them, despite the health of their limbs and bodies, and his rebuking them with it, along with their eagerness to belie him. This would be a proof of the validity of his prophethood, since such a thing could not be valid unless it were from the All-Powerful, the All-Wise, Who turned them away from doing so in that situation.
قالَ أبُو بَكْرٍ: وقَدْ تَحَدّى اللَّهُ الخَلْقَ كُلَّهم مِنَ الجِنِّ والإنْسِ بِالعَجْزِ عَنِ الإتْيانِ بِمِثْلِ القُرْآنِ بِقَوْلِهِ تَعالى: ﴿قُلْ لَئِنِ اجْتَمَعَتِ الإنْسُ والجِنُّ عَلى أنْ يَأْتُوا بِمِثْلِ هَذا القُرْآنِ لا يَأْتُونَ بِمِثْلِهِ ولَوْ كانَ بَعْضُهم لِبَعْضٍ ظَهِيرًا﴾ [الإسراء: ٨٨] فَلَمّا ظَهَرَ عَجْزُهم قالَ: ﴿فَأْتُوا بِعَشْرِ سُوَرٍ مِثْلِهِ مُفْتَرَياتٍ﴾ [هود: ١٣] فَلَمّا عَجَزُوا قالَ: ﴿فَلْيَأْتُوا بِحَدِيثٍ مِثْلِهِ إنْ كانُوا صادِقِينَ﴾ [الطور: ٣٤] فَتَحَدّاهم بِالإتْيانِ بِمِثْلِ أقْصَرِ سُورَةٍ مِنهُ، فَلَمّا ظَهَرَ عَجْزُهم عَنْ ذَلِكَ وقامَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الحُجَّةُ وأعْرَضُوا عَنْ طَرِيقِ المُحاجَّةِ وصَمَّمُوا عَلى القِتالِ والمُغالَبَةِ أمَرَ اللَّهُ نَبِيَّهُ بِقِتالِهِمْ وقِيلَ في قَوْلِهِ تَعالى: ﴿وادْعُوا شُهَداءَكم مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ﴾ أنَّهُ أرادَ بِهِ أصْنامَهم وما كانُوا يَعْبُدُونَهم مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ؛ لِأنَّهم كانُوا يَزْعُمُونَ أنَّها تَشْفَعُ لَهم عِنْدَ اللَّهِ.
Abu Bakr said: And Allah has challenged all of creation, of the jinn and mankind, with their inability to produce the like of the Qur’an with His statement, the Exalted: {Say, “If mankind and the jinn were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could not produce the like of it, even if they were to each other assistants.”} [Al-Isra: 88]. When their inability became apparent, He said: {Then produce ten chapters like it, fabricated} [Hud: 13]. When they were unable, He said: {Then let them produce a statement like it, if they should be truthful} [At-Tur: 34]. So He challenged them to produce the like of the shortest chapter from it. When their inability to do so became apparent, and the proof was established against them, and they turned away from the path of argumentation and resolved upon fighting and overpowering, Allah commanded His Prophet to fight them. And it was said regarding His statement, the Exalted: {and call your witnesses other than Allah} that He meant by it their idols and what they used to worship besides Allah, because they used to claim that they would intercede for them with Allah.
وقِيلَ إنَّهُ أرادَ جَمِيعَ مِن يُصَدِّقُكم ويُوافِقُكم عَلى قَوْلِكم، وأفادَ بِذَلِكَ عَجْزَ الجَمِيعِ عَنْهُ في حالِ الِاجْتِماعِ والِانْفِرادِ، كَقَوْلِهِ: ﴿لَئِنِ اجْتَمَعَتِ الإنْسُ والجِنُّ عَلى أنْ يَأْتُوا بِمِثْلِ هَذا القُرْآنِ لا يَأْتُونَ بِمِثْلِهِ ولَوْ كانَ بَعْضُهم لِبَعْضٍ ظَهِيرًا﴾ [الإسراء: ٨٨] فَقَدِ انْتَظَمَتْ فاتِحَةُ الكِتابِ مِنِ ابْتِدائِها إلى حَيْثُ انْتَهَيْنا إلَيْهِ مِن سُورَةِ البَقَرَةِ الأمْرَ والتَّبْدِئَةَ بِاسْمِ اللَّهِ تَعالى، وتَعْلِيمَنا حَمْدَهُ والثَّناءَ عَلَيْهِ، والدُّعاءَ لَهُ، والرَّغْبَةَ إلَيْهِ في الهِدايَةِ إلى الطَّرِيقِ المُؤَدِّي إلى مَعْرِفَتِهِ إلى جَنَّتِهِ ورِضْوانِهِ دُونَ طَرِيقِ المُسْتَحَقِّينَ لِغَضَبِهِ والضّالِّينَ عَنْ مَعْرِفَتِهِ، وشُكْرِهِ عَلى نِعْمَتِهِ، ثُمَّ ابْتَدَأ في سُورَةِ البَقَرَةِ بِذِكْرِ المُؤْمِنِينَ ووَصْفِهِمْ، ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ الكافِرِينَ وصِفَتَهم، ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ المُنافِقِينَ ونَعْتَهم وتَقْرِيبَ أمْرِهِمْ إلى قُلُوبِنا بِالمَثَلِ الَّذِي ضَرَبَهُ بِالَّذِي اسْتَوْقَدَ نارًا وبِالبَرْقِ الَّذِي يُضِيءُ في الظُّلُماتِ مِن غَيْرِ بَقاءٍ ولا ثَباتٍ، وجَعَلَ ذَلِكَ مَثَلًا لِإظْهارِهِمُ الإيمانَ، وأنَّ الأصْلَ الَّذِي يَرْجِعُونَ إلَيْهِ وهم ثابِتُونَ عَلَيْهِ هو الكُفْرُ، كَظُلْمَةِ اللَّيْلِ والمَطَرِ اللَّذَيْنِ يَعْرِضُ في خِلالِهِما بَرْقٌ يُضِيءُ لَهم ثُمَّ يَذْهَبُ فَيَبْقَوْنَ في ظُلُماتٍ لا يُبْصِرُونَ ثُمَّ ابْتَدَأ بَعْدَ انْقِضاءِ ذِكْرِ هَؤُلاءِ بِإقامَةِ الدَّلالَةِ عَلى التَّوْحِيدِ بِما لا يُمْكِنُ أحَدٌ دَفْعَهُ:
