Faqaloo abasharan minna wahidan nattabiAAuhu inna ithan lafee dalalin wasuAAur (surah Al Qamar: 24)

Tafseer Tafheem-ul-Quran by Syed Abu-al-A'la Maududi

(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.

Faqaalooo a-basharam minnaa waahidan nattabi`uhooo innaa izal lafee dalaalinw wa su`ur

*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.