And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down [i.e., the Qur’ān] upon Our Servant [i.e., Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ)], then produce a sūrah the like thereof and call upon your witnesses [i.e., supporters] other than Allāh, if you should be truthful.
Sahih International
Grammar, phrase by phrase
وَإِن كُنتُمْ
(And if you are)
Root كون — to be, exist, happen · 1,390 times in the Quran
وَإِنword 1
Resumptive Particle · حرف استئنافA resumptive particle is a وَ or فَ that begins a fresh statement after a pause or a shift of topic — it starts the speech anew rather than adding one more item to a list. The prefix وَ · 'and' at the front of وَإِن opens such a fresh start. L14 · R1
Conditional Particle · أداة شرطA conditional particle sets up a two-part 'if…, then…' sentence. إِن means 'if', a possible but uncertain case: 'if you are in doubt, then produce a chapter'. L16 · R2
كُنتُمْword 2
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. كُن speaks of an action already carried out: 'you are', from the root كون: to be, exist, happen. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past-tense verb describes an action already completed — and it shows who by a small ending fastened to the verb's tail. On كُنتُمْ that ending is تُمْ, telling exactly who is meant: 'you are', from the root كون: to be, exist, happen. L8 · R2
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb is a verb that carries و or ي — the 'weak' letters, which love to soften into long vowels or vanish — among its root letters. The root of كُن is كون: to be, exist, happen — and its middle letter is the weak و, so the weakness sits in the middle of the root. L24 · R4
Kāna Verb · كان وأخواتهاكَانَ 'was/are' is an incomplete verb: it needs both a topic and a comment, keeping its topic nominative — the ḍammah ـُ form — while pushing its comment into the accusative, usually a fathah ـَ. Here its topic is the attached تُمْ 'you all', and its comment is 'in doubt', which follows to complete the meaning. L18 · R3
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending تُمْ on كُنتُمْ is such a suffix, standing for 'you all' — the topic كَانَ speaks about. L3 · R6
Allah begins to prove the truth of prophethood, after affirming that there is no deity worthy of worship except Him, by addressing the disbelievers who are in doubt about what He sent down.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:23
فِى رَيْبٍۢ
(…in doubt)
Root ريب — to doubt, be uncertain, suspicion · 36 times in the Quran
فِىword 3
Particle · حرفA particle is a small helper word of one to three letters that works like glue — it connects or adjusts other words rather than naming something or describing an action, and it can never be the one a sentence is about. فِى · 'in' is such a helper. L1 · R9
Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little helper word that relates one thing to another; Arabic keeps a short list of them — small words like فِي 'in', مِنْ 'from', and عَلَىٰ 'on'. فِى · 'in' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
رَيْبٍۢword 4
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. رَيْبٍ names such a thing: 'doubt', from the root ريب: to doubt, be uncertain, suspicion. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. رَيْبٍۢ carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Indefinite Noun · نكرةAn indefinite noun means 'a' or 'any' one of something — no particular one — and it never wears the definite article ال ('the'); instead it shows this with tanwīn, a doubled end-vowel mark. رَيْبٍ carries the tanwīn ـٍ — the kasrah ـِ doubled — marking it as unspecified: 'doubt'. L2 · R8
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a naming word takes after a preposition, usually shown by a kasrah ـِ — or here the doubled tanwīn kasrah ـٍ, a small stroke below the last letter. رَيْبٍ carries that ـٍ because the preposition فِى 'in' stands before it: 'in doubt'. L2 · R12
'And if you are in Rayb' means: in doubt.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:23
مِّمَّا نَزَّلْنَا
(…about what We have sent down)
Root نزل — to come down, descend, send down, reveal · 293 times in the Quran
مِّمَّاword 5
Particle · حرفA particle is a small helper word of one to three letters that works like glue — it connects or adjusts other words rather than naming something or describing an action, and it can never be the one a sentence is about. مِّ · 'from/of' is such a helper. L1 · R9
Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little helper word that relates one thing to another; Arabic keeps a short list of them — small words like فِي 'in', مِنْ 'from', and عَلَىٰ 'on'. مِّ · 'from/of' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
Relative Pronoun · اسم موصولA relative pronoun is a word that hooks a whole describing sentence onto its meaning. مَّا · 'about what' is the relative word Arabic uses for non-human things — 'what' or 'that which' — one fixed shape for any gender and any number: its ending never changes to show its job in the sentence. L5 · R13
نَزَّلْنَاword 6
