Surah Al Qamar ayat 24 Tafsir Quran 54:24

﴿فَقَالُوا أَبَشَرًا مِّنَّا وَاحِدًا نَّتَّبِعُهُ إِنَّا إِذًا لَّفِي ضَلَالٍ وَسُعُرٍ﴾
[ القمر: 24]

54:24 And said, "Is it one human being among us that we should follow? Indeed, we would then be in error and madness.

and they said ‘Is it a mortal basharan is in the accusative because it is governed by a succeeding verb alone among us minnā wāhidan are both adjectives of basharan that we are to follow? nattabi‘uhu this explains the verb which renders it basharan ‘mortal’ accusative; the interrogative is meant as a negative in other words why should we follow him when there are many of us and he is only one among us and not a king? That is to say we will not follow him. Then indeed if we were to follow him we would be in error a parting with reason and insanity!

They said: Is it in conformity with correct reasoning that one human among us and of human character would be the leader to follow? We would be indeed at variance with what one approves or regards as right, and we would be of unsound mind

The Story of Thamud Allah states here that the people of Thamud denied their Messenger Salih, فَقَالُواْ أَبَشَراً مِّنَّا وَحِداً نَّتَّبِعُهُ إِنَّآ إِذاً لَّفِى ضَلَـلٍ وَسُعُرٍ ( And they said: "A man, alone among us -- shall we follow him Truly, then we should be in error and distress!" ) They said, `We would have earned failure and loss if we all submitted to a man from among us.' They were amazed that the Reminder was sent to him alone among them, and therefore, accused him of being a liar, بَلْ هُوَ كَذَّابٌ أَشِرٌ ( Nay, he is an insolent liar! ), means, he has tresspassed the limits in his lies.
Allah the Exalted responded, سَيَعْلَمُونَ غَداً مَّنِ الْكَذَّابُ الاٌّشِرُ ( Tomorrow they will come to know who is the liar, the insolent one! ), thus warning and threatening them and delivering a sure promise to them, إِنَّا مُرْسِلُواْ النَّاقَةِ فِتْنَةً لَّهُمْ ( Verily, We are sending the she-camel as a test for them. ) To test and try the people of Thamud, Allah sent to them a superb, pregnant female camel that emerged from solid rock, according to their request, so that it would become a proof against them from Allah, the Exalted.
Thereafter, they were supposed to believe in what was brought to them by Salih, peace be upon him.
Allah ordered His servant and Messenger Salih, فَارْتَقِبْهُمْ وَاصْطَبِرْ ( So watch them, and be patient! ) Allah commanded, `await, O Salih, and see what will become of them and be patient; verily the better end will be yours and you will have success in this life and the Hereafter,' وَنَبِّئْهُمْ أَنَّ الْمَآءَ قِسْمَةٌ بَيْنَهُمْ ( And inform them that the water is to be shared between them ) one day for her to drink and one day for them to drink, قَالَ هَـذِهِ نَاقَةٌ لَّهَا شِرْبٌ وَلَكُمْ شِرْبُ يَوْمٍ مَّعْلُومٍ ( He said: "Here is a she-camel: it has a right to drink, and you have a right to drink (water ) on a day, known.") ( 26:155 ) Allah's statement, كُلُّ شِرْبٍ مُّحْتَضَرٌ ( each one's right to drink being established. ) Mujahid said, "When she did not drink, they would drink the water, and when she drank, they would drink her milk." Allah the Exalted said; فَنَادَوْاْ صَـحِبَهُمْ فَتَعَاطَى فَعَقَرَ ( But they called their comrade and he took and killed. ) According to the Scholars of Tafsir, his name was Qudar bin Salif; he was the evilest among them, إِذِ انبَعَثَ أَشْقَـهَا ( When the most wicked man among them went forth (to kill the she-camel ).)( 91:12 ) Allah said here, فَتَعَاطَى ( and he took ) meaning to harm, فَعَقَرَفَكَيْفَ كَانَ عَذَابِى وَنُذُرِ ( and killed (her ).
Then, how was My torment and My warnings), `I tormented them, so how was the torment I sent on them because of their disbe- lief in Me and denying My Messenger' إِنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ صَيْحَةً وَحِدَةً فَكَانُواْ كَهَشِيمِ الْمُحْتَظِرِ ( Verily, We sent against them a single Sayhah, and they became like straw Al-Muhtazir. ) They all perished and none of them remained.
They were no more, they died out, just as plants and grass dry and die out.
As-Suddi said that they became like the dry grass in the desert when it becomes burned and the wind scatters it all about.
Ibn Zayd said, "The Arabs used to erect fences ( Hizar, from which the word, Al-Muhtazir, is derived ) made of dried bushes, around their camels and cattle, so Allah said, كَهَشِيمِ الْمُحْتَظِرِ ( like straw Al-Muhtazir. )

(54:24) saying: 'Are we to follow a single mortal, *17 one from among ourselves? If we do that, we shall surely be in error and folly.

