Part 1 · Page 300
Al-Nadr’s Attempts to Distract People
English rendering of the source section
Local English translation from the Arabic text; Qur’anic citations and editorial explanations are distinguished.
This local English rendering may condense the Arabic narration and editorial notes. It is not a complete published English edition. Consult the Arabic source for exact wording and context.
Read the corresponding Arabic sectionAl-Nadr had travelled to al-Hirah and learned accounts of Persian kings, Rustam, and Isfandiyar. When the Messenger spoke to people about Allah and warned them of the punishment that befell earlier nations, al-Nadr would take his place afterward and say, “I tell better stories than Muhammad.” He entertained Quraysh with tales of Persia and asked how Muhammad’s stories could be better than his. Ibn Hisham associates al-Nadr with the claim, “I can bring down something like what Allah has sent down.” Quraysh then sent al-Nadr and ‘Uqbah ibn Abi Mu‘ayt to the Jewish scholars of Medina to ask them about Muhammad.