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. نَزَّلْ speaks of an action already carried out: 'We have revealed', from the root نزل: to come down, descend, send down, reveal. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past-tense verb describes an action already completed — and it shows who by a small ending fastened to the verb's tail. On نَزَّلْنَا that ending is نَا, telling exactly who is meant: 'We have revealed', from the root نزل: to come down, descend, send down, reveal. L8 · R2
Form II Verb · فَعَّلَA Form II verb doubles its middle root letter with a shaddah ـّ — a small w-shaped mark. From the root نزل, the middle ز carries that shaddah ـّ in نَزَّلْنَا, marking it as Form II: 'We sent down'. L12 · R1
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'I / you / he' that cannot stand alone — it is glued onto the end of another word, and each form carries within it exactly who is meant. نَا · 'us/our' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — نَزَّلْنَا — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, so it stands in the nominative — the doer's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending نَا on نَزَّلْنَا is that doer, 'we'; on this attached pronoun the shape is fixed, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4
عَلَىٰ عَبْدِنَا
(…upon Our Servant,)
Root عبد — to worship, serve; servant, slave · 275 times in the Quran
عَلَىٰword 7
Particle · حرفA particle is a small helper word of one to three letters that works like glue — it connects or adjusts other words rather than naming something or describing an action, and it can never be the one a sentence is about. عَلَىٰ · 'on/upon' is such a helper. L1 · R9
Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little helper word that relates one thing to another; Arabic keeps a short list of them — small words like فِي 'in', مِنْ 'from', and عَلَىٰ 'on'. عَلَىٰ · 'on/upon' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
عَبْدِنَاword 8
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. عَبْدِ names such a thing: 'Our slave', from the root عبد: to worship, serve; servant, slave. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. عَبْدِنَا carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a noun (a naming word) takes after a preposition — a little word like 'in' or 'to' — and it is marked by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke written below the letter. عَبْدِ stands right after such a little word and carries exactly that kasrah ـِ on its own final letter — tucked inside عَبْدِنَا, just before the small piece fastened to the word's end. L2 · R12
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'our' glued onto the end of a noun. The ending نَا on عَبْدِنَا stands for 'our', naming whose servant he is. L3 · R6
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهA possessive (iḍāfah) chains an owner onto the thing owned, and the owner carries the genitive — the owner's ending, usually shown by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke below the last letter. The ending نَا 'our' is that owner glued onto عَبْدِ; a pronoun like نَا keeps its fixed written shape, so no kasrah appears on it — the genitive is the role its owner slot carries: 'Our Servant'. L5 · R5
'What We have sent down upon Our Servant' means the Qur'an sent down upon Muhammad; the challenge is to produce a chapter like it, using the help of anyone besides Allah.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:23
So far: “And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down [i.e., the Qur’ān] upon Our Servant [i.e., Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ)],”
فَأْتُوا۟ بِسُورَةٍۢ
(…then produce a sūrah)
Root اتي — to come, bring, give · 549 times in the Quran
Root سور — wall, chapter of the Quran · 17 times in the Quran
فَأْتُوا۟word 9
Result Particle · فاء الجوابThe result particle is a فَ that introduces the 'then' half of an 'if…, then…' pair, marking what follows from the condition. The prefix فَ here begins the answer to 'if you are in doubt': 'then produce a chapter'. L14 · R2
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. أْتُ is a command: 'then produce', from the root اتي: to come, bring, give. L1 · R7
Imperative Verb · فعل أمرAn imperative verb is a command telling 'you' to do something. أْتُ is such a command spoken to a group, 'produce!' — the ending وا۟ points the order at 'you all'. L10 · R1
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb has a و or ي among its root letters, which love to soften or vanish. From the root اتي, the weak ي has dropped away in فَأْتُوا۟, hiding that root letter. L24 · R7
Hamzated Verb · فعل مهموزA hamzated verb has a hamza (ء) among its root letters. Built from the root اتي, أْتُ carries that hamza seated on an alif right after the فَ — the أْ in فَأْتُوا۟ — keeping it among the hamzated kind. L24 · R11
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'I / you / he' that cannot stand alone — it is glued onto the end of another word, and each form carries within it exactly who is meant. وا۟ · 'you all/your' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — فَأْتُوا۟ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, so it stands in the nominative — the doer's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending وا۟ on فَأْتُوا۟ is that doer, 'you all'; on this attached pronoun the shape is fixed, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4
