سُوْرَةُ الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ
Surah Al-Muminoon (23) — Ayah 47
فَقَالُوٓا۟ أَنُؤْمِنُ لِبَشَرَيْنِ مِثْلِنَا وَقَوْمُهُمَا لَنَا عَـٰبِدُونَ ﴿47﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
They said: "Shall we believe in two men like ourselves, and their people are obedient to us with humility (and we use them to serve us as we like)."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
فَقَالُوٓا۟
faqālū
Then they said
أَنُؤْمِنُ
anu'minu
Shall we believe
لِبَشَرَيْنِ
libasharayni
(in) two men
مِثْلِنَا
mith'linā
like ourselves
وَقَوْمُهُمَا
waqawmuhumā
while their people
لَنَا
lanā
for us
عَـٰبِدُونَ
ʿābidūna
(are) slaves
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.
They said, "Shall we believe in two men like ourselves, while their people are our slaves [49]?"
[49] That is, the chieftains who denied other prophets would only give one reason for their rejection: that this prophet is just a human like us, and what special quality does he have that we should believe in him? Pharaoh and his chiefs added another reason to this: that the community of these prophets is our slave. Therefore, how can we accept double humiliation by believing in them?
The Meaning of Worship:
Here, from the word ﴿عٰبِدُوْنَ﴾, the meaning of worship becomes clear: worship is not merely ritual devotion, because the Israelites did not perform ritual devotion to the Pharaoh's people. Rather, the word "worship" in its broad sense is used for constant servitude and obedience.
[49] That is, the chieftains who denied other prophets would only give one reason for their rejection: that this prophet is just a human like us, and what special quality does he have that we should believe in him? Pharaoh and his chiefs added another reason to this: that the community of these prophets is our slave. Therefore, how can we accept double humiliation by believing in them?
The Meaning of Worship:
Here, from the word ﴿عٰبِدُوْنَ﴾, the meaning of worship becomes clear: worship is not merely ritual devotion, because the Israelites did not perform ritual devotion to the Pharaoh's people. Rather, the word "worship" in its broad sense is used for constant servitude and obedience.
