Quran Universe
17:88

قُل لَّئِنِ ٱجۡتَمَعَتِ ٱلۡإِنسُ وَٱلۡجِنُّ عَلَىٰٓ أَن يَأۡتُواْ بِمِثۡلِ هَٰذَا ٱلۡقُرۡءَانِ لَا يَأۡتُونَ بِمِثۡلِهِۦ وَلَوۡ كَانَ بَعۡضُهُمۡ لِبَعۡضٖ ظَهِيرٗا

Qul laini ijtamaAAati alinsu waaljinnu AAala an yatoo bimithli hatha alqurani la yatoona bimithlihi walaw kana baAAduhum libaAAdin thaheeran

Say, "If mankind and the jinn gathered in order to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like of it, even if they were to each other assistants."

Word by word
  1. قُلSay
  2. لَّئِنِIf
  3. ٱجۡتَمَعَتِgathered
  4. ٱلۡإِنسُthe mankind
  5. وَٱلۡجِنُّand the jinn
  6. عَلَىٰٓto
  7. أَن[that]
  8. يَأۡتُواْbring
  9. بِمِثۡلِthe like
  10. هَٰذَا(of) this
  11. ٱلۡقُرۡءَانِQuran
  12. لَاnot
  13. يَأۡتُونَthey (could) bring
  14. بِمِثۡلِهِۦthe like of it
  15. وَلَوۡeven if
  16. كَانَwere
  17. بَعۡضُهُمۡsome of them
  18. لِبَعۡضٖto some others
  19. ظَهِيرٗاassistants
Al-Isra · 17:88Makkah

All humans and jinn together could not produce its like.

The open challenge

The challenge
all mankind
all jinn
helping each other
cannot match it
Whose words
a human book
the Creator's wordsno equal

Ibn Kathir says even if all humans and jinn came together and helped one another, they could never produce anything like it. How could the words of created beings be like the words of the Creator, who has no equal?

You have read thousands of books, captions, articles, messages. Most you forgot in a day. This one has been recited daily for over fourteen centuries. Next time you read it, notice it is not like anything else you read.

The Quran is a great book among many great books.

The Quran is the speech of Allah, and nothing written can match it.

Try this

Read one short surah aloud slowly today and listen to it as Allah's own words.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 17:86)

And if We willed, We could surely take away that which We have revealed to you. Then you would find no protector for you against Us in that respect (86)Except as a mercy from your Lord. Verily, His grace unto you is ever great (87)Say: "If mankind and the Jinn were together to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they helped one another. (88)And indeed We have fully explained to mankind, in this Qur'an, every kind of similitude, but most of mankind refuse (the truth and accept nothing) but disbelief (89)

If Allah willed, He could take away the Qur'an

Allah mentions the blessing and great bounty that He has bestowed upon His servant and Messenger Muhammad ﷺ by revealing to Him the Noble Qur'an to which falsehood cannot come, from before it or behind it, (it is) sent down by the All-Wise, Worthy of all praise. Ibn Mas'ud said, "A red wind will come to the people, meaning at the end of time, from the direction of Syria, and there will be nothing left in a man's Mushaf (copy of the Qur'an) or in his heart, not even one Ayah." Then Ibn Mas'ud recited:

وَلَئِن شِئْنَا لَنَذْهَبَنَّ بِالَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ

(And if We willed, We could surely take away that which We have revealed to you.)

Challenging by the Qur'an

Then Allah points out the great virtue of the Qur'an, and says that even if mankind and the Jinn were all to come together and agree to produce something like that which was revealed to His Messenger ﷺ, they would never be able to do it, even if they were to cooperate and support and help one another. This is something which is impossible. How could the words of created beings be like the Words of the Creator Who has no equal and peer, for there is none like unto Him?

وَلَقَدْ صَرَّفْنَا لِلنَّاسِ

(And indeed We have fully explained to mankind,) meaning, 'We have furnished them with evidence and definitive proof, and We have shown them the truth and explained it in detail, yet despite that most of mankind insist on disbelief, i.e., denying and rejecting the truth.'