And it was said that He meant all who believe you and agree with you in your statement, and by that He conveyed the inability of all of them to do so, whether gathered together or individually, like His statement: {If mankind and the jinn were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could not produce the like of it, even if they were to each other assistants.} [Al-Isra: 88]. Thus, the Opening of the Book, from its beginning to where we have reached in Surah Al-Baqarah, has comprised the command and the beginning with the name of Allah the Exalted, and teaching us His praise and extolment, and supplication to Him, and desire towards Him for guidance to the path that leads to His knowledge, to His Garden and His pleasure, not the path of those who deserve His wrath and those who are astray from His knowledge, and gratitude to Him for His blessings. Then He began in Surah Al-Baqarah by mentioning the believers and their description, then He mentioned the disbelievers and their description, then He mentioned the hypocrites and their attribute and brought their matter closer to our hearts with the parable He struck of the one who kindled a fire and of the lightning that flashes in the darknesses without permanence or stability, and He made that a parable for their manifestation of faith, and that the foundation to which they return and upon which they are firm is disbelief, like the darkness of the night and the rain, during which lightning flashes for them and then disappears, so they remain in darknesses, not seeing. Then He began, after the conclusion of mentioning these groups, by establishing the proof of monotheism with that which no one can possibly repel:
مِن بَسْطِهِ الأرْضَ وجَعْلِها قَرارًا يَنْتَفِعُونَ بِها، وجَعْلِ مَعايِشِهِمْ وسائِرِ مَنافِعِهِمْ وأقْواتِهِمْ مِنها، وإقامَتِها عَلى غَيْرِ سَنَدٍ؛ إذْ لا بُدَّ أنْ يَكُونَ لَها نِهايَةٌ لِما ثَبَتَ مِن حُدُوثِها، وأنَّ مُمْسِكَها ومُقِيمَها كَذَلِكَ هو اللَّهُ خالِقُها وخالِقُكُمُ المُنْعِمُ عَلَيْكم بِما جَعَلَ لَكم فِيها مِن أقْواتِكم وسائِرِ ما أخْرَجَ مِن ثِمارِها لَكم؛ إذْ لا يَجُوزُ أنْ يَقْدِرَ عَلى مِثْلِ ذَلِكَ إلّا القادِرُ الَّذِي لا يُعْجِزُهُ ولا يُشْبِهُهُ شَيْءٌ، فَحَثَّهم عَلى الِاسْتِدْلالِ بِدَلائِلِهِ، ونَبَّهَهم عَلى نِعَمِهِ، ثُمَّ عَقَّبَ ذَلِكَ بِالدَّلالَةِ عَلى نُبُوَّةِ النَّبِيِّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ بِما أظْهَرَ مِن عَجْزِهِمْ عَنِ الإتْيانِ بِمِثْلِ سُورَةٍ مِنَ القُرْآنِ، ودَعاهم في ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ إلى عِبادَةِ اللَّهِ تَعالى وحْدَهُ المُنْعِمِ عَلَيْنا بِهَذِهِ النِّعَمِ، فَقالَ: ﴿فَلا تَجْعَلُوا لِلَّهِ أنْدادًا وأنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ﴾ [البقرة: ٢٢] يَعْنِي واللَّهُ أعْلَمُ تَعْلَمُونَ أنَّ ما تَدْعُونَهُ آلِهَةً لا تَقْدِرُ عَلى شَيْءٍ مِن ذَلِكَ، وأنَّ اللَّهَ هو المُنْعِمُ عَلَيْكم بِهِ دُونَها، وهو الخالِقُ لَها وقِيلَ في مَعْنى قَوْلِهِ: ﴿وأنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ﴾ [البقرة: ٢٢] إنَّكم تَعْلَمُونَ الفَصْلَ بَيْنَ الواجِبِ وغَيْرِ الواجِبِ.
