Quran 23:24

Surah Al-Muminoon, Verse 24

Juz 18 · Page 343 · Ruku 296 · Meccan

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

Word by word

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

Transliteration

Faqala almalao allatheenakafaroo min qawmihi ma hatha illa basharunmithlukum yureedu an yatafaddala AAalaykum walaw shaaAllahu laanzala mala-ikatan ma samiAAnabihatha fee aba-ina al-awwaleen

Translations

Pickthall — Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

But the chieftains of his folk, who disbelieved, said: This is only a mortal like you who would make himself superior to you. Had Allah willed, He surely could have sent down angels. We heard not of this in the case of our fathers of old.

Yusuf Ali — Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The chiefs of the Unbelievers among his people said: "He is no more than a man like yourselves: his wish is to assert his superiority over you: if Allah had wished (to send messengers), He could have sent down angels; never did we hear such a thing (as he says), among our ancestors of old."

تفسير ابن كثير — Ismail ibn Kathir

فقال الملأ وهم السادة والأكابر منهم : ( ما هذا إلا بشر مثلكم يريد أن يتفضل عليكم ) يعنون : يترفع عليكم ويتعاظم بدعوى النبوة ، وهو بشر مثلكم . فكيف أوحي إليه دونكم؟ ( ولو شاء الله لأنزل ملائكة ) أي : لو أراد أن يبعث نبيا ، لبعث ملكا من عنده ولم يكن بشرا! ( ما سمعنا بهذا ) أي : ببعثة البشر في آبائنا الأولين . يعنون بهذا أسلافهم وأجدادهم والأمم الماضية .