Tabari

Tafseer of The Believers · Al-Muminoon · 23:24

فَقَالَ ٱلْمَلَؤُا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِن قَوْمِهِۦ مَا هَٰذَآ إِلَّا بَشَرٌۭ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُرِيدُ أَن يَتَفَضَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَأَنزَلَ مَلَٰٓئِكَةًۭ مَّا سَمِعْنَا بِهَٰذَا فِىٓ ءَابَآئِنَا ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ

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 Allah had willed [to send a messenger], He would have sent down angels. We have not heard of this among our forefathers.

Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.

Tabari (1 passage)

  1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

    Allah, the Exalted, says: The assembly of the notables of the people of Nūḥ — those who rejected the oneness of Allah and denied him — said to their people: Nūḥ is, O people, only a human being like you; he is nothing but a man equal to you and like one of you. يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَتَفَضَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ (He wishes to exalt himself above you) — that is to say: he wishes to gain ascendancy over you, so that he becomes the one who is followed while you are his followers. وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لأنـزلَ مَلائِكَةً (And had Allah willed, He would have sent down angels) — that is to say: had Allah willed that we worship nothing besides Him, He would have sent down angels — that is to say: He would have sent angels as messengers with the call to which Nūḥ invites you, to convey His message to you. And His word: مَا سَمِعْنَا بِهَذَا (We have never heard of this) — that to which Nūḥ invites us, namely that we should have no god other than Allah, is something that was never heard of among the earlier generations, that is, their first forefathers.

    Show original Arabic
    يقول تعالى ذكره: فقالت جماعة أشراف قوم نوح، الذين جحدوا توحيد الله، وكذبوه لقومهم: ما نوح أيها القوم إلا بشر مثلكم، إنما هو إنسان مثلكم وكبعضكم ( يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَتَفَضَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ ) يقول: يريد أن يصير له الفضل عليكم، فيكون متبوعا وأنتم له تبع ( وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لأنـزلَ مَلائِكَةً ) يقول: ولو شاء الله أن لا نعبد شيئًا سواه؛ لأنـزل ملائكة، يقول: لأرسل بالدعاء إلى ما يدعوكم إليه نوح ملائكة تؤدّي إليكم رسالته. وقوله: ( مَا سَمِعْنَا بِهَذَا ) الذي يدعونا إليه نوح، من أنه لا إله لنا غير الله في القرون الماضية، وهي آباؤهم الأولون.