And when he clarified the function of the messengers and categorized those to whom they were sent, he commanded him to deny what their saying causes, that humans cannot be a messenger. Their suggestion to him of the signs, based on their assumption of His ability to do what He wants, or that everything He is capable of, He should show them, or to obligate Him to that, is from their injustice due to their harshness or their stubbornness. So he said: "Say" meaning: in response to their saying, "If only a sign were sent down to him" [Yunus: 20] and similar to it.

And when they did not have a covenant that a human could possess the treasures, managing them as he wishes, and signs came to them from the splitting of the moon and the walking of trees and the speaking of the lizard and stone and the springing of water and the guarding with flames of fire and the male camels and similar things that are known in the proofs of prophethood, which perhaps led them to think that it necessitates his claim that he owns the treasures, they would suggest to him the signs that would obligate him to that for the purpose of denying him. He denied what they thought was necessary for his claim and said: "I do not say to you" meaning: now nor in what is to come in time. And when the Exalted had given him the keys to the treasures of the earth, he refused them out of humility before Allah - glorified is He - he was constrained by his saying (for you) to inform the believers of that so they may increase in faith along with their faith. As for the disbelievers, informing them of that would only entice them to suggest mockingly, so it is of no benefit to him. "I have the treasures of Allah" meaning: the greatest dominion which has absolute wealth and supreme honor, so there is no equal to Him. Meaning: I will not bring you what you suggest of signs and what you desire of treasures and what you mock with from punishment, for indeed the treasures are in His hand; He does what He wills with them.

And when they were accustomed to some humans among the soothsayers informing them of something from the unseen, and the soothsayers mixed truth with falsehood, and the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - informed them of many unseen matters, and it would always be as he said, with no contradiction in any of it nor increase nor decrease, they began to think that he knows the unseen. However, they thought of him as one of the signs of the soothsayers until they labeled him as a soothsayer. They would ask him about the time of the punishment he threatens them with and about other matters, hoping they might catch him in something that the soothsayers say which does not exist, so they would count it against him. He denied what they thought was other than this position to be attributed to anyone other than its owner, which cannot be for anyone else. So he said, denying it from its essence, not just for the saying as in his previous and subsequent statements, adding to: "I do not say" not to "I have" nor "I know the unseen" meaning: I will not inform you of the time of the separation between me and you from the absolute punishment or the Day of Resurrection, for these two states - the ownership of the treasures and the knowledge of the unseen - are only for the rank of divinity. And I did not claim the first as you obligated me to, nor did I possess the second as you thought.

And when they thought that the Messenger could only be an angel, they insisted on him with his claim of prophethood as the claim of the angels, to impose upon him that which is a claim of evident falsehood. He said: ﴿And I do not say﴾ meaning: by the claim of prophethood; and when he, blessings and peace be upon him, was the highest of the prophets in purity, the brightest of them in heart, and the strongest of them in every guidance, and the purest of them from the deficiencies of humanity, and this was a matter from Allah for him - it was restricted by his saying: ﴿For you﴾, to indicate that it is not impossible for him to say that, rather if he had said it, he would have been truthful. And similar instances are many in their metaphors and the ways of their customs [in their dialogues]. As for the omission of (for you) in the story of Noah from Surah Hud - peace be upon them - it was due to his humility; for it is from his words, without explicitly attributing the matter in it to Allah, the Exalted: ﴿Indeed, I am an angel﴾, so I am stronger in the actions that angels are capable of, such as refraining from food and drink and other actions of the angels.

So when what they imposed upon him and what they thought of him being a god or an angel was negated, the matter was confined to him being a Messenger standing at what his Sender has defined for him. So he said in the context of the result: ﴿If﴾ meaning: what ﴿I follow﴾ meaning: with all my effort ﴿except what is revealed to me﴾ meaning: my rank is nothing but to comply with what my Lord commands me in this Qur'an, which is - by your inability to oppose it - the greatest witness for me. And it was not revealed to me in it to say anything of what has been previously denied, and it was revealed to me to warn you specifically, and to warn with it everyone who reaches it generally. And this is not denied in reason nor is it improbable, rather it has indeed occurred that sending has been to many of humanity. And there has been established for me clear evidence, firm proofs, and decisive arguments. So if there is permission for me to display a miracle, I will display it, and if there is information about the unseen, I will reveal it. Otherwise, I will suffice with conveying (p-125) along with the challenge, and it is informing that Allah - who has been established by your inability to oppose it that it is His saying - is a witness for me regarding the truth of the message and the truthfulness of the statement.

And when it is established by this that they are blind of sight and insight, they do not find guidance to what benefits them, nor are they able to refute an opponent or escape from an illusion or a stigma. Rather, they are like one walking among dangers, whose initial claim to wisdom is shown to be falsehood, lies, and depravity for the followers of desires, which is the worst of ailments. And indeed, he ﷺ is the clearest of the seers and the wisest of the judges for his followers, the Knower of the unseen. It was appropriate to say: What is revealed to you in this context? He said, in a manner of reproach to them: "Say"; meaning: to everyone who hears your words after this clear statement regarding the powers of man, "Are the blind and the seeing equal?" If they say: Yes, they would contradict the senses. And if they say: No, it would be said: Whoever follows these clear verses is the one who sees, and whoever turns away from them is the blind. And whoever equates the Creator with anything from His creation is the blind of blindness. Then he commanded him, after denying the equivalence between them, to deny their corrupt perspective and the blindness of their thinking, by saying: "Do you not reflect?"; meaning: let your thinking redirect you away from these misguidances.