We will never believe you until you cause a spring to gush...

We will never believe you until you cause a spring to gush out for us from the ground [17:90] , in this Makkah, for it is with rocks and desert plains and mountains. Its land is bare and with holes, and you -saww should make the springs to flow therein, for we are needy to that, or there should happen to be for you, gardens of palms and grapes [17:91] , so we can eat from these and feed others (as well).

فَتُفَجِّرَ الْأَنْهارَ خِلالَها خِلَالَ تِلْكَ النَّخِيلِ وَ الْأَعْنَابِ‏ تَفْجِيراً- أَوْ تُسْقِطَ، السَّماءَ كَما زَعَمْتَ عَلَيْنا كِسَفاً، فَإِنَّكَ قُلْتَ لَنَا: وَ إِنْ يَرَوْا كِسْفاً مِنَ السَّماءِ ساقِطاً- يَقُولُوا سَحابٌ مَرْكُومٌ‏ وَ لَعَلَّنَا نَقُولُ ذَلِكَ.

‘And you should cause the rivers to gush forth in the middle of these – in the midst of these gardens and the grapes, gushing forth [17:91] Or you should cause the sky to fall down upon us, just as you are claiming, in pieces [17:92] ; for you -saww said to us And if they should see pieces of the sky falling down, they would be saying, ‘Piled up clouds’ [52:44] , and perhaps we would be saying that’.

ثُمَّ قَالَ: وَ لَنْ نُؤْمِنَ لَكَ‏ أَوْ تَأْتِيَ بِاللَّهِ وَ الْمَلائِكَةِ قَبِيلًا، تَأْتِيَ بِهِ وَ بِهِمْ وَ هُمْ لَنَا مُقَابِلُونَ‏ أَوْ يَكُونَ لَكَ بَيْتٌ مِنْ زُخْرُفٍ‏ تُعْطِينَا مِنْهُ، وَ تُغْنِينَا بِهِ فَلَعَلَّنَا نَطْغَى، فَإِنَّكَ قُلْتَ لَنَا: كَلَّا إِنَّ الْإِنْسانَ لَيَطْغى‏ أَنْ رَآهُ اسْتَغْنى‏.

‘Then he said, ‘And we will never believe you -saww , or you should bring Allah and the Angels face to face (with us) [17:92] , coming with Him -azwj and with them, and they would be face to face with us, or there should happen to be for you, a house of treasures [17:93] , giving us (something) from it, and enriching us with it, and we would be overwhelmed, for you -saww said to us: Never! The human being becomes overwhelmed [96:6] if he sees himself as needless [96:7] ’.

ثُمَّ قَالَ: أَوْ تَرْقى‏ فِي السَّماءِ أَيْ تَصْعَدُ فِي السَّمَاءِ وَ لَنْ نُؤْمِنَ لِرُقِيِّكَ‏ لِصُعُودِكَ‏ حَتَّى تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنا كِتاباً نَقْرَؤُهُ‏: مِنَ اللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَكِيمِ- إِلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي أُمَيَّةَ الْمَخْزُومِيِّ وَ مَنْ مَعَهُ- بِأَنْ آمِنُوا بِمُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ، فَإِنَّهُ رَسُولِي وَ صَدِّقُوهُ فِي مَقَالِهِ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْ عِنْدِي.

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