Surah Anbiya ayat 3 Tafsir Quran 21:3

﴿لَاهِيَةً قُلُوبُهُمْ ۗ وَأَسَرُّوا النَّجْوَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا هَلْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ ۖ أَفَتَأْتُونَ السِّحْرَ وَأَنتُمْ تُبْصِرُونَ﴾
[ الأنبياء: 3]

21:3 With their hearts distracted. And those who do wrong conceal their private conversation, [saying], "Is this [Prophet] except a human being like you? So would you approach magic while you are aware [of it]?"

with their hearts preoccupied heedless of its meanings. And they are secret in their conference their speech they the evildoers alladhīna zalamū a substitution for the third person plural indicator wāw of wa-asarrū’l-najwā ‘and they are secret in conference’ ‘Is this namely Muhammad (s) other than a mortal human being like yourselves? and so what he produces is mere sorcery. Will you then take to sorcery will you succumb and follow it even though you are able to see?’ even though you know that it is sorcery?

Their hearts ears are closed for revelation but open for mockery and amusement -the happiness of those who cannot think- Being wrongful of actions, they say in their secret counsel: Is he Muhammad not human like yourselves, and so will you accede to the magic he is able to manifest in his discourse when you have insight of the mind and eyesight of the body

Which was revealed in Makkah The Virtues of Surat Al-Anbiya' Al-Bukhari recorded that `Abdur-Rahman bin Yazid said that `Abdullah said, "Banu Isra'il, Al-Kahf, Maryam, Ta Ha and Al-Anbiya' - they are among the earliest and most beautiful Surahs and they are my treasure." بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Hour is at hand but People are heedless This is a warning from Allah of the approach of the Hour, and that people are heedless of it, i.e., they are not working for it or preparing for it.
An-Nasa'i recorded that Abu Sa`id reported from the Prophet : فِى غَفْلَةٍ مُّعْرِضُونَ ( while they turn away in heedlessness ), he said,
«فِي الدُّنْيَا»
( in this world. ) Allah says: أَتَى أَمْرُ اللَّهِ فَلاَ تَسْتَعْجِلُوهُ ( The Event ordained by Allah will come to pass, so seek not to hasten it ) اقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَانشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ وَإِن يَرَوْاْ ءَايَةً يُعْرِضُواْ ( The Hour has drawn near, and the moon has been cleft asunder.
And if they see a sign, they turn away. ) 54:1,2.
Then Allah states that they do not listen to the revelation ( Wahy ) that He sends down to His Messenger , which is addressed to the Quraysh and all disbelievers like them. مَا يَأْتِيهِمْ مِّن ذِكْرٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ مُّحْدَثٍ ( Comes not unto them an admonition from their Lord as a recent revelation ) meaning, newly-revealed, إِلاَّ اسْتَمَعُوهُ وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ ( but they listen to it while they play.
) This is like what Ibn `Abbas said, "Why do you ask the People of the Book about what they have, which has been altered and distorted, and they have added things and taken things away, when your Book is the most recently revealed from Allah, and you read it pure and unadulterated" Al-Bukhari recorded something similar to this. وَأَسَرُّواْ النَّجْوَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ ( Those who do wrong, conceal their private counsels ) meaning, what they say to one another in secret. هَلْ هَـذَآ إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ ( Is this more than a human being like you ) meaning, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
