Surah Muminun ayat 24 Tafsir Quran 23:24

﴿فَقَالَ الْمَلَأُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِن قَوْمِهِ مَا هَٰذَا إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُرِيدُ أَن يَتَفَضَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَأَنزَلَ مَلَائِكَةً مَّا سَمِعْنَا بِهَٰذَا فِي آبَائِنَا الْأَوَّلِينَ﴾
[ المؤمنون: 24]

23:24 But the eminent among those who disbelieved from his people said, "This is not but a man like yourselves who wishes to take precedence over you; and if Allah had willed [to send a messenger], He would have sent down angels. We have not heard of this among our forefathers.

But the council of his people who disbelieved said to their followers ‘This is just a human being like you who desires to gain superiority to have the honour over you by acquiring followers you being his followers. And had God willed that none other than Him be worshipped He would have sent down angels with that Message and not assigned a human being for it. We never heard of such an affirmation of God’s Oneness as that which Noah summons us among our forefathers among past communities.

But the leaders of infidelity among his people exclaimed: He is only a human like yourselves They added he simply wishes to take precedence of you and to claim supereminence for holiness and high virtues. And had Allah willed, they added, He would have sent down angels to serve as His Messengers. We never heard of such a notion voiced by our ancestors

The Story of Nuh, Peace be upon Him; and his people Allah tells us about Nuh, peace be upon him, whom He sent him to his people to warn them of the severe punishment of Allah and His severe vengeance on those who associated partners with Him, defied His commands and disbelieved His Messengers: فَقَالَ يَقَوْمِ اعْبُدُواْ اللَّهَ مَا لَكُمْ مِّنْ إِلَـهٍ غَيْرُهُ أَفَلاَ تَتَّقُونَ ( and he said: "O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other God but Him.
Will you not then have Taqwa" ) Meaning, "Do you not fear Allah when you associate others in worship with Him" The chiefs or leaders of his people said: مَا هَـذَا إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُرِيدُ أَن يَتَفَضَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ ( He is no more than a human being like you, he seeks to make himself superior to you. ) meaning, `he is putting himself above you and trying to make himself great by claiming to be a Prophet, but he is a human being like you, so how can he receive revelation when you do not' وَلَوْ شَآءَ اللَّهُ لاّنزَلَ مَلَـئِكَةً ( Had Allah willed, He surely could have sent down angels. ) meaning, `if Allah had wanted to send a Prophet, He would have sent an angel from Him, not a human being.
We have never heard of such a thing -- i.e., sending a man to our forefathers' -- their predecessors in times past. إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ رَجُلٌ بِهِ جِنَّةٌ ( He is only a man in whom is madness, ) means, `he is crazy in his claim that Allah has sent him and chosen him from among you to receive revelation.' فَتَرَبَّصُواْ بِهِ حَتَّى حِينٍ ( so wait for him a while. ) means, `wait until he dies, put up with him until you are rid of him.'

(23:24) Are you not afraid (of shirk"? *25 Those of the chiefs of his people, who had rejected his Message, said, "This person is no more than a human being like yourselves. *26 By this, he merely intends to obtain superiority over you. *27 Had Allah willed, He would have sent down angels.27a Since the time of our forefathers we have never heard (that a human being came as a Messenger).

But the eminent among those who disbelieved meaning

*25) That is, " Are you not afraid that if you set up partners and associates with Allah, Who is the real Sovereign, and worship and submit to them, you shall incur His wrath and punishment ? "
*26) There has been a common deviation that " a human being cannot be a Prophet, and a Prophet cannot be a human being. " That is why the Qur`an has refuted this wrong conception over and over again, and has stated forcefully that all the Prophets were human beings and that a human being only could be sent as a Prophet to human beings.
For details, see AI-A`araf ( VII, ): 63, 69, Yunus ( X ): 2, Hud ( XI ): 27-31, Yusuf ( XII ): 109, Ar-Ra`d ( XIII ): 38, Ibrahim ( XIV ): 10-11, An-Nahl ( XVI ): 43, Bani Isra'il ( XVII ): 94-95, Al-Kahf ( XVIII ): 110, Al-Anbiya' ( XXI ): 3, 34, Al-Mu'minun ( XXIII ): 33-34, 47, Al-Furqan ( XXV ): 7, 20, AshShu'ara` ( XXVI ): 154, 186, Ya Sin ( XXXVI ): 15, Ha Mim Sajdah ( XLl ): 6 along with the relevant E.N.'s.

