Surah Anbiya ayat 7 Tafsir Quran 21:7

﴿وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًا نُّوحِي إِلَيْهِمْ ۖ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ﴾
[ الأنبياء: 7]

21:7 And We sent not before you, [O Muhammad], except men to whom We revealed [the message], so ask the people of the message if you do not know.

And We sent none before you other than men to whom We revealed read nūhī or yūhā ‘to whom it is revealed’ and We sent not any angels. Ask the People of the Remembrance those with knowledge of the Torah and the Gospel if you do not know this; for they will know it. Since you are more likely to believe them than the believers are to believing Muhammad (s).

We never sent and inspired before you O Muhammad but men chosen from among the town dwellers whose deeds were natural to man, therefore, you -infidels- may ask those who are well versed in the antecedent Scriptures -Jews and Christians- if indeed you do not know

The Messengers are no more than Human Beings Here Allah refutes those who denied that human Messengers could be sent: وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ إِلاَّ رِجَالاً نُّوحِى إِلَيْهِمْ ( And We sent not before you but men to whom We revealed. ) meaning, all the Messengers who came before you were men, human beings.
There were no angels among them.
This is like the Ayat: وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلاَّ رِجَالاً نُّوحِى إِلَيْهِمْ مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَى ( And We sent not before you any but men unto whom We revealed, from among the people of townships ) 12:109 قُلْ مَا كُنتُ بِدْعاً مِّنَ الرُّسُلِ ( Say: "I am not a new thing among the Messengers... ) 46:9 Allah tells us that the previous nations denied that and said: أَبَشَرٌ يَهْدُونَنَا ( "Shall mere men guide us" ) 64:6.
So Allah says here: فَاسْأَلُواْ أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنْتُم لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ ( So ask the people of the Reminder if you do not know. ) meaning, ask the people of knowledge among the nations such as the Jews and Christians and other groups: `were the Messengers who came to you human beings or angels' Indeed they were human beings.
This is a part of the perfect blessing of Allah towards His creation: He sent to them Messengers from among themselves so that they could receive the Message from them and learn from them. وَمَا جَعَلْنَـهُمْ جَسَداً لاَّ يَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ ( And We did not place them in bodies that did not eat food... ) meaning, rather they had bodies that ate food, as Allah says: وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلاَّ إِنَّهُمْ لَيَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشُونَ فِى الاٌّسْوَاقِ ( And We never sent before you any of the Messengers but verily, they ate food and walked in the markets ) 25:20 meaning, they were human beings who ate and drank like all other people, and they went to the marketplaces to earn a living and engage in business; that did not affect them adversely or reduce their status in any way, as the idolators imagined. مَا لِهَـذَا الرَّسُولِ يَأْكُلُ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشِى فِى الاٌّسْوَاقِ لَوْلا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مَلَكٌ فَيَكُونَ مَعَهُ نَذِيراًأَوْ يُلْقَى إِلَيْهِ كَنْزٌ أَوْ تَكُونُ لَهُ جَنَّةٌ يَأْكُلُ مِنْهَا ( And they say: "Why does this Messenger eat food, and walk about in the markets.
Why is not an angel sent down to him to be a warner with him Or (why ) has not a treasure been granted to him, or why has he not a garden whereof he may eat") 25:7-8 وَمَا كَانُواْ خَـلِدِينَ ( nor were they immortals ) meaning, in this world; on the contrary, they lived, then they died. وَمَا جَعَلْنَا لِبَشَرٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ الْخُلْدَ ( And We granted not to any human being immortality before you ) 21:34 But what distinguished them from others was that they received revelation from Allah, and the angels brought down to them from Allah His rulings concerning His creation, what He commanded and what He prohibited. ثُمَّ صَدَقْنَـهُمُ الْوَعْدَ Then We fulfilled to them the promise.
the promise that their Lord made to destroy the evildoers.
Allah fulfilled His promise and did that.
He says: فَأَنجَيْنَـهُمْ وَمَن نَّشَآءُ ( So We saved them and those whom We willed, ) meaning, their followers among the believers, وَأَهْلَكْنَا الْمُسْرفِينَ ( but We destroyed Al-Musrifin. ) meaning, those who disbelieved the Message brought by the Messengers.