They did not believe that he could be a Prophet because he was a human being like them, so how could he have been singled out to receive revelation, and not them They said: أَفَتَأْتُونَ السِّحْرَ وَأَنتُمْ تُبْصِرُونَ ( Will you submit to magic while you see it ) meaning, will you follow him and be like one who submits to magic when he knows that it is magic Allah said in response to their fabrications and lies: قَالَ رَبِّى يَعْلَمُ الْقَوْلَ فِى السَّمَآءِ وَالاٌّرْضِ ( He said: "My Lord knows what is said in the heavens and on earth..." ) Nothing at all is hidden from the One Who knows that, and He is the One Who reveals this Qur'an which contains news of the earliest and last generations.
No one can produce the like of this except the One Who knows all the secrets of the heavens and the earth. وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ ( And He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower. ) means, He hears all that they say and He knows all their circumstances.
This is a warning and a threat to them. The Disbelievers' Ideas about the Qur'an and the Messenger ; their demand for a Sign and the Refutation of that بَلْ قَالُواْ أَضْغَـثُ أَحْلاَمٍ بَلِ افْتَرَاهُ ( Nay, they say: "These are mixed up false dreams! Nay, he has invented it!..." ) Here Allah tells us of the stubbornness and heresy of the disblievers, and the various things they said about the Qur'an, and how they were confused and misguided about it.
Sometimes they described it as magic, and sometimes they described it as poetry, or mixed up false dreams, or a fabrication.
As Allah says: انْظُرْ كَيْفَ ضَرَبُواْ لَكَ الاٌّمْثَالَ فَضَلُّواْ فَلاَ يَسْتَطِيعْونَ سَبِيلاً ( See what examples they have put forward for you.
So they have gone astray, and never can they find a way ) 17:48 فَلْيَأْتِنَا بِـَايَةٍ كَمَآ أُرْسِلَ الاٌّوَّلُونَ ( Let him then bring us an Ayah like the ones that were sent before! ) They were referring to the she-camel of Salih, and the signs of Musa and `Isa.
And Allah says, وَمَا مَنَعَنَآ أَن نُّرْسِلَ بِالاٌّيَـتِ إِلاَّ أَن كَذَّبَ بِهَا الاٌّوَّلُونَ ( And nothing stops Us from sending the Ayat but that the people of old denied them. ) 17:59.
So Allah said here: مَآ ءَامَنَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ مِّن قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَـهَآ أَفَهُمْ يُؤْمِنُونَ ( Not one of the towns of those which We destroyed, believed before them; will they then believe ) None of the peoples to whom Messengers were sent were given a sign at the hands of their Prophet and believed.
On the contrary, they disbelieved and We destroyed them as a result.
Would these people believe in a sign if they saw it Not at all! In fact, إِنَّ الَّذِينَ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِمْ كَلِمَةُ رَبِّكَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ - وَلَوْ جَآءَتْهُمْ كُلُّ ءايَةٍ حَتَّى يَرَوُاْ الْعَذَابَ الاٌّلِيمَ ( Truly, those, against whom the Word of your Lord has been justified, will not believe.
Even if every sign should come to them, until they see the painful torment. ) 10:96-97.
Indeed, they witnes- sed clear signs and definitive proof at the hands of the Messen- ger of Allah , signs which were far clearer and more overwhel- ming than any that had been witnessed in the case of any other Prophet, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon them all.

