Al-Anbiya' (11-20) Tafsir

11

وَكَمۡ قَصَمۡنَا مِن قَرۡيَةٍ۬ كَانَتۡ ظَالِمَةً۬ وَأَنشَأۡنَا بَعۡدَهَا قَوۡمًا ءَاخَرِينَ

And how many a city which was unjust have We shattered and produced after it another people.

Tafsir

The Messengers are no more than Human Beings

Here Allah refutes those who denied that human Messengers could be sent:

﴿ وَمَآ أَرۡسَلۡنَا قَبۡلَكَ إِلَّا رِجَالاً۬ نُّوحِىٓ إِلَيۡہِمۡ‌ۖ ﴾

(And We sent not before you but men to whom We revealed.) meaning, all the Messengers who came before you were men, human beings. There were no angels among them. This is like the Ayat:

﴿ وَمَآ أَرۡسَلۡنَا مِن قَبۡلِكَ إِلَّا رِجَالاً۬ نُّوحِىٓ إِلَيۡہِم مِّنۡ أَهۡلِ ٱلۡقُرَىٰٓ‌ۗ ﴾

(And We sent not before you any but men unto whom We revealed, from among the people of townships) (12:109)

﴿ قُلۡ مَا كُنتُ بِدۡعً۬ا مِّنَ ٱلرُّسُلِ ﴾

(Say: "I am not a new thing among the Messengers...) (46:9) Allah tells us that the previous nations denied that and said:

﴿ أَبَشَرٌ۬ يَہۡدُونَنَا ﴾

("Shall mere men guide us'') (64:6). So Allah says here:

﴿ فَسۡـَٔلُوٓاْ أَهۡلَ ٱلذِّكۡرِ إِن كُنتُمۡ لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ ﴾

(So ask the people of the Reminder if you do not know.) meaning, ask the people of knowledge among the nations such as the Jews and Christians and other groups: `were the Messengers who came to you human beings or angels' Indeed they were human beings. This is a part of the perfect blessing of Allah towards His creation: He sent to them Messengers from among themselves so that they could receive the Message from them and learn from them.

﴿ وَمَا جَعَلۡنَـٰهُمۡ جَسَدً۬ا لَّا يَأۡڪُلُونَ ٱلطَّعَامَ ﴾

(And We did not place them in bodies that did not eat food...) meaning, rather they had bodies that ate food, as Allah says:

﴿ وَمَآ أَرۡسَلۡنَا قَبۡلَكَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ إِلَّآ إِنَّهُمۡ لَيَأۡكُلُونَ ٱلطَّعَامَ وَيَمۡشُونَ فِى ٱلۡأَسۡوَاقِ‌ۗ ﴾

(And We never sent before you any of the Messengers but verily, they ate food and walked in the markets) (25:20) meaning, they were human beings who ate and drank like all other people, and they went to the marketplaces to earn a living and engage in business; that did not affect them adversely or reduce their status in any way, as the idolators imagined.

﴿ مَالِ هَـٰذَا ٱلرَّسُولِ يَأۡڪُلُ ٱلطَّعَامَ وَيَمۡشِى فِى ٱلۡأَسۡوَاقِ‌ۙ لَوۡلَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيۡهِ مَلَكٌ۬ فَيَكُونَ مَعَهُ ۥ نَذِيرًا • أَوۡ يُلۡقَىٰٓ إِلَيۡهِ ڪَنزٌ أَوۡ تَكُونُ لَهُ ۥ جَنَّةٌ۬ يَأۡڪُلُ مِنۡهَا‌ۚ ﴾

(And they say: "Why does this Messenger eat food, and walk about in the markets. Why is not an angel sent down to him to be a warner with him Or (why) has not a treasure been granted to him, or why has he not a garden whereof he may eat'') (25:7-8)

﴿ وَمَا كَانُواْ خَـٰلِدِينَ ﴾

(nor were they immortals) meaning, in this world; on the contrary, they lived, then they died.

﴿ وَمَا جَعَلۡنَا لِبَشَرٍ۬ مِّن قَبۡلِكَ ٱلۡخُلۡدَ‌ۖ ﴾

(And We granted not to any human being immortality before you) (21:34) But what distinguished them from others was that they received revelation from Allah, and the angels brought down to them from Allah His rulings concerning His creation, what He commanded and what He prohibited.

﴿ ثُمَّ صَدَقۡنَـٰهُمُ ٱلۡوَعۡدَ ﴾

Then We fulfilled to them the promise. the promise that their Lord made to destroy the evildoers. Allah fulfilled His promise and did that. He says:

﴿ فَأَنجَيۡنَـٰهُمۡ وَمَن نَّشَآءُ ﴾

(So We saved them and those whom We willed,) meaning, their followers among the believers,

﴿ وَأَهۡلَڪۡنَا ٱلۡمُسۡرِفِينَ ﴾

(but We destroyed Al-Musrifin.) meaning, those who disbelieved the Message brought by the Messengers.

﴿ لَقَدۡ أَنزَلۡنَآ إِلَيۡكُمۡ ڪِتَـٰبً۬ا فِيهِ ذِكۡرُكُمۡ‌ۖ أَفَلَا تَعۡقِلُونَ • وَكَمۡ قَصَمۡنَا مِن قَرۡيَةٍ۬ كَانَتۡ ظَالِمَةً۬ وَأَنشَأۡنَا بَعۡدَهَا قَوۡمًا ءَاخَرِينَ • فَلَمَّآ أَحَسُّواْ بَأۡسَنَآ إِذَا هُم مِّنۡہَا يَرۡكُضُونَ • لَا تَرۡكُضُواْ وَٱرۡجِعُوٓاْ إِلَىٰ مَآ أُتۡرِفۡتُمۡ فِيهِ وَمَسَـٰكِنِكُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تُسۡـَٔلُونَ • قَالُواْ يَـٰوَيۡلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَـٰلِمِينَ • فَمَا زَالَت تِّلۡكَ دَعۡوَٮٰهُمۡ حَتَّىٰ جَعَلۡنَـٰهُمۡ حَصِيدًا خَـٰمِدِينَ ﴾

(10. Indeed, We have sent down for you a Book in which there is Dhikrukum. Will you not then understand) (11. How many a town given to wrongdoing, have We destroyed, and raised up after them another people!) (12. Then, when they sensed Our torment, behold, they (tried to) flee from it.) (13. Flee not, but return to that wherein you lived a luxurious life, and to your homes, in order that you may be questioned.) (14. They cried: "Woe to us! Certainly we have been wrongdoers.'') (15. And that cry of theirs ceased not, till We made them as a field that is reaped, extinct.)

12

فَلَمَّآ أَحَسُّواْ بَأۡسَنَآ إِذَا هُم مِّنۡہَا يَرۡكُضُونَ

And when its inhabitants perceived Our punishment, at once they fled from it.