سُوْرَةُ الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ
Surah Al-Muminoon (23) — Ayah 24
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﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
But the chiefs of his people who disbelieved said: "He is no more than a human being like you, he seeks to make himself superior to you. Had Allâh willed, He surely could have sent down angels. Never did we hear such a thing among our fathers of old.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
فَقَالَ
faqāla
But said
ٱلْمَلَؤُا۟
l-mala-u
the chiefs
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
(of) those who
كَفَرُوا۟
kafarū
disbelieved
مِن
min
among
قَوْمِهِۦ
qawmihi
his people
مَا
mā
This is not
هَـٰذَآ
hādhā
This is not
إِلَّا
illā
but
بَشَرٌۭ
basharun
a man
مِّثْلُكُمْ
mith'lukum
like you
يُرِيدُ
yurīdu
he wishes
أَن
an
to
يَتَفَضَّلَ
yatafaḍḍala
assert (his) superiority
عَلَيْكُمْ
ʿalaykum
over you
وَلَوْ
walaw
and if
شَآءَ
shāa
Allah had willed
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah had willed
لَأَنزَلَ
la-anzala
surely He (would have) sent down
مَلَـٰٓئِكَةًۭ
malāikatan
Angels
مَّا
mā
Not
سَمِعْنَا
samiʿ'nā
we heard
بِهَـٰذَا
bihādhā
of this
فِىٓ
fī
from
ءَابَآئِنَا
ābāinā
our forefathers
ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
l-awalīna
our forefathers
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.
24. But the chiefs of his people who disbelieved said, "He is nothing but a man like yourselves [27], who wishes to gain superiority [28] over you. If Allah had willed, He would have sent down angels. We have never heard of such a thing in the times of our forefathers [29]."
[27]
Why is it Necessary for the Messenger to be Human:
All the prophets and messengers have always been human beings. And for mankind, the messenger should also be a human from among themselves so that when he conveys Allah’s message to them in their own language, they can understand it. Moreover, the duty of the messenger is not only to convey Allah’s message, but also to be the first to act upon those commands himself and present a practical example. Now, if the messenger were an angel, a being of light, or from some other superior species instead of a human, then those who believed in him could say: “How can we, as humans, follow an angel or a being of a higher species?” These are the reasons why it is necessary for the messenger to be human, and that is why Allah Almighty has always sent a human as a prophet and messenger, and the Noble Quran clarifies this at many places. And for this reason, Allah Almighty has, through the tongue of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, made him acknowledge his humanity several times. To the extent that this reality has been made an essential part of the declaration (kalimah) upon which a person enters Islam.
The Debate of Light and Humanity:
However, among the common misguidances of misguided people, this misguidance has also been a shared trait: that both humanity and messengership cannot coexist. Those who denied the prophets were the first to say, as a taunt, “You are just like us, a human being—how can you be a messenger?” This was one kind of misguidance, and another kind of misguidance arises among the devotees of the prophets, who, by adopting the path of exaggeration, reach the other extreme. Their belief is also that prophethood or messengership and humanity cannot be combined in one person. The difference is that they acknowledge messengership but deny humanity. No need to look far—among us Muslims, there is a group that accuses those who call the Messenger of Allah ﷺ a human of being “insulters of the Messenger.” Thus, their slogan “No human can cross the Throne” reflects this very belief. These people try to prove that the Prophet ﷺ was light, not human, and they deny his humanity. This discussion has already passed under footnote number 42 of verse 15 of Surah Al-Ma’idah.
[28] It has always been the belief of worldly people that whenever someone starts a reformative mission, they immediately think that this person is doing it to establish his own leadership and raise his own flag. And to some extent, they are justified in this belief, because they themselves spend their lives and all their efforts for this very purpose. Therefore, they view everyone from this perspective. The people of Noah gave this taunt to Noah ؑ. Pharaoh said the same thing to Moses ؑ: “Moses wants to take over this land.” And your ﷺ people formed the same opinion about you and said: “If you want wealth, as much as you want is ready. If you want power, we will accept you as our leader. And if you want to marry a beautiful woman, we will arrange that too—provided you stop opposing us and our gods and make peace with us.”
