Surah Yasin ayat 15 Tafsir Quran 36:15

﴿قَالُوا مَا أَنتُمْ إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا وَمَا أَنزَلَ الرَّحْمَٰنُ مِن شَيْءٍ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا تَكْذِبُونَ﴾
[ يس: 15]

36:15 They said, "You are not but human beings like us, and the Most Merciful has not revealed a thing. You are only telling lies."

They said ‘You are nothing but humans like us and the Compassionate One has revealed nothing. You are only lying!’

But the inhabitants said: But you are simply mortals like us and never did Allah, AL-Rahman, disclose divine knowledge or anything else to a mortal: You are indeed liars

The Story of the Dwellers of the Town and Their Messengers, a Lesson that Those Who belied Their Messengers were Destroyed Allah says, `O Muhammad, tell your people who disbelieve in you,' مَّثَلاً أَصْحَـبَ القَرْيَةِ إِذْ جَآءَهَا الْمُرْسَلُونَ ( a similitude; the Dwellers of the Town, when there came Messengers to them. ) In the reports that he transmitted from Ibn `Abbas, Ka`b Al-Ahbar and Wahb bin Munabbih - Ibn Ishaq reported that it was the city of Antioch, in which there was a king called Antiochus the son of Antiochus the son of Antiochus, who used to worship idols.
Allah sent to him three Messengers, whose names were Sadiq, Saduq and Shalum, and he disbelieved in them.
It was also narrated from Buraydah bin Al-Husayb, `Ikrimah, Qatadah and Az-Zuhri that it was Antioch.
Some of the Imams were not sure that it was Antioch, as we shall see below after telling the rest of the story, if Allah wills. إِذْ أَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَيْهِمُ اثْنَيْنِ فَكَذَّبُوهُمَا ( When We sent to them two Messengers, they denied them both; ) means, they hastened to disbelieve in them. فَعَزَّزْنَا بِثَالِثٍ ( so We reinforced them with a third, ) means, `We supported and strengthened them with a third Messenger.
' Ibn Jurayj narrated from Wahb bin Sulayman, from Shu`ayb Al-Jaba'i, "The names of the first two Messengers were Sham`un and Yuhanna, and the name of the third was Bulus, and the city was Antioch ( Antakiyah ). فَقَالُواْ ( and they said ) means, to the people of that city, إِنَّآ إِلَيْكُمْ مُّرْسَلُونَ ( Verily, we have been sent to you as Messengers. ) meaning, `from your Lord Who created you and Who commands you to worship Him Alone with no partners or associates.' This was the view of Abu Al-`Aliyah.
Qatadah bin Di`amah claimed that they were messengers of the Messiah, peace be upon him, sent to the people of Antioch. قَالُواْ مَآ أَنتُمْ إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا ( They said: "You are only human beings like ourselves..." ) means, `so how could you receive revelation when you are human beings and we are human beings, so why do we not receive revelation like you If you are Messengers, you should be angels.' This is like what many of the nations said who disbelieved, as Allah has told us in the Ayah: c ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُ كَانَت تَّأْتِيهِمْ رُسُلُهُم بِالْبَيِّنَـتِ فَقَالُواْ أَبَشَرٌ يَهْدُونَنَا ( That was because there came to them their Messengers with clear proofs, but they said: "Shall mere men guide us" ) ( 64: 6 ) meaning that they were amazed by that and they denied it.
And Allah says: قَالُواْ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا تُرِيدُونَ أَن تَصُدُّونَا عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ ءَابَآؤُنَا فَأْتُونَا بِسُلْطَـنٍ مُّبِينٍ ( They said: "You are no more than human beings like us! You wish to turn us away from what our fathers used to worship.
Then bring us a clear authority." ) ( 14:10 ).
And Allah tells us that they said: وَلَئِنْ أَطَعْتُمْ بَشَراً مِّثْلَكُمْ إِنَّكُمْ إِذاً لَّخَـسِرُونَ ( "If you were to obey a human being like yourselves, then verily, you indeed would be losers." ) ( 23:34 ).
And Allah says: وَمَا مَنَعَ النَّاسَ أَن يُؤْمِنُواْ إِذْ جَآءَهُمُ الْهُدَى إِلاَّ أَن قَالُواْ أَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ بَشَرًا رَّسُولاً ( And nothing prevented men from believing when the guidance came to them, except that they said: "Has Allah sent a man as (His ) Messenger") ( 17:94 ).
These people said: قَالُواْ مَآ أَنتُمْ إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا وَمَآ أَنَزلَ الرَّحْمَـنُ مِن شَىْءٍ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلاَّ تَكْذِبُونَ - قَالُواْ رَبُّنَا يَعْلَمُ إِنَّآ إِلَيْكُمْ لَمُرْسَلُونَ ( You are only human beings like ourselves, and the Most Gracious has revealed nothing.
You are only telling lies." The Messengers said: "Our Lord knows that we have been sent as Messengers to you." ) This means that the three Messengers answered them saying: "Allah knows that we are His Messengers to you.
If we were lying, He would have taken the utmost vengeance against us, but He will cause us to prevail and will make us victorious against you, and you will come to know whose will be the happy end in the Hereafter." This is like the Ayah: قُلْ كَفَى بِاللَّهِ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَكُمْ شَهِيداً يَعْلَمُ مَا فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ وَالَّذِينَ ءامَنُواْ بِالْبَـطِلِ وَكَفَرُواْ بِاللَّهِ أُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْخَـسِرُونَ ( Say: "Sufficient is Allah for a witness between me and you.
He knows what is in the heavens and on earth." And those who believe in falsehood, and disbelieve in Allah, it is they who are the losers. ) ( 29:52 ) وَمَا عَلَيْنَآ إِلاَّ الْبَلَـغُ الْمُبِينُ ( And our duty is only to convey plainly. ) means, `all we have to do is to convey to you the Message with which we have been sent; if you obey, then happiness will be yours in this world and the Hereafter, and if you do not respond, you will soon know the consequences of that.' And Allah knows best. قَالُواْ إِنَّا تَطَيَّرْنَا بِكُمْ لَئِن لَّمْ تَنتَهُواْ لَنَرْجُمَنَّكُمْ وَلَيَمَسَّنَّكُمْ مِّنَّا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

