[1] Islamic traditions suggest that the first attempts at imitation were blasphemous or aimed at asserting claims of divine revelation.
[2] However, historically, not all imitations were meant to contest the Quran's preeminence or supremacy; some were simply literary exercises.
[1] Towards the end of Muhammad's life and after his death several men and a woman appeared in various parts of Arabia and claimed to be prophets.
[1] Ibn al-Muqaffa' was a critic of the Qur'an and reportedly made attempts to imitate it.
Bashshar ibn Burd (d. 784), Abul Atahiya (d. 828), Al-Mutanabbi (d. 965), and Al-Maʿarri (d. 1058) claimed that their writings surpassed Qur'an in eloquence.