When Allah sent the truth to the people of Makkah and the cities surrounding it, the Prophet (peace be on him) was delivering the message to everyone. There had been no prophet or messenger in Makkah since the time of Ismail (peace be on him) which had been a very long time. Therefore the Arabs would go to the People of the Book to find out if he was telling the truth. The Jews and Christians were their point of reference but they denied that he was the prophet. Allah Almighty addresses the Jews in the verses of Surat al Qasas and says that He sent them the truth through Musa and now He has sent the Quran through Muhammad (peace be on them), but they said both were magic: But when the truth (i.e. Muhammad  with his Message) has come to them from Us, they say: “Why is he not given the like of what was given to Musa (Moses)? Did they not disbelieve in that which was given to Musa (Moses) of old? They say: “Two kinds of magic [the Taurat (Torah) and the Qur’an] each helping the other!” And they say: “Verily! In both we are disbelievers.” (28:48) Allah Almighty instructed the Prophet (peace be on him) to reply to their accusations by saying bring something better and then he will follow it: Say (to them, O Muhammad ): “Then bring a Book from Allah, which is a better guide than these two [the Taurat (Torah) and the Qur’an], that I may follow it, if you are truthful.” (28:49) The core of the issue is that they prefer to pursue their own desires. The real reason they reject the message is not the message. Or that the message is not clear, but that they do not want … Continue reading The truth meets resistance when it clashes with desire. Reflections from Surat al Qasas