Surah Ha-Mim as-Sajdah, Footnote 58

This brief phrase gives the complete diagnosis of the disease afflicting the disbelievers of Mecca. It tells us that they are caught in doubt about the Qur’an and about Muhammad (peace be upon him), and that this doubt has thrown them into severe inner turmoil and agitation. This means that, outwardly, they deny with great vehemence that the Qur’an is the word of God and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is His messenger—but in reality, this denial is not based on any certainty; rather, intense inner conflict rages within their hearts. On one hand, their personal interests, the desires of their own selves, and their ignorant prejudices demand that they reject the Qur’an and Muhammad (peace be upon him), and oppose them with all their strength. On the other hand, their hearts cry out from within that this Qur’an is truly a matchless discourse, the like of which has never been heard from any man of letters or poet; that no madman in a fit of insanity could produce such words; and that devils could never come for the purpose of teaching people to worship God and to pursue goodness and purity. Likewise, when they call Muhammad (peace be upon him) a liar, their hearts say from within: have some shame, O servants of God—can this man possibly be a liar? And when they accuse him of doing all this not for the sake of truth but for his own glory, their hearts rebuke them from within: shame on you—you call this righteous man self-seeking, a man you have never once seen chasing after wealth, power, or fame, whose entire life has been free of any trace of self-interest, who has always worked for goodness and good, but who has never once done anything improper for the sake of his own desires.