وَأَقۡسَمُواْ
بِٱللَّهِ
جَهۡدَ
أَيۡمَٰنِهِمۡ
لَئِن
جَآءَتۡهُمۡ
ءَايَةٞ
لَّيُؤۡمِنُنَّ
بِهَاۚ
قُلۡ
إِنَّمَا
ٱلۡأٓيَٰتُ
عِندَ
ٱللَّهِۖ
وَمَا
يُشۡعِرُكُمۡ
أَنَّهَآ
إِذَا
جَآءَتۡ
لَا
يُؤۡمِنُونَ
١٠٩
And they swear a solemn oath by Allah that if there come unto them a portent they will believe therein. Say; Portents are with Allah and (so is) that which telleth you that if such came unto them they would not believe.
— M. Pickthall
They swear their strongest oaths by Allah, that if a (special) sign came to them, by it they would believe. Say: "Certainly (all) signs are in the power of Allah: but what will make you (Muslims) realise that (even) if (special) signs came, they will not believe."?
— A. Yusuf Ali
Read Tafsir
Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
Asking for Miracles and Swearing to Believe if They Come
Allah states that the idolators swore their strongest oaths by Allah,
لَئِن جَآءَتْهُمْ ءَايَةٌ
(that if there came to them a sign...) a miracle or phenomenon,
لَّيُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهَا
(they would surely believe therein.) affirming its truth,
قُلْ إِ
…Asking for Miracles and Swearing to Believe if They Come
Allah states that the idolators swore their strongest oaths by Allah,
لَئِن جَآءَتْهُمْ ءَايَة
…