(36:15) They said: 'We have been sent to you as Messengers.' The people of the town said: 'You are only human beings like ourselves, *11 and the Merciful Lord has revealed nothing. *12 You are simply lying.'

They said, "You are not but human meaning

*11) In other words, what they wanted to say was: `Since you are human beings, you cannot be the messengers of God.
" The same was the view of the disbelievers of Makkah.
They also said; "Muhammad ( upon whom be Allah's peace ) cannot be a messenger because he is a man"
"They say: what sort of a Messenger is he that he eats food and moves about in the streets." ( AI-Furqan: 7 ).

"And the unjust people whisper to one another, saying, 'This man is no more than a human being like yourselves.
What! will you then be enticed by this sorcery while you perceive it ?" ( Al-Anbiya': 3 ).

The Qur'an refutes this erroneous notion of the people of Makkah and says that it is not any new kind of ignorance which these people are displaying, but all the ignorant people since the earliest times have been involved in the misunderstanding that a human being cannot be a messenger and a Messenger cannot be a human being.
When the chiefs of the people of the Prophet Noah had rejected his Prophethood, they had said the same thing:
"This person is no more than a human being like yourselves.
By this he purely intends to obtain superiority over you.
Had Allah willed, He would have sent down angels.
Since the time of our forefathers we have never heard ( that a human being should come as a Messenger )." ( AI-Mu'minun: 24 ).

The people of `Ad had said the same about the Prophet Hud: "This person is no more than a human being like yourselves, for he eats of what you eat and drinks of what you drink.
Now if you submit to a human being like yourselves, you will indeed be the losers.
" ( AI-Mu'minun: 33-34 ).

