—Surah an-Nisa’, 4:154
The Jews and the Christians—the People of the Book— ask of you:
—Surah an-Nisa’, 4:154
That you cause a Book to descend upon them from heaven.
The People of the Book asked this question because Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, claimed to be a Prophet like unto Moses and the one concerning whom the prophecy is found in chapter 18 of the Book of Deuteronomy in the Torah.
The prophecy concerning that Prophet was written in the Torah as follows:
I will raise [them] up a Prophet [from among their brethren,] like unto thee [Moses], and will put my words in his mouth[; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him]. (Deuteronomy 18:18)
Thus, necessarily, no such book shall descend for that Prophet from heaven which should be all written down already because the Torah states: ‘I will put My words in his mouth.’
Thus, in reply to this question it was stated:
—Surah an-Nisa’, 4:154
[They asked Moses a greater thing than this: they said, Show us Allah openly.]