بِسُورَةٍۢword 10
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix بِ at the front of بِسُورَةٍۢ is a preposition — a little helper word meaning 'in/with' that relates one thing to another. A preposition 'pulls' the word that follows it into the genitive relationship — the 'of / in / with' role a word plays after such a little helper — though not every word shows that role with the same visible ending. L4 · R1
Noun · اسمA noun is a naming word for a thing. سُورَةٍ names a thing — a chapter of the Qur'an — from the root سور. L1 · R6
Feminine Noun · اسم مؤنثA feminine noun is a naming word Arabic treats as grammatically 'she', most often marked by a ة — the round 'tied tā' — at its end. سُورَةٍ carries exactly that round ة at its end, so it is treated as feminine: 'a chapter'. L2 · R1
Indefinite Noun · نكرةAn indefinite noun means 'a' or 'any' one of something — no particular one — and it never wears the definite article ال ('the'); instead it shows this with tanwīn, a doubled end-vowel mark. سُورَةٍ carries the tanwīn ـٍ — the kasrah ـِ doubled — marking it as unspecified: 'a chapter'. L2 · R8
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a naming word takes after a preposition, usually shown by a kasrah ـِ — or here the doubled tanwīn kasrah ـٍ, a small stroke below the last letter. سُورَةٍ carries that ـٍ because the preposition بِ stands before it: 'a chapter'. L2 · R12
مِّن مِّثْلِهِۦ
(…the like thereof)
Root مثل — to resemble, be like; example, likeness, similitude · 169 times in the Quran
مِّنword 11
Particle · حرفA particle is a small helper word of one to three letters that works like glue — it connects or adjusts other words rather than naming something or describing an action, and it can never be the one a sentence is about. مِّن · 'from/of' is such a helper. L1 · R9
Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little helper word that relates one thing to another; Arabic keeps a short list of them — small words like فِي 'in', مِنْ 'from', and عَلَىٰ 'on'. مِّن · 'from/of' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
مِّثْلِهِۦword 12
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. مِّثْلِ names such a thing: 'like it', from the root مثل: to resemble, be like; example, likeness, similitude. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. مِّثْلِهِۦ carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a noun (a naming word) takes after a preposition — a little word like 'in' or 'to' — and it is marked by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke written below the letter. مِّثْلِ stands right after such a little word and carries exactly that kasrah ـِ on its own final letter — tucked inside مِّثْلِهِۦ, just before the small piece fastened to the word's end. L2 · R12
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'its' glued onto the end of a noun. The ending هِۦ on مِّثْلِهِۦ stands for 'it', pointing back to the Qur'an: 'the like of it'. L3 · R6
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهA possessive (iḍāfah) chains an owner onto the thing owned, and the owner carries the genitive — the owner's ending, usually shown by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke below the last letter. The ending هِۦ 'it' is that owner glued onto مِّثْلِ; a pronoun like هِۦ keeps its fixed written shape, so no kasrah appears on it — the genitive is the role its owner slot carries: 'the like of it'. L5 · R5
'A sūrah the like thereof' means one similar to the Qur'an; Allah has challenged the disbelievers — individuals and groups, literate and illiterate — thus making the challenge truly complete.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:23
So far: “And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down [i.e., the Qur’ān] upon Our Servant [i.e., Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ)], then produce a sūrah the like thereof”
وَٱدْعُوا۟ شُهَدَآءَكُم
(…and call upon your witnesses)
Root دعو — to call, invoke, pray to; supplication · 212 times in the Quran
Root شهد — to witness, bear witness, testify · 160 times in the Quran
وَٱدْعُوا۟word 13
Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix وَ at the front of وَٱدْعُوا۟ is a conjunction — a small joining word meaning 'and' — linking what follows to what came before; the word it joins in must stand in the same grammatical case as its partner before the joint — the same role in the sentence, even when the two words write that case with different endings. L4 · R4
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. ٱدْعُ is a command: 'and call', from the root دعو: to call, invoke, pray to; supplication. L1 · R7
Imperative Verb · فعل أمرAn imperative verb is a command telling 'you' to do something. ٱدْعُ is such a command spoken to a group, 'call!' — the ending وا۟ points the order at 'you all'. L10 · R1
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb has a و or ي among its root letters, which love to soften or vanish. From the root دعو, the weak و has folded into the ending of ٱدْعُ, hiding that root letter. L24 · R7
