فَقَالَ ٱلْمَلَؤُا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِن قَوْمِهِۦ مَا هَـٰذَآ إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُرِيدُ أَن يَتَفَضَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَأَنزَلَ مَلَـٰٓئِكَةً مَّا سَمِعْنَا بِهَـٰذَا فِىٓ ءَابَآئِنَا ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ 24
Translations
But the eminent among those who disbelieved from his people said, "This is not but a man like yourselves who wishes to take precedence over you; and if Allāh had willed [to send a messenger], He would have sent down angels. We have not heard of this among our forefathers.
Transliteration
Faqala al-mala'u alladhina kafarou min qawmihi ma hatha illa basharun mithlukum yurid an yatafaddal alaikum wa law sha'a Allahu la-anzala mala'ikatan ma sami'na bi-hatha fi aba'ina al-awwalin
Tafsir (Explanation)
The disbelieving elite of Noah's people rejected his message by claiming he was merely a human like them seeking superiority over them, and used speculative arguments that if Allah willed to send guidance, He would send angels instead of a human messenger. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi note this represents the arrogance of the disbelievers and their resistance to the natural order established by Allah, who chose human prophets as messengers to communicate with humanity. This ayah highlights how disbelievers often resort to baseless objections and conjecture rather than engaging with the message itself.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the narrative of Prophet Noah (Nuh) in Surah Al-Mu'minun, one of the Meccan surahs revealed during the early period of Islam. The context describes the response of Noah's people to his 950-year mission of preaching monotheism. This passage specifically addresses the objections raised by the Meccan disbelievers toward Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), drawing a parallel with how Noah's people similarly rejected a human messenger, making it relevant to the early Muslim community facing similar accusations.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad said, 'I am only a human being like you; it is revealed to me that your god is One God' (Sahih Muslim 2261). Additionally, the Quran itself addresses this in Surah Al-Isra 17:93-95, where disbelievers demand angels be sent, and Allah responds that if He willed angels, He would have made them human.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that rejecting truth based on the messenger's humanity rather than evaluating the message itself is a form of spiritual blindness and arrogance. It reminds believers that Allah's choice of human prophets is deliberate and wise, as they can relate to and guide humanity through lived experience.