How can the Qur’an’s challenge to produce something similar to it be reconciled with atheists' imitation of its disconnected letters?

The challenge of the Qur’an was to produce a complete Surah, whether short or long, and this is the opinion of the majority. The challenge was not to produce something other than a Surah, such as the disconnected letters. Rather, these letters came to clarify that the Qur’an is composed of the same kind of speech as the Arabs, yet they were unable to produce anything like it. Historically, the eloquent Arabs—despite their eloquence—were unable to match or oppose the Qur’an, and resorted to fighting instead of argument. This inability persists in all ages.