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'I / you / he' that cannot stand alone — it is glued onto the end of another word, and each form carries within it exactly who is meant. وا۟ · 'you all/your' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — وَٱدْعُوا۟ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, so it stands in the nominative — the doer's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending وا۟ on وَٱدْعُوا۟ is that doer, 'you all'; on this attached pronoun the shape is fixed, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4
شُهَدَآءَكُمword 14
Noun · اسمA noun is a naming word for people. شُهَدَآءَ names people — witnesses — from the root شهد, to witness or testify. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every naming word as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. This word carries no feminine marker such as a ة at its end, so it falls to the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Plural Noun · جمعA plural noun refers to three or more. شُهَدَآءَ is a 'broken' plural — its inner shape reshaped from the singular — naming many witnesses. L2 · R6
Accusative · منصوبThe accusative is the ending a naming word takes when the action lands on it, usually shown by a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke above the last letter. شُهَدَآءَ ends in that fathah ـَ, marking the witnesses as those to be called. L2 · R11
Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the ones the action lands on, in the accusative — the fathah ـَ, a stroke above the last letter. شُهَدَآءَ carries that fathah ـَ and is whom they are told to call — their witnesses. L9 · R3
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'your' glued onto the end of a noun. The ending كُم on شُهَدَآءَكُم stands for 'your (all)', naming whose witnesses they are. L3 · R6
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهA possessive (iḍāfah) chains an owner onto the thing owned, and the owner carries the genitive — the owner's ending, usually shown by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke below the last letter. The ending كُم 'your' is that owner glued onto شُهَدَآءَ; a pronoun like كُم keeps its fixed written shape, so no kasrah appears on it — the genitive is the role its owner slot carries: 'your witnesses'. L5 · R5
Ibn `Abbas said 'your witnesses' means aids; others said partners or people — wise, eloquent men — whose help they may seek other than Allah, though they will never succeed.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:23
مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ
(…other than Allah,)
Root دون — besides, other than, excluding · 144 times in the Quran
Root اله — god · 2,851 times in the Quran
مِّنword 15
Particle · حرفA particle is a small helper word of one to three letters that works like glue — it connects or adjusts other words rather than naming something or describing an action, and it can never be the one a sentence is about. مِّن · 'from/of' is such a helper. L1 · R9
Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little helper word that relates one thing to another; Arabic keeps a short list of them — small words like فِي 'in', مِنْ 'from', and عَلَىٰ 'on'. مِّن · 'from/of' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
دُونِword 16
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. دُونِ names such a thing: 'other than', from the root دون: besides, other than, excluding. L1 · R6
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a noun (a naming word) takes after a preposition — a little word like 'in' or 'to' — and it is marked by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke written below the letter. دُونِ stands right after such a little word, so its final letter carries exactly that kasrah ـِ: دُونِ. L2 · R12
ٱللَّهِword 17
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea — and in Arabic this includes proper names. ٱللَّهِ is a proper name: 'Allah'. L1 · R6
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a noun (a naming word) takes as the owner in an 'of' phrase, marked by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke written below the final letter. دُونِ and ٱللَّهِ form such a pair, 'other than Allah', and as the owner-word of that pair, ٱللَّهِ ends with exactly that kasrah ـِ. L2 · R12
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهArabic says 'of' by chaining two nouns — two naming words — directly together: دُونِ ٱللَّهِ reads 'other than — Allah'. The second word of such a chain, the owner, always takes the genitive — the after-'of' ending, shown by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke written below the letter — and ٱللَّهِ ends with exactly that kasrah ـِ. L5 · R5
So far: “And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down [i.e., the Qur’ān] upon Our Servant [i.e., Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ)], then produce a sūrah the like thereof and call upon your witnesses [i.e., supporters] other than Allah,”
إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ
(…if you should be truthful.)