The Difference Between the Acquisition of Power by Prophets and Others:
Then it is also clear that prophets too, ultimately, attain power with Allah’s help. But there is a world of difference between the way the two acquire power. The aim of a worldly person is the acquisition of power itself, whereas the real aim of a prophet is the implementation of Allah’s commands, and for that, he uses power merely as a means. To understand this difference, consider this example: if a person commits murder unjustly, it is pure corruption; but if a judge sentences that murderer to death in retribution, it is pure justice, mercy, and prevention of corruption. Although, in terms of the act of killing, both incidents are the same.
[29] That is, the statement “The messenger is only a human being,” or that the One and Only Allah alone is sufficient for the sovereignty and fulfillment of the needs of the entire universe, and all other deities are false and baseless.
[27]
Why is it Necessary for the Messenger to be Human:
All the prophets and messengers have always been human beings. And for mankind, the messenger should also be a human from among themselves so that when he conveys Allah’s message to them in their own language, they can understand it. Moreover, the duty of the messenger is not only to convey Allah’s message, but also to be the first to act upon those commands himself and present a practical example. Now, if the messenger were an angel, a being of light, or from some other superior species instead of a human, then those who believed in him could say: “How can we, as humans, follow an angel or a being of a higher species?” These are the reasons why it is necessary for the messenger to be human, and that is why Allah Almighty has always sent a human as a prophet and messenger, and the Noble Quran clarifies this at many places. And for this reason, Allah Almighty has, through the tongue of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, made him acknowledge his humanity several times. To the extent that this reality has been made an essential part of the declaration (kalimah) upon which a person enters Islam.
The Debate of Light and Humanity:
However, among the common misguidances of misguided people, this misguidance has also been a shared trait: that both humanity and messengership cannot coexist. Those who denied the prophets were the first to say, as a taunt, “You are just like us, a human being—how can you be a messenger?” This was one kind of misguidance, and another kind of misguidance arises among the devotees of the prophets, who, by adopting the path of exaggeration, reach the other extreme. Their belief is also that prophethood or messengership and humanity cannot be combined in one person. The difference is that they acknowledge messengership but deny humanity. No need to look far—among us Muslims, there is a group that accuses those who call the Messenger of Allah ﷺ a human of being “insulters of the Messenger.” Thus, their slogan “No human can cross the Throne” reflects this very belief. These people try to prove that the Prophet ﷺ was light, not human, and they deny his humanity. This discussion has already passed under footnote number 42 of verse 15 of Surah Al-Ma’idah.
[28] It has always been the belief of worldly people that whenever someone starts a reformative mission, they immediately think that this person is doing it to establish his own leadership and raise his own flag. And to some extent, they are justified in this belief, because they themselves spend their lives and all their efforts for this very purpose. Therefore, they view everyone from this perspective. The people of Noah gave this taunt to Noah ؑ. Pharaoh said the same thing to Moses ؑ: “Moses wants to take over this land.” And your ﷺ people formed the same opinion about you and said: “If you want wealth, as much as you want is ready. If you want power, we will accept you as our leader. And if you want to marry a beautiful woman, we will arrange that too—provided you stop opposing us and our gods and make peace with us.”
The Difference Between the Acquisition of Power by Prophets and Others:
Then it is also clear that prophets too, ultimately, attain power with Allah’s help. But there is a world of difference between the way the two acquire power. The aim of a worldly person is the acquisition of power itself, whereas the real aim of a prophet is the implementation of Allah’s commands, and for that, he uses power merely as a means. To understand this difference, consider this example: if a person commits murder unjustly, it is pure corruption; but if a judge sentences that murderer to death in retribution, it is pure justice, mercy, and prevention of corruption. Although, in terms of the act of killing, both incidents are the same.
[29] That is, the statement “The messenger is only a human being,” or that the One and Only Allah alone is sufficient for the sovereignty and fulfillment of the needs of the entire universe, and all other deities are false and baseless.