The people of Thamud also said the same about the 'Prophet Salih: `Shall we follow a man from among ourselves? " ( AI-Qamar: 24 ).
And the same thing happened with almost every Prophet that the disbelievers said: " You are no more than a human being like ourselves, " and the Prophets always replied: 'lt is true that we are no more than human beings like you, but AIlah shows His favour to anyone of His servants He pleases." ( Ibrahim: 10-11 ).

Then the Qur'an says that this very notion of ignorance has been preventing the people from accepting guidance in every age, and the same has been the cause of every nation's downfall:
"Has not the news reached you of those who had disbelieved before this, and then tasted the evil results of their deeds ? And in the Hereafter there awaits them a painful torment.
They deserved this fate because their Messengers came to them with clear Signs, but they said, `Shall human beings show us guidance ? `So they refused and turned away." ( At-Taghabun: 5-6 ).

"Whenever guidance came before the people, nothing prevented them from believing in it except this ( excuse ): they said: `Has Allah sent a human being as His messenger?' " ( Bani Isra'il: 94 ).

Then the Qur'an says explicitly that Allah has always sent human beings as the Messengers and a human being alone can be a Messenger for the guidance for mankind.
and not an angel, or a supernatural being:
"And We sent before your also human beings as Messengers to whom We revealed ( Our Message ).
If you ( O objectors ) have no knowledge of this, you may ask those who have the knowledge.
We did not give them such bodies as could survive without food nor were they immortal." ( AI-Anbiya`; 7-8 ).

"All the Messengers whom We sent before you also ate food and moved about in the streets.
" ( AI-Furqan: 20 ).

"O Prophet, say to them: Had angels settled on the earth and moved about in peace, We would certainly have sent an angel as a messenger to them." ( Bani Isra'il: 95 ).

*12) This is another notion of ignorance in which the disbelievers of Makkah were involved.
In it are also involved the so-called rationalists of today and in it have been involved the deniers of Revelation and Prophethood of every age since the earliest times.
These people have held the view that AIlah does not send down any Revelation at All for the guidance of man.
He is only concerned with the affairs of the heavens: He has left the affairs and problems of man to be resoled by man himself.

 