(21:7) And, O Muhammad, We sent before you also human beings as Messengers, to whom We revealed (Our Message). *9 If you (O objectors,) have no knowledge of this, you may ask the people of the Book. *10

And We sent not before you, [O meaning

*9) This is the answer to their objection: " This man is no more than a human being like yourselves ", and therefore, cannot be a Messenger of God.
They have been told that the former Prophets, too, whom you also recognize as Prophets, were human beings and were blessed with Revelations from Allah.

*10) That is, " You may have it testified by the Jews, who are the enemies of Islam like you, and are teaching you the ways to oppose it, that all the Messengers including Prophet Moses were human beings. "
 

The Messengers are no more than Human Beings Here Allah refutes those who denied that human Messengers could be sent: وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ إِلاَّ رِجَالاً نُّوحِى إِلَيْهِمْ ( And We sent not before you but men to whom We revealed. ) meaning, all the Messengers who came before you were men, human beings.
There were no angels among them.
This is like the Ayat: وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلاَّ رِجَالاً نُّوحِى إِلَيْهِمْ مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَى ( And We sent not before you any but men unto whom We revealed, from among the people of townships ) 12:109 قُلْ مَا كُنتُ بِدْعاً مِّنَ الرُّسُلِ ( Say: "I am not a new thing among the Messengers... ) 46:9 Allah tells us that the previous nations denied that and said: أَبَشَرٌ يَهْدُونَنَا ( "Shall mere men guide us" ) 64:6.
So Allah says here: فَاسْأَلُواْ أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنْتُم لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ ( So ask the people of the Reminder if you do not know. ) meaning, ask the people of knowledge among the nations such as the Jews and Christians and other groups: `were the Messengers who came to you human beings or angels' Indeed they were human beings.
This is a part of the perfect blessing of Allah towards His creation: He sent to them Messengers from among themselves so that they could receive the Message from them and learn from them. وَمَا جَعَلْنَـهُمْ جَسَداً لاَّ يَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ ( And We did not place them in bodies that did not eat food... ) meaning, rather they had bodies that ate food, as Allah says: وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلاَّ إِنَّهُمْ لَيَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشُونَ فِى الاٌّسْوَاقِ ( And We never sent before you any of the Messengers but verily, they ate food and walked in the markets ) 25:20 meaning, they were human beings who ate and drank like all other people, and they went to the marketplaces to earn a living and engage in business; that did not affect them adversely or reduce their status in any way, as the idolators imagined. مَا لِهَـذَا الرَّسُولِ يَأْكُلُ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشِى فِى الاٌّسْوَاقِ لَوْلا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مَلَكٌ فَيَكُونَ مَعَهُ نَذِيراًأَوْ يُلْقَى إِلَيْهِ كَنْزٌ أَوْ تَكُونُ لَهُ جَنَّةٌ يَأْكُلُ مِنْهَا ( And they say: "Why does this Messenger eat food, and walk about in the markets.
Why is not an angel sent down to him to be a warner with him Or (why ) has not a treasure been granted to him, or why has he not a garden whereof he may eat") 25:7-8 وَمَا كَانُواْ خَـلِدِينَ ( nor were they immortals ) meaning, in this world; on the contrary, they lived, then they died. وَمَا جَعَلْنَا لِبَشَرٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ الْخُلْدَ ( And We granted not to any human being immortality before you ) 21:34 But what distinguished them from others was that they received revelation from Allah, and the angels brought down to them from Allah His rulings concerning His creation, what He commanded and what He prohibited. ثُمَّ صَدَقْنَـهُمُ الْوَعْدَ Then We fulfilled to them the promise.
the promise that their Lord made to destroy the evildoers.
Allah fulfilled His promise and did that.
He says: فَأَنجَيْنَـهُمْ وَمَن نَّشَآءُ ( So We saved them and those whom We willed, ) meaning, their followers among the believers, وَأَهْلَكْنَا الْمُسْرفِينَ ( but We destroyed Al-Musrifin. ) meaning, those who disbelieved the Message brought by the Messengers.

( And We sent not (as Our messengers ) before you other than men) human beings like you ( whom We inspired ) to whom We sent angels just as We have sent to you. ( Ask the followers of the Reminder ) the people of the Torah and the Gospel ( if you know not ) that Allah sent only human messengers?

And We sent not before you (O Muhammad SAW) but men to whom We inspired, so ask the people of the Reminder [Scriptures - the Taurat (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel)] if you do not know.

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