Tafseer of The Believers · Al-Muminoon · 23:33
And the eminent among his people who disbelieved and denied the meeting of the Hereafter while We had given them luxury in the worldly life said, "This is not but a man like yourselves. He eats of that from which you eat and drinks of what you drink.
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.
Allah, the Exalted, says: The eminent ones (mala) among the people of the messenger whom We sent after Nūḥ said — and by the messenger He here means Ṣāliḥ, and by his people: Thamūd — الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَكَذَّبُوا بِلِقَاءِ الآخِرَةِ (those who disbelieved and denied the meeting of the Hereafter) — that is to say: those who rejected the affirmation of the Oneness of Allah and denied the meeting of the Hereafter — that is to say: they denied the meeting with Allah in the Hereafter. And His word: وَأَتْرَفْنَاهُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا (and We had made them prosperous in the worldly life) — that is to say: We had made them prosperous in their worldly life by amply providing them with the means of subsistence and by widening their livelihood for them, until they grew insolent and transgressed against their Lord and became disbelievers. From this stems the saying of the poet:
"And I had found myself in the dwelling-places as one of affluence."
And His word: مَا هَذَا إِلا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ (This is but a human being like you) — that is to say: they said: Allah has sent Ṣāliḥ to us as a messenger from among ourselves and has favored him over us with the messengership, while he is a human being like us; he eats of the same food of which we eat and drinks of the same drink of which we drink. How is it that He did not send an angel from with Him to convey His message to us? وَيَشْرَبُ مِمَّا تَشْرَبُونَن (and he drinks of what you drink) — the meaning is: of what you take as drink; the word "minhu" (of it) has been omitted from the sentence, because the meaning of the sentence is: and he drinks of your drink. For the Arabs indeed say: "I drank of your drink."
