Waqaloo lawla nuzzila hatha alqur-anu AAala rajulin mina alqaryatayni AAatheem (surah Zukhruf: 31)

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

(43:31) They say: 'Why was this Qur'an not sent down upon some great man from the two (main) cities?' *30

Wa qaaloo law laa nuzzila haazal Quraanu `alaa rajulim minal qaryataini `azeem

*30) "The two cities": Makkah and Ta`if. What the disbelievers meant was: "Had Allah really willed to send a messenger and intended to send down a book to him, He would have selected a great man from our these central, cities for the purpose. For Allah could not have selected for this great mission a person who was born an orphan, who did not inherit much property, who passed his youth by tending goats, who even at present earned his living through business with his wife's money, and who was neither the chief of a tribe nor the head of a family. Were not there well known chiefs like Walid bin Mughirah and 'Utbah bin Rabi'ah in Makkah, and nobles like `Urwah bin Mas'ud, Habib bin 'Amr, Kinanah bin 'Abd-i -'Amr and Ibn 'Abd Yalil in Ta'if? This was their reasoning. in the first instance, they were also not inclined to believe that a man could be a Messenger. But when the Qur'an refuted this misconception by argument and reason and they were told that in the past only men had come as Messengers and a man only could be a Messenger for the guidance of the people, and not another kind of being and the Messenger who came did not descend, suddenly from heavens, but were born in the same ordinary dwellings, walked about in the streets, had children and families and stood in need of food and drink (see AnNahl: 43, Bani Isra'il: 94-95, Yusuf: 109, Al-Furqan: 7, 20; Al-Anbiya: 7-8; Ar-Ra'd: 38), they took this stand, saying: "Well, even if a human being, he should be a big man, who should be wealthy, influential and awe-inspiring and having a large following. How could Muhammad bin `Abdullah (upon whom be Allah's peace) be fit for this appointment?"