«مَنْ قَارَعَ هَذِهِ الصَّفَاةَ؟»
Who is able to contend with this hard rock?
Qāraʿa denotes contending or meeting an opponent; al-ṣafāh is a hard rock. The image turns the difficult business of proving literary mastery into a forceful challenge.
The opposed positions are now clear. The assembly believes the finest craft belongs to earlier generations, while the elder claims to know a living equal. The scene ends with the critics wanting proof rather than further assertion. That demand leads naturally into the contest of the next level.