11.13 – Or do they say, “He has forged it”? Say: “Then bring ten sūras forged like it . . .”

The audience does not believe that the messenger’s recitation is true. They accuse the messenger of simply inventing the words. The Quran commands the messenger to challenge the audience to compose ten sūras like the recitation. Similar challenges appear at 2.23; 10.38; 17.88; 28.49; and 52.34. In Muslim tradition these verses became known as the taḥaddī (“challenge”) verses. See the analysis of these verses at 52.34. On verses that accuse the messenger of inventing, see the discussion at 69.44.