(21:3) 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 his sorcery while you perceive it ?" *5

With their hearts distracted. And those who meaning

*5) This may also be translated as: " What, are you then being ensnared by his magic? "
The disbelievers, who were the chiefs of Makkah, whispered to one another to this effect: " Anyhow this man cannot be a Prophet because he is a human being like us and eats and drinks and has wife and children like us.
We see nothing unusual about him that might distinguish him from us and make him worthy of the office of Prophethood.
We, however, admit that there is some magic in his talk and personality.
That is why any one who listens to him or goes near Him is charmed.
Therefore, the best thing for you is not to listen to him at all, nor go near him, for listening to him or going near him will only be involving yourselves intentionally in his snare. "
The reason why they accused the Holy Prophet of practising magic was that even his antagonists were " charmed " by his personality.
when they met him.
Muhammad bin Ishaq ( d.
152 A.H. ) says, " Once `Utbah bin Rabi`ah, the father-in-law of Abu Sufyan, said to the chiefs that he wanted to see Muhammad and give him counsel.
They said, `We have full confidence in you; you may go and have a talk with him.' Accordingly, he went to the Holy Prophet and said, `Dear nephew, you know that you were held in great honour here before this and you belong to a noble family.
Why have you then brought this affliction to your people? You have caused discard among them: you consider your people to be fools: you speak ill of their religion and deities, and you declare their deceased forefathers to be disbelievers.
My dear nephew, if your object is to become a rich man, we can give you so much wealth that you will become the richest man among us: if you are seeking a high rank, we will make you our chief, even our king, if you so like.
But if you are suffering from a mental illness which makes you see illusions, we will have you treated by the best physicians.' He went on talking in this strain and the Holy Prophet remained silent.
When he had a long talk, the Holy Prophet said, `Abul Walid, have you had your say or do you want to say anything more?' He replied that he had said what he had to say.
Then the Holy Prophet said, `Now listen to me'.
And he began to recite Surah Ha Mim Sajdah ( Chapter XLI ) after Bismillah and `Utbah listened to him as if he had been charmed.
When the Holy Prophet came to v.
38, he fell down in prostration.
Then raising his head, he said, 'O Abul Walid, I have said whatever I had to say, and you have heard it.
Now I have nothing more to say'.
After this `Utbah walked back towards the chiefs who perceived him to be a changed man, and remarked, `By God ! his face shows that he is not the same man that he was when he went from here.' When he came to them, they asked, `What has been the result of your mission'? He answered, `By God, today I have heard a thing the like of which I had never heard before.
By Allah! It is not poetry nor sorcery nor divination.
O people of Quraish, I advise you to leave him to himself.
From what I have heard from him, I conclude that his Message is going to bring about a great revolution here.
If the Arabs overcome him, you will stand absolved from the charge of murdering your own brother, and if he over-powers the Arabs, his sovereignty will be your own sovereignty and his honour your own honour.' The people answered, `By God! you, too, O Abul Walid, have been charmed by him'.
To this he replied, `I have expressed my opinion.
Now it is for you to accept or reject it'. " ( Ibn Hisham, Vol.
I, pp.
313-314 ).
Baihaqi, in his narration of the above event, makes this addition: " When the Holy Prophet recited v.
13: `If they turn away from your Message, say to them, I have warned you of the coming of a thunderbolt like the thunderbolt that visited the `Ad and the Thamud', `Utbah placed his hand on the mouth of the Holy Prophet, saying, `For God's sake, have mercy on your own people'. "
In this connection, ibn Ishaq has cited another event.
Once a man from the clan of Arash came to Makkah with some camels and Abu Jahl bought them.
When he demanded their price, he put him off by lame excuses.
At last the man came to the Sanctuary of the Ka`bah and began to bewail publicly the dishonesty of Abu Jahl.
The Holy Prophet was also sitting in a corner of the Sanctuary.
The chiefs of the Quraish said to the man, " We cannot help you in any way in this matter; look, there is a man sitting: go to him and he will get you your money. " Accordingly the Arashi went towards the Holy Prophet and the chiefs began to whisper jokingly, " Today there will be great fun! " When the man expressed his complaint before the Holy Prophet, he at once stood up and accompanied him to the house of Abu Jahl, followed by an informer of the chiefs.
The Holy Prophet knocked at Abu Jahl's door, who asked from inside, " Who is there "? He answered, " Muhammad ".
Hearing this, he at once came out and the Holy Prophet said to him, " Pay this man his dues. " Accordingly, Abu Jahl went in without uttering a word, brought the price of the camels and paid the man.
At this the informer ran back to the Quraish and told them the whole story and said, " By God, today I have seen something which I had never seen before.
When Abu Jahl came out, Muhammad asked him to pay the dues, and he obeyed him as if he were spell bound. " ( Ibn Hisham, Vol.
II, pp.
29-30 ).

It was this " charm " of the personality, character and words of the Holy Prophet which these people considered to be the effects of " charm " and warned the people not to go near him for fear of his " magic. "
 

