سُوْرَةُ الزُّخْرُفِ

Surah Az-Zukhruf (43) — Ayah 31

Ornaments of gold · Meccan · Juz 25 · Page 491

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وَقَالُوا۟ لَوْلَا نُزِّلَ هَـٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانُ عَلَىٰ رَجُلٍ مِّنَ ٱلْقَرْيَتَيْنِ عَظِيمٍ ﴿31﴾

Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali

And they say: "Why is not this Qur’ân sent down to some great man of the two towns (Makkah and Tâ’if)?"

Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning

وَقَالُوا۟ waqālū And they say
لَوْلَا lawlā Why not
نُزِّلَ nuzzila was sent down
هَـٰذَا hādhā this
ٱلْقُرْءَانُ l-qur'ānu the Quran
عَلَىٰ ʿalā to
رَجُلٍۢ rajulin a man
مِّنَ mina from
ٱلْقَرْيَتَيْنِ l-qaryatayni the two towns
عَظِيمٍ ʿaẓīmin great

Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi

Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

(Ayah 31) {وَ قَالُوْا لَوْ لَا نُزِّلَ هٰذَا الْقُرْاٰنُ … :} In the previous verse, their criticism of the Quran was mentioned, so in this verse, the objection against the bringer of the Quran is mentioned. The disbelievers were not even willing to accept that a human could be a messenger; their demand was that the messenger should be an angel. When it was explained to them with irrefutable arguments that Allah Almighty has always sent human messengers, that your forefathers Ibrahim and Ismail (peace be upon them) and other prophets, such as Musa (peace be upon him), were all humans, then leaving the demand for an angelic messenger, they raised this objection: why was this Quran not revealed to some great man from either of the two towns? The two towns refer to Makkah and Taif, because these were their central settlements. {’’ عَظِيْمٍ ‘‘} refers to greatness in terms of worldly wealth, status, and rank. Among the great men of Makkah, the commentators mention Walid bin Mughirah or Utbah bin Rabi’ah, and among the nobles of Taif, Urwah bin Mas’ud, Habib bin Amr, or Kinanah bin Abd Yalil, or other people of this kind. In the view of the disbelievers, due to the abundance of wealth and being leaders of the tribe, these people were deserving of prophethood. Muhammad (peace be upon him) was not worthy of it due to lack of wealth and status, because he neither had abundant wealth nor leadership of any tribe. This was the ignorance and severe foolishness of the disbelievers that they made wealth and status a condition for the office of prophethood.

Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf

Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

31. 1 By both towns is meant Makkah and Taif, and by the great man, according to most commentators, is meant Walid bin Mughirah of Makkah and Urwah bin Thaqafi of Taif.

Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani

Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

31. And they (the disbelievers of Makkah) also say, "Why was this Qur'an not sent down upon a great man from one of the two cities?" [30]

[30]
The Objections of the Quraysh Against Your Person:

The first objection of the Quraysh of Makkah was: how can a human being like us be a Messenger? Then, when they were explained with arguments that only a human can be a Messenger for the guidance of humans, and that the Messenger for your guidance must know your language, and that there was no other way, they now raised a third objection: Makkah and Ta’if are two central cities. The chief of Makkah was Walid bin Mughirah, and of Ta’if, ‘Urwah bin Mas‘ud Thaqafi. If a prominent man from these cities had become a Messenger, there might have been something to it. But could it be that Allah found only such a person to make a Messenger—one who was born an orphan, who had neither wealth nor leadership of any tribe or family? In the next verse, two answers are being given to this objection of theirs.
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