The Story of the Dwellers of the Town and Their Messengers, a Lesson that Those Who belied Their Messengers were Destroyed Allah says, `O Muhammad, tell your people who disbelieve in you,' مَّثَلاً أَصْحَـبَ القَرْيَةِ إِذْ جَآءَهَا الْمُرْسَلُونَ ( a similitude; the Dwellers of the Town, when there came Messengers to them. ) In the reports that he transmitted from Ibn `Abbas, Ka`b Al-Ahbar and Wahb bin Munabbih - Ibn Ishaq reported that it was the city of Antioch, in which there was a king called Antiochus the son of Antiochus the son of Antiochus, who used to worship idols.
Allah sent to him three Messengers, whose names were Sadiq, Saduq and Shalum, and he disbelieved in them.
It was also narrated from Buraydah bin Al-Husayb, `Ikrimah, Qatadah and Az-Zuhri that it was Antioch.
Some of the Imams were not sure that it was Antioch, as we shall see below after telling the rest of the story, if Allah wills. إِذْ أَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَيْهِمُ اثْنَيْنِ فَكَذَّبُوهُمَا ( When We sent to them two Messengers, they denied them both; ) means, they hastened to disbelieve in them. فَعَزَّزْنَا بِثَالِثٍ ( so We reinforced them with a third, ) means, `We supported and strengthened them with a third Messenger.
' Ibn Jurayj narrated from Wahb bin Sulayman, from Shu`ayb Al-Jaba'i, "The names of the first two Messengers were Sham`un and Yuhanna, and the name of the third was Bulus, and the city was Antioch ( Antakiyah ). فَقَالُواْ ( and they said ) means, to the people of that city, إِنَّآ إِلَيْكُمْ مُّرْسَلُونَ ( Verily, we have been sent to you as Messengers. ) meaning, `from your Lord Who created you and Who commands you to worship Him Alone with no partners or associates.' This was the view of Abu Al-`Aliyah.
Qatadah bin Di`amah claimed that they were messengers of the Messiah, peace be upon him, sent to the people of Antioch. قَالُواْ مَآ أَنتُمْ إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا ( They said: "You are only human beings like ourselves..." ) means, `so how could you receive revelation when you are human beings and we are human beings, so why do we not receive revelation like you If you are Messengers, you should be angels.' This is like what many of the nations said who disbelieved, as Allah has told us in the Ayah: c ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُ كَانَت تَّأْتِيهِمْ رُسُلُهُم بِالْبَيِّنَـتِ فَقَالُواْ أَبَشَرٌ يَهْدُونَنَا ( That was because there came to them their Messengers with clear proofs, but they said: "Shall mere men guide us" ) ( 64: 6 ) meaning that they were amazed by that and they denied it.
And Allah says: قَالُواْ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا تُرِيدُونَ أَن تَصُدُّونَا عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ ءَابَآؤُنَا فَأْتُونَا بِسُلْطَـنٍ مُّبِينٍ ( They said: "You are no more than human beings like us! You wish to turn us away from what our fathers used to worship.
Then bring us a clear authority." ) ( 14:10 ).
And Allah tells us that they said: وَلَئِنْ أَطَعْتُمْ بَشَراً مِّثْلَكُمْ إِنَّكُمْ إِذاً لَّخَـسِرُونَ ( "If you were to obey a human being like yourselves, then verily, you indeed would be losers." ) ( 23:34 ).
And Allah says: وَمَا مَنَعَ النَّاسَ أَن يُؤْمِنُواْ إِذْ جَآءَهُمُ الْهُدَى إِلاَّ أَن قَالُواْ أَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ بَشَرًا رَّسُولاً ( And nothing prevented men from believing when the guidance came to them, except that they said: "Has Allah sent a man as (His ) Messenger") ( 17:94 ).
These people said: قَالُواْ مَآ أَنتُمْ إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا وَمَآ أَنَزلَ الرَّحْمَـنُ مِن شَىْءٍ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلاَّ تَكْذِبُونَ - قَالُواْ رَبُّنَا يَعْلَمُ إِنَّآ إِلَيْكُمْ لَمُرْسَلُونَ ( You are only human beings like ourselves, and the Most Gracious has revealed nothing.
You are only telling lies." The Messengers said: "Our Lord knows that we have been sent as Messengers to you." ) This means that the three Messengers answered them saying: "Allah knows that we are His Messengers to you.
If we were lying, He would have taken the utmost vengeance against us, but He will cause us to prevail and will make us victorious against you, and you will come to know whose will be the happy end in the Hereafter." This is like the Ayah: قُلْ كَفَى بِاللَّهِ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَكُمْ شَهِيداً يَعْلَمُ مَا فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ وَالَّذِينَ ءامَنُواْ بِالْبَـطِلِ وَكَفَرُواْ بِاللَّهِ أُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْخَـسِرُونَ ( Say: "Sufficient is Allah for a witness between me and you.
He knows what is in the heavens and on earth." And those who believe in falsehood, and disbelieve in Allah, it is they who are the losers. ) ( 29:52 ) وَمَا عَلَيْنَآ إِلاَّ الْبَلَـغُ الْمُبِينُ ( And our duty is only to convey plainly. ) means, `all we have to do is to convey to you the Message with which we have been sent; if you obey, then happiness will be yours in this world and the Hereafter, and if you do not respond, you will soon know the consequences of that.' And Allah knows best. قَالُواْ إِنَّا تَطَيَّرْنَا بِكُمْ لَئِن لَّمْ تَنتَهُواْ لَنَرْجُمَنَّكُمْ وَلَيَمَسَّنَّكُمْ مِّنَّا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

They said) i.e. the apostles said: ( Ye are but mortals ) human beings ( like unto us. The Beneficent hath naught revealed ) He has not revealed any Scripture or sent any messenger. ( Ye do but lie ) about Allah!

They (people of the town) said: "You are only human beings like ourselves, and the Most Beneficent (Allah) has revealed nothing, you are only telling lies."

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