CAUSE OF THE REVEALTION (VERSE NO. 109)

      A group of the QURAISH said to the prophet:

      ``You seriously state that your preceding prophets have had wonderful miracles such as curing uncurable diseases, and raising the dead and so and so. If you are really a prophet like them, then bring us some miracles like these which they have brought.''

      The prophet said to them: ``What do you want me to do for you?'' They said: ``Turn the mount Safa into gold, or raise up some of our dead ancestors so that we may ask them about you and the life to come, or make us to see the angels with our own eyes.''

      The prophet said again: ``And if I do some of what you ask for, do you then believe in God and His truth?''

      They swore by Allah solemnly that, if such signs that they ask for, come to them they would certainly believe in it. Allah inspired to His prophet that they are liars - If you want to ask me to do that I will do it for your sake, but of surety they will not believe even after that! And then for their rejection, after having seen evidences by their physical eyes, I shall destroy them all - Such is My unchangeable method and rule. But if you leave them to themselves, later on a group of them will eventually believe in your mission and in Me.

      So the prophet decided to leave them alone. Later, many of them repented and were true converts.

  Where there is sheer obstinacy and real unbelief, no sign or miracle can convince a man. So many strange miracles were shown by Moses and Jesus but bore nothing except repulsion and denial!

      Our prophet's miracles too, were not few or rare, but in most cases served to increase the pagan's obstinacy and rejection. So in answer to such unreasonable request, the Messenger of God is ordered to tell the objectors:

      ``Signs and miracles are not in my hand - they are only in the power of Allah.''

      Then the simple minded Muslims who were influenced by the serious oaths of the pagans are addressed:

   ``How do you know that they will believe when the signs come to them? Did they not reject the previous apostles in spite of all their amazing miracles? Have they not seen so many signs and miracles of you so far, and they still are unbelievers. Even if we send down the signs that they want, they will not believe in it.''

      They indeed did not wish to believe, because every now and then a new miracle was shown by the prophet Mohammad, and they misinterpreted it, and ascribed it to magic and sorcery!

      In Quran S 25: 44 we read:

      ``Were they to see a piece of the sky falling upon them, they would say: ``This is clouds that are gathered on heaps!'' In fact, they were not in search of the truth, and merely wanted to amuse people, and keep them away from the prophet by inducing doubts in their hearts.