*27) This accusation is another old objection, which has always been raised against those who tried to reform their people.
Their opponents always accused them of exploiting " religion " to gain domination in the land.
Prophets Moses, Aaron and Jesus were accused of the same and so was Muhammad ( Allah's peace be upon him ).
So much so that the disbelievers of Makkah offered to make the Holy Prophet their king, if he gave up his Message.

As a matter of fact, the people who exhaust themselves in pursuit of worldly benefits and gains, cannot believe that somebody in this world could also exert himself sincerely and selflessly for the sake of human welfare.
They regard deceptive slogans, which they raise to capture power, and false promises, which they make day and night to bring about reforms as natural.
They think that sincerity and selflessness can be employed only to deceive people and these cannot be put to any better use.
That is why the epithet of " power hungry " for the reformers in all ages has been used by those already in power as if their own power and domination in the land was their birth-right, and they were in no way blame-worthy for struggling for it and achieving it.
( For further explanation, see E.N.
36 below )
In this connection, it should also be noted that all those, who try to reform the prevalent corrupt system of life, have inevitably to fight against those in, power in order to establish the righteous system.
That is why the powers that be, have always been against the Prophets and their followers, who had to dislodge the corrupt rulers.
It is, however, obvious that here is a vast difference between those who want power to gain their own selfish ends and those who want it to reform their people.

27a.
This is a clear proof of the fact that Noah's people were not disbelievers in the existence of God nor did they reject Him as Lord of the universe and the angels as His obedient servants.
They were only guilty of shirk: they had set up other deities as partners in God's attributes and powers and rights.

 

The Story of Nuh, Peace be upon Him; and his people Allah tells us about Nuh, peace be upon him, whom He sent him to his people to warn them of the severe punishment of Allah and His severe vengeance on those who associated partners with Him, defied His commands and disbelieved His Messengers: فَقَالَ يَقَوْمِ اعْبُدُواْ اللَّهَ مَا لَكُمْ مِّنْ إِلَـهٍ غَيْرُهُ أَفَلاَ تَتَّقُونَ ( and he said: "O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other God but Him.
Will you not then have Taqwa" ) Meaning, "Do you not fear Allah when you associate others in worship with Him" The chiefs or leaders of his people said: مَا هَـذَا إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُرِيدُ أَن يَتَفَضَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ ( He is no more than a human being like you, he seeks to make himself superior to you. ) meaning, `he is putting himself above you and trying to make himself great by claiming to be a Prophet, but he is a human being like you, so how can he receive revelation when you do not' وَلَوْ شَآءَ اللَّهُ لاّنزَلَ مَلَـئِكَةً ( Had Allah willed, He surely could have sent down angels. ) meaning, `if Allah had wanted to send a Prophet, He would have sent an angel from Him, not a human being.
We have never heard of such a thing -- i.e., sending a man to our forefathers' -- their predecessors in times past. إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ رَجُلٌ بِهِ جِنَّةٌ ( He is only a man in whom is madness, ) means, `he is crazy in his claim that Allah has sent him and chosen him from among you to receive revelation.' فَتَرَبَّصُواْ بِهِ حَتَّى حِينٍ ( so wait for him a while. ) means, `wait until he dies, put up with him until you are rid of him.'

( But the chieftains of his folk, who disbelieved, said: This ) i.e. Noah ( is only a mortal ) a human being ( like you who would make himself superior to you ) through the message and prophethood. ( Had Allah willed ) to send us a messenger, ( He surely could have sent down angels ) one of the angels. ( We heard not of this ) that which Noah is saying ( in the case ) in the time ( of our fathers of old ).

But the chiefs of those who disbelieved among his people said: "He is no more than a human being like you, he seeks to make himself superior to you. Had Allah willed, He surely could have sent down angels; never did we hear such a thing among our fathers of old.

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