This Seerah lecture explores how the Quraysh attempted to discredit Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by sending delegations to the Jewish scholars of Yathrib (Madinah) to quiz him with questions only a true prophet could answer. These challenges became the occasion for some of the most beautiful revelations in the Quran, including Surah Yusuf and Surah Al-Kahf — proving beyond doubt that Muhammad received divine knowledge from Allah.
The Quiz Questions That Backfired on the Quraysh
The Arabs of Makkah had no tradition of prophethood, so they turned to the Jewish scholars for help. The Jews suggested three questions: the story of young men who slept in a cave for centuries, a man who traveled from east to west across the earth, and the nature of the soul (Ruh). When the Prophet confidently said he would answer the next day but forgot to say “InshaAllah” (God willing), the revelation was delayed for two weeks — a powerful reminder that even the greatest Prophet is a servant of Allah, not the master of his own knowledge.
“Allah calls the Prophet ‘My servant’ (Abd) four times in the Quran — and this is not derogatory, it is the height of praise. There is no honor for a human being higher than being a true worshipper and servant of Allah.”
Lessons from the Early Prophetic Mission
- The Jews told the Quraysh to ask about the family of Yaqub (Jacob) and Yusuf (Joseph), and Allah revealed all of Surah Yusuf in response — one of the most beautiful chapters in the Quran, covering a story the Arabs had never known
- When the response to the three quiz questions finally came, Allah revealed Surah Al-Kahf (the story of the cave sleepers and Dhul-Qarnayn) and a brief but profound answer about the Ruh: its knowledge belongs to Allah alone
- The delay in revelation taught the Prophet and all believers that confidence must always be paired with humility before Allah — the phrase “InshaAllah” is not just etiquette, it is an acknowledgment of our complete dependence on God
- The distinction between Quran and Hadith Qudsi is that the Quran has been preserved word-for-word exactly as revealed, while Hadith Qudsi, though divine in origin, has been transmitted by meaning and may vary in wording across narrations
“A husband can wash the body of his deceased wife and vice versa — the Prophet himself told Aisha, ‘If you die, I will wash your body and pray over you.’ This shows that even in moments of tenderness and humor, every word of the Prophet carries legal and spiritual weight.”
Every attempt by the enemies of Islam to expose the Prophet as a fraud only served to strengthen the proof of his prophethood. The Quran’s detailed answers to questions about events the Prophet could never have known through human means remain among the most compelling evidences that this revelation is from the All-Knowing Creator.
