25/4-9 — Four objections
Wa qāla'lladhīna kafarū in hādhā illā ifkuni'ftarāhu wa aʿānahū ʿalayhi qawmun ākharūn · Wa qālū asāṭīru'l-awwalīna'ktatabahā fa-hiya tumlā ʿalayhi bukratan wa aṣīlā
"Those who disbelieve said: 'This is nothing but a falsehood he has invented; and another people has helped him with it.' And they said: 'Legends of the ancients! He has had them written down, and they are recited to him morning and evening.'"
| Verse | Objection | What it rests on |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Ifkuni'ftarāh wa aʿānahū … qawmun ākharūn | He got help |
| 5 | Asāṭīru'l-awwalīna'ktatabahā | He compiled it from old texts |
| 7 | Yaʾkulu'ṭ-ṭaʿāma wa yamshī fi'l-aswāq | He is an ordinary man |
| 8 | Law lā ulqiya ilayhi kanzun aw takūnu lahū jannatun | He is not rich |
Not one of the four has to do with the content. I record this as my own reading: none of the objections looks at what the text says — they look at its source, at how it was put together, and at the condition of the one who carries it.
تُمْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا — bukratan wa aṣīlā (early morning and late afternoon). These two times were treated at al-Insān 76/25 and Ghāfir (al-Muʾmin) 40/55.
And this is worth recording: there the same two times were named for glorification; here they occur inside an accusation. The objection describes a regular course of work.
The objection in the seventh verse is the place in the sūra that will be dwelt on most — because it will be answered directly in the twentieth verse.
The logic of the objection must be recorded: one who is a messenger ought to be far from human needs. That is, what is expected is that the messenger should hold a visible privilege — an angel accompanying him (7), a treasure sent down to him (8), a garden given to him (8).