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Abstract

This research paper analyzes the responses given in Tafsīr Hidāyat al-Qurʾān, a renowned exegesis by Mufti Saʿīd Aḥmad Pālanpūrī, to the objections raised by disbelievers (kuffār and mushrikīn) concerning the Prophetic personality and mission of Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ. These objections include accusations of madness, poetry, forgery, and personal interests—claims that echo both in pre-Islamic Meccan society and in modern orientalist discourse. Mufti Pālanpūrī, drawing upon Qur’ānic verses and deep theological insight, systematically refutes these allegations and provides intellectual and spiritual arguments to defend the integrity and truthfulness of the Prophet ﷺ. Among the major objections addressed in the tafsīr are the multiplicity of marriages of the Prophet ﷺ, the accusation of being a poet or a soothsayer, and the denial of the possibility of a human being chosen as a messenger. The article demonstrates how the Qur’ān itself offers rebuttals to such claims by emphasizing the Prophet’s impeccable moral character, his lack of worldly ambition, and his role as a divinely appointed guide. The analysis also highlights the Qur’ān’s rhetorical approach in inviting reflection and drawing from historical precedents to affirm the uniqueness of the Prophet ﷺ’s mission.
Through this study, it becomes evident that the objections of the disbelievers were rooted in ignorance and arrogance, and that the Qur’ānic defense—explained masterfully by Mufti Pālanpūrī—serves as a timeless intellectual and spiritual response to any misgivings about the Prophethood of Muḥammad ﷺ.