Root كون — to be, exist, happen · 1,390 times in the Quran
Root صدق — to be truthful, sincerity; to give charity; to confirm, verify · 155 times in the Quran
إِنword 18
Conditional Particle · أداة شرطA conditional particle sets up a two-part 'if…, then…' sentence. إِن means 'if', a possible but uncertain case: 'if you should be truthful'. L16 · R2
كُنتُمْword 19
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. كُن speaks of an action already carried out: 'you are', from the root كون: to be, exist, happen. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past-tense verb describes an action already completed — and it shows who by a small ending fastened to the verb's tail. On كُنتُمْ that ending is تُمْ, telling exactly who is meant: 'you are', from the root كون: to be, exist, happen. L8 · R2
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb is a verb that carries و or ي — the 'weak' letters, which love to soften into long vowels or vanish — among its root letters. The root of كُن is كون: to be, exist, happen — and its middle letter is the weak و, so the weakness sits in the middle of the root. L24 · R4
Kāna Verb · كان وأخواتهاكَانَ 'was/are' is an incomplete verb: it needs both a topic and a comment, keeping its topic nominative — the ḍammah ـُ form — while pushing its comment into the accusative, usually a fathah ـَ. Here its topic is the attached تُمْ 'you all', and its comment is 'truthful', which takes that accusative ending. L18 · R3
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending تُمْ on كُنتُمْ is such a suffix, standing for 'you all' — the topic كَانَ speaks about. L3 · R6
صَـٰدِقِينَword 20
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. صَٰدِقِينَ is such a naming word: 'truthful', from the root صدق: to be truthful, sincerity; to give charity; to confirm, verify. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. Even as a plural, صَـٰدِقِينَ carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is a masculine noun; its ending is the 'sound' plural ending Arabic reserves for masculine nouns. L2 · R3
Plural Noun · جمعA plural noun refers to three or more of something. The sound masculine plural carries its role in its ending — ـُونَ for the nominative (the 'subject form', with the ḍammah ـُ sound), ـِينَ for the accusative and genitive (the 'object' and 'of' forms); صَـٰدِقِينَ closes with exactly such an ending: not one, but a whole group. L2 · R6
Accusative · منصوبThe accusative is the ending a naming word takes as the comment of كَانَ; for this kind of plural that ending is ـِينَ rather than the nominative ـُونَ. صَٰدِقِينَ carries that ـِينَ, marking it as the accusative comment: 'if you should be truthful'. L2 · R7
Active Participle · اسم فاعلAn active participle is a naming word built from a verb's root to name the one who does the action. Built from the root صدق (to be truthful), صَٰدِقِينَ names those who speak the truth — the truthful. L11 · R1
The challenge is complete: if they truly hold that the Qur'an did not come from Allah, let them, with all the help they can gather, produce its like — yet they never will.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:23
So far: “And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down [i.e., the Qur’ān] upon Our Servant [i.e., Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ)], then produce a sūrah the like thereof and call upon your witnesses [i.e., supporters] other than Allah, if you should be truthful.”