And said, "Is it one human being meaning

*17) In other words, there were three reasons for their refusal to obey and follow the Prophet Salih: ( 1 ) " He is a human being and not a super-human person so that we may regard him as superior to ourselves.
" ( 2 ) " He is a member of our own nation: he is in no way superior to us. " ( 3 ) `He is a single man, one from among ourselves.
He is not a prominent chief with a large following, or an army of soldiers.
Or a host of attendants so that we may acknowledge his superiority." They wanted that a Prophet should either be a superman, or if he be a common man, he should not have been born in their own land and nation, but should have descended from above, or sent from another land, and if nothing else, he should at least have been a rich man, whose extraordinary splendour should make the people believe why AIIah had selected him alone for the leadership of the nation.
This same was the error of ignorance in which the disbelievers of Makkah were involved.
They also refused to acknowledge the Prophet Muhammad ( UpOn Whom be Allah's peace and blessings ) as a Prophet on the ground that he was a man who moved about in the streets like the common men, had been born among them only .
the other day and now was claiming that God had appointed him as a Prophet.

 

The Story of Thamud Allah states here that the people of Thamud denied their Messenger Salih, فَقَالُواْ أَبَشَراً مِّنَّا وَحِداً نَّتَّبِعُهُ إِنَّآ إِذاً لَّفِى ضَلَـلٍ وَسُعُرٍ ( And they said: "A man, alone among us -- shall we follow him Truly, then we should be in error and distress!" ) They said, `We would have earned failure and loss if we all submitted to a man from among us.' They were amazed that the Reminder was sent to him alone among them, and therefore, accused him of being a liar, بَلْ هُوَ كَذَّابٌ أَشِرٌ ( Nay, he is an insolent liar! ), means, he has tresspassed the limits in his lies.
Allah the Exalted responded, سَيَعْلَمُونَ غَداً مَّنِ الْكَذَّابُ الاٌّشِرُ ( Tomorrow they will come to know who is the liar, the insolent one! ), thus warning and threatening them and delivering a sure promise to them, إِنَّا مُرْسِلُواْ النَّاقَةِ فِتْنَةً لَّهُمْ ( Verily, We are sending the she-camel as a test for them. ) To test and try the people of Thamud, Allah sent to them a superb, pregnant female camel that emerged from solid rock, according to their request, so that it would become a proof against them from Allah, the Exalted.
Thereafter, they were supposed to believe in what was brought to them by Salih, peace be upon him.
Allah ordered His servant and Messenger Salih, فَارْتَقِبْهُمْ وَاصْطَبِرْ ( So watch them, and be patient! ) Allah commanded, `await, O Salih, and see what will become of them and be patient; verily the better end will be yours and you will have success in this life and the Hereafter,' وَنَبِّئْهُمْ أَنَّ الْمَآءَ قِسْمَةٌ بَيْنَهُمْ ( And inform them that the water is to be shared between them ) one day for her to drink and one day for them to drink, قَالَ هَـذِهِ نَاقَةٌ لَّهَا شِرْبٌ وَلَكُمْ شِرْبُ يَوْمٍ مَّعْلُومٍ ( He said: "Here is a she-camel: it has a right to drink, and you have a right to drink (water ) on a day, known.") ( 26:155 ) Allah's statement, كُلُّ شِرْبٍ مُّحْتَضَرٌ ( each one's right to drink being established. ) Mujahid said, "When she did not drink, they would drink the water, and when she drank, they would drink her milk." Allah the Exalted said; فَنَادَوْاْ صَـحِبَهُمْ فَتَعَاطَى فَعَقَرَ ( But they called their comrade and he took and killed. ) According to the Scholars of Tafsir, his name was Qudar bin Salif; he was the evilest among them, إِذِ انبَعَثَ أَشْقَـهَا ( When the most wicked man among them went forth (to kill the she-camel ).)( 91:12 ) Allah said here, فَتَعَاطَى ( and he took ) meaning to harm, فَعَقَرَفَكَيْفَ كَانَ عَذَابِى وَنُذُرِ ( and killed (her ).
Then, how was My torment and My warnings), `I tormented them, so how was the torment I sent on them because of their disbe- lief in Me and denying My Messenger' إِنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ صَيْحَةً وَحِدَةً فَكَانُواْ كَهَشِيمِ الْمُحْتَظِرِ ( Verily, We sent against them a single Sayhah, and they became like straw Al-Muhtazir. ) They all perished and none of them remained.
They were no more, they died out, just as plants and grass dry and die out.
As-Suddi said that they became like the dry grass in the desert when it becomes burned and the wind scatters it all about.
Ibn Zayd said, "The Arabs used to erect fences ( Hizar, from which the word, Al-Muhtazir, is derived ) made of dried bushes, around their camels and cattle, so Allah said, كَهَشِيمِ الْمُحْتَظِرِ ( like straw Al-Muhtazir. )

( For they said: Is it a mortal man ) he is a human being like us, ( alone among us, that we are to follow ) his matter and religion? ( Then ) if we follow him ( indeed we should fall into error ) in manifest error ( and madness ) tiredness and toil.

For they said: "A man! Alone from among us, that we are to follow? Truly, then we should be in error and distress or madness!"

Page 529 English transliteration