Quran Universe
17:107

قُلۡ ءَامِنُواْ بِهِۦٓ أَوۡ لَا تُؤۡمِنُوٓاْۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ ٱلۡعِلۡمَ مِن قَبۡلِهِۦٓ إِذَا يُتۡلَىٰ عَلَيۡهِمۡ يَخِرُّونَۤ لِلۡأَذۡقَانِۤ سُجَّدٗاۤ

Qul aminoo bihi aw la tuminoo inna allatheena ootoo alAAilma min qablihi itha yutla AAalayhim yakhirroona lilathqani sujjadan

Say, "Believe in it or do not believe. Indeed, those who were given knowledge before it - when it is recited to them, they fall upon their faces in prostration,

Word by word
  1. قُلۡSay
  2. ءَامِنُواْBelieve
  3. بِهِۦٓin it
  4. أَوۡor
  5. لَا(do) not
  6. تُؤۡمِنُوٓاْۚbelieve
  7. إِنَّIndeed
  8. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  9. أُوتُواْwere given
  10. ٱلۡعِلۡمَthe knowledge
  11. مِنbefore it
  12. قَبۡلِهِۦٓbefore it
  13. إِذَاwhen
  14. يُتۡلَىٰit is recited
  15. عَلَيۡهِمۡto them
  16. يَخِرُّونَۤthey fall
  17. لِلۡأَذۡقَانِۤon their faces
  18. سُجَّدٗاۤ(in) prostration
Al-Isra · 17:107Makkah

Believe or not. Those with knowledge fall in prostration.

The Quran is true whether or not you accept it

Two responses
believe or notit stays true
the knowledgeablefrom earlier scriptures
hear it and
prostratein gratitude
What makes it true
my acceptance
it is true in itself

Ibn Kathir explains that the Quran is true in and of itself, whether they believe or not. Righteous people among the People of the Book, who held their scriptures without distorting them, would fall in prostration when they heard it, grateful that they had lived to meet this Messenger.

A friend scoffs at your faith over coffee. You feel a flash of doubt, as if their opinion decides it. It does not. Truth does not need a vote. And people who truly know often respond with humility, not mockery.

If enough people reject the Quran, maybe it is not true.

The Quran is true regardless of who accepts it.

Try this

Make one sajdah today just to thank Allah for guiding you to the Quran.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Say: "Believe in it or do not believe (in it). Verily, those who were given knowledge before it, when it is recited to them, fall down on their chins (faces) in humble prostration. (107)And they say: "Glory be to our Lord! Truly, the promise of our Lord must be fulfilled. (108)And they fall down on their chins (faces) weeping and it increases their humility (109)

Those Who were given Knowledge before truly admit the Qur'an

Allah says to His Prophet Muhammad ﷺ:

قُلْ 

(Say) O Muhammad to these disbelievers concerning what you have brought to them of this Glorious Qur'an:

آمِنُوا بِهِ أَوْ لَا تُؤْمِنُوا

("Believe in it (the Qur'an) or do not believe (in it).) meaning, it is all the same whether you believe in it or not, for it is true in and of itself. It was revealed by Allah, Who mentioned it previously in the Books that He revealed to other Messengers. Hence He says:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ مِن قَبْلِهِ

(Verily, those who were given knowledge before it,) meaning righteous people among the People of the Book, who adhered to their Books and appreciated them without distorting them.

إِذَا يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ

(when it is recited to them,) means, when this Qur'an is recited to them,

يَخِرُّونَ لِلْأَذْقَانِ سُجَّدًا

(fall down on their chins (faces) in humble prostration.) means, to Allah, in gratitude for the blessing He has bestowed on them by considering them fit to live until they met this Messenger to whom this Book was revealed. Hence they say:

سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَا

(Glory be to our Lord!), meaning, they extol and glorify their Lord for His perfect power and for not delaying the fulfillment of the promise which He made through His earlier Prophets, that He would send Muhammad ﷺ. Hence they said:

سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَا إِن كَانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّنَا لَمَفْعُولًا

(Glory be to our Lord! Truly, the promise of our Lord must be fulfilled.)

وَيَخِرُّونَ لِلْأَذْقَانِ يَبْكُونَ

(And they fall down on their chins (faces) weeping) means, in submission to Allah, may He be glorified, and in expression of their belief and faith in His Book and His Messenger ﷺ.

وَيَزِيدُهُمْ خُشُوعًا

(and it increases their humility.) means, it increases them in faith and submission. As Allah says:

وَالَّذِينَ اهْتَدَوْا زَادَهُمْ هُدًى وَآتَاهُمْ تَقْوَاهُمْ

(While as for those who accept guidance, He increases their guidance and bestows on them their Taqwa.)(47:17).

وَيَخِرُّونَ 

(And they fall down) is a description rather than an action (i.e., this is a further description of their humility as referred to in Ayah 107; it does not imply that they prostrate twice).