From His spreading out the earth and making it a dwelling place from which they benefit, and making their livelihoods and all their benefits and provisions from it, and His establishing it without support; for it must have an end due to the establishment of its createdness, and that its Sustainer and Establisher is likewise Allah, its Creator and your Creator, the Bestower of favor upon you with what He has placed for you in it of your provisions and all that He has brought forth of its fruits for you; since it is not possible that anyone could be capable of the like of that except the All-Powerful, Whom nothing can frustrate and nothing resembles. So He urged them to derive evidence from His proofs, and alerted them to His blessings. Then He followed that with the proof of the prophethood of the Prophet, peace be upon him, by what He made apparent of their inability to produce the like of a chapter of the Qur’an. And in all of that, He called them to the worship of Allah the Exalted alone, the Bestower of these blessings upon us, so He said: {So do not set up rivals to Allah while you know} [Al-Baqarah: 22], meaning, and Allah knows best, you know that what you call upon as gods are not capable of any of that, and that Allah is the One who bestows favor upon you with it, not them, and He is their Creator. And it was said regarding the meaning of His statement: {while you know} [Al-Baqarah: 22] that you know the distinction between what is necessary and what is not necessary.
ويَكُونُ مَعْناهُ أنَّ اللَّهَ تَعالى قَدْ جَعَلَ لَكم مِنَ العَقْلِ ما يُمْكِنُكم بِهِ الوُصُولُ إلى مَعْرِفَةِ ذَلِكَ فَوَجَبَ تَكْلِيفُكم ذَلِكَ؛ إذْ غَيْرُ جائِزٍ في العَقْلِ إباحَةُ الجَهْلِ بِاللَّهِ تَعالى مَعَ إزاحَةِ العِلَّةِ والتَّمَكُّنِ مِنَ المَعْرِفَةِ فَلَمّا قَرَّرَ جَمِيعَ ذَلِكَ عِنْدَهم بِدَلائِلِهِ الدّالَّةِ عَلَيْهِ عَطَفَ عَلَيْهِ بِذِكْرِ الوَعِيدِ بِقَوْلِهِ: ﴿فَإنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلُوا ولَنْ تَفْعَلُوا فاتَّقُوا النّارَ الَّتِي وقُودُها النّاسُ والحِجارَةُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْكافِرِينَ﴾ ثُمَّ عَقَّبَ بِذِكْرِ ما وعَدَ المُؤْمِنِينَ في الآخِرَةِ بِقَوْلِهِ: ﴿وبَشِّرِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وعَمِلُوا الصّالِحاتِ أنَّ لَهم جَنّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِها الأنْهارُ﴾ [البقرة: ٢٥] إلى آخَرِ ما ذَكَرَ.
And its meaning would be that Allah the Exalted has given you intellect by which you are able to arrive at the knowledge of that, so it became obligatory to hold you responsible for that; since it is not permissible in the intellect to permit ignorance of Allah the Exalted when the impediment has been removed and the ability to know is present. So when He had established all of that with them through its indicative proofs, He followed it with the mention of the threat with His statement: {But if you do not - and you will never be able to - then fear the Fire, whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the disbelievers}. Then He followed that with the mention of what He has promised the believers in the Hereafter with His statement: {And give good tidings to those who believe and do righteous deeds that they will have gardens beneath which rivers flow} [Al-Baqarah: 25] to the end of what He mentioned.
قالَ أبُو بَكْرٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: وقَدْ تَضَمَّنَتْ هَذِهِ الآيَةُ مَعَ ما ذَكَرْنا مِنَ التَّنْبِيهِ عَلى دَلائِلِ التَّوْحِيدِ وإثْباتِ النُّبُوَّةِ الأمْرَ بِاسْتِعْمالِ حُجَجِ العُقُولِ والِاسْتِدْلالِ بِدَلائِلِها، وذَلِكَ مُبْطِلٌ لِمَذْهَبِ مَن نَفى الِاسْتِدْلالَ بِدَلائِلِ اللَّهِ تَعالى واقْتَصَرَ عَلى الخَبَرِ بِزَعْمِهِ في مَعْرِفَةِ اللَّهِ والعِلْمِ بِصِدْقِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ؛ لِأنَّ اللَّهَ تَعالى لَمْ يَقْتَصِرْ فِيما دَعا النّاسَ إلَيْهِ مِن مَعْرِفَةِ تَوْحِيدِهِ وصِدْقِ رَسُولِهِ عَلى الخَبَرِ دُونَ إقامَةِ الدَّلالَةِ عَلى صِحَّتِهِ مِن جِهَةِ عُقُولِنا.
Abu Bakr, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And this verse, along with what we have mentioned of alerting to the proofs of monotheism and the establishment of prophethood, has included the command to use the proofs of the intellect and to derive evidence from their indications. And that invalidates the school of thought of those who negate deriving evidence from the proofs of Allah the Exalted and restrict themselves to reports, according to their claim, in knowing Allah and knowing the truthfulness of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ; because Allah the Exalted did not restrict Himself, in what He called people to of knowing His monotheism and the truthfulness of His Messenger, to the report without establishing the proof of its validity from the direction of our intellects.