Verse: "Say: I do not tell you that I have the depositories of Allah, nor do I know the unseen, nor do I tell you that I am an angel. I only follow what is revealed to me. Say: Are the blind and the seeing equal? Then will you not reflect?" (Al-An'am 50)
Context:- The polytheists and some Qurayshi leaders told the Prophet (peace be upon him): Show us the angels, or bring us the treasuries of the earth — otherwise we will not believe in you
- The verse is a Quranic reply: the Prophet does not claim lordship or absolute knowledge of the unseen — he is a human who follows revelation only
- "Are the blind and the seeing equal?" is a parable: the blind is one whose heart is blind and cannot see the Quranic clarity; the seeing is one who opens their heart to the evident signs
- The verse is in the context of debating polytheists who demand miracles not to believe but to test
Lesson:Miracles do not produce faith in a closed heart — a blind person given temporary sight who closes their eyes gains nothing from seeing. The verse does not reject evidence but clarifies that faith is a state of the heart before it is a result of evidence.
Question: Why did the Prophet not bring the signs demanded by the polytheists such as angels and treasuries of the earth?
Answer: Because bringing the proposed signs would not produce faith in a closed heart — and might even necessitate a more severe punishment if they rejected afterward, as happened with Thamud. Allah in His mercy does not immediately punish those who have no desire for guidance after the proof is established.