Which was revealed in Makkah The Virtues of Surat Al-Anbiya' Al-Bukhari recorded that `Abdur-Rahman bin Yazid said that `Abdullah said, "Banu Isra'il, Al-Kahf, Maryam, Ta Ha and Al-Anbiya' - they are among the earliest and most beautiful Surahs and they are my treasure." بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Hour is at hand but People are heedless This is a warning from Allah of the approach of the Hour, and that people are heedless of it, i.e., they are not working for it or preparing for it.
An-Nasa'i recorded that Abu Sa`id reported from the Prophet : فِى غَفْلَةٍ مُّعْرِضُونَ ( while they turn away in heedlessness ), he said, «فِي الدُّنْيَا» ( in this world. ) Allah says: أَتَى أَمْرُ اللَّهِ فَلاَ تَسْتَعْجِلُوهُ ( The Event ordained by Allah will come to pass, so seek not to hasten it ) اقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَانشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ وَإِن يَرَوْاْ ءَايَةً يُعْرِضُواْ ( The Hour has drawn near, and the moon has been cleft asunder.
And if they see a sign, they turn away. ) 54:1,2.
Then Allah states that they do not listen to the revelation ( Wahy ) that He sends down to His Messenger , which is addressed to the Quraysh and all disbelievers like them. مَا يَأْتِيهِمْ مِّن ذِكْرٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ مُّحْدَثٍ ( Comes not unto them an admonition from their Lord as a recent revelation ) meaning, newly-revealed, إِلاَّ اسْتَمَعُوهُ وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ ( but they listen to it while they play.
) This is like what Ibn `Abbas said, "Why do you ask the People of the Book about what they have, which has been altered and distorted, and they have added things and taken things away, when your Book is the most recently revealed from Allah, and you read it pure and unadulterated" Al-Bukhari recorded something similar to this. وَأَسَرُّواْ النَّجْوَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ ( Those who do wrong, conceal their private counsels ) meaning, what they say to one another in secret. هَلْ هَـذَآ إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ ( Is this more than a human being like you ) meaning, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
They did not believe that he could be a Prophet because he was a human being like them, so how could he have been singled out to receive revelation, and not them They said: أَفَتَأْتُونَ السِّحْرَ وَأَنتُمْ تُبْصِرُونَ ( Will you submit to magic while you see it ) meaning, will you follow him and be like one who submits to magic when he knows that it is magic Allah said in response to their fabrications and lies: قَالَ رَبِّى يَعْلَمُ الْقَوْلَ فِى السَّمَآءِ وَالاٌّرْضِ ( He said: "My Lord knows what is said in the heavens and on earth..." ) Nothing at all is hidden from the One Who knows that, and He is the One Who reveals this Qur'an which contains news of the earliest and last generations.
No one can produce the like of this except the One Who knows all the secrets of the heavens and the earth. وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ ( And He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower. ) means, He hears all that they say and He knows all their circumstances.
This is a warning and a threat to them. The Disbelievers' Ideas about the Qur'an and the Messenger ; their demand for a Sign and the Refutation of that بَلْ قَالُواْ أَضْغَـثُ أَحْلاَمٍ بَلِ افْتَرَاهُ ( Nay, they say: "These are mixed up false dreams! Nay, he has invented it!..." ) Here Allah tells us of the stubbornness and heresy of the disblievers, and the various things they said about the Qur'an, and how they were confused and misguided about it.
Sometimes they described it as magic, and sometimes they described it as poetry, or mixed up false dreams, or a fabrication.
As Allah says: انْظُرْ كَيْفَ ضَرَبُواْ لَكَ الاٌّمْثَالَ فَضَلُّواْ فَلاَ يَسْتَطِيعْونَ سَبِيلاً ( See what examples they have put forward for you.
So they have gone astray, and never can they find a way ) 17:48 فَلْيَأْتِنَا بِـَايَةٍ كَمَآ أُرْسِلَ الاٌّوَّلُونَ ( Let him then bring us an Ayah like the ones that were sent before! ) They were referring to the she-camel of Salih, and the signs of Musa and `Isa.
And Allah says, وَمَا مَنَعَنَآ أَن نُّرْسِلَ بِالاٌّيَـتِ إِلاَّ أَن كَذَّبَ بِهَا الاٌّوَّلُونَ ( And nothing stops Us from sending the Ayat but that the people of old denied them. ) 17:59.
So Allah said here: مَآ ءَامَنَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ مِّن قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَـهَآ أَفَهُمْ يُؤْمِنُونَ ( Not one of the towns of those which We destroyed, believed before them; will they then believe ) None of the peoples to whom Messengers were sent were given a sign at the hands of their Prophet and believed.
On the contrary, they disbelieved and We destroyed them as a result.
Would these people believe in a sign if they saw it Not at all! In fact, إِنَّ الَّذِينَ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِمْ كَلِمَةُ رَبِّكَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ - وَلَوْ جَآءَتْهُمْ كُلُّ ءايَةٍ حَتَّى يَرَوُاْ الْعَذَابَ الاٌّلِيمَ ( Truly, those, against whom the Word of your Lord has been justified, will not believe.
Even if every sign should come to them, until they see the painful torment. ) 10:96-97.
Indeed, they witnes- sed clear signs and definitive proof at the hands of the Messen- ger of Allah , signs which were far clearer and more overwhel- ming than any that had been witnessed in the case of any other Prophet, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon them all.

( With hearts preoccupied ) with hearts heedless of the matter of the Hereafter. ( And they confer in secret ) they hide among themselves their disbelief in Muhammad ( pbuh ) and in the Qur’an. ( The wrong-doers ) these are the idolaters: Abu Jahl and his host; they say to one another: ( say: Is this ) they mean Muhammad ( pbuh ) ( other than a mortal like you ) other than a human being like you? ( Will ye then succumb to magic ) will you then believe in magic and lies ( when ye see (it )) while knowing that it is magic and lies?

With their hearts occupied (with evil things) those who do wrong, conceal their private counsels, (saying): "Is this (Muhammad SAW) more than a human being like you? Will you submit to magic while you see it?"

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