Never did We send a message before you but through a man, whom We inspired. If you do not know, then ask the keepers of the oracles of God.
And We did not send (Prophets) before you except men, to whom We sent divine revelations – therefore, O people, ask the people of knowledge if you do not know.
And We sent none before thee, but men to whom We made revelation -- question the People of the Remembrance, if you do not know --
For [even] before thy time, [O Muhammad,] We never sent [as Our apostles] any but [mortal] men, whom We inspired - hence, [tell the deniers of the truth,] “If you do not know this, ask the followers of earlier revelation”
And We sent not before thee but men unto whom We revealed; so ask the people of the Admonition if ye know not.
And We sent not before you (O Muhammad SAW) but men to whom We inspired, so ask the people of the Reminder [Scriptures - the Taurat (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel)] if you do not know.
We did not send before you except men, whom We inspired. Ask the people of knowledge, if you do not know.
(O Muhammad), even before you We never sent any other than human beings as Messengers, and to them We sent revelation. Ask the People of the Book if you do not know.
And We sent not before you but men to whom We revealed. So ask the people of the Reminder if you do not know.
And We sent not (as Our messengers) before thee other than men, whom We inspired. Ask the followers of the Reminder if ye know not?
We did not send [any apostles] before you except as men to whom We revealed. Ask the People of the Reminder if you do not know.
We never sent (anyone) before you except men to whom We revealed to them. 'Ask the people of the Remembrance if you do not know'
And We sent not before you, [O Muhammad], except men to whom We revealed [the message], so ask the people of the message if you do not know.
The messengers that We had sent before you were only men to whom We had given revelation. Ask the People of the Book if you do not know.
And We did not send before you any but men to whom We sent revelation, so ask the followers of the reminder if you do not
Wam<u>a</u> arsaln<u>a</u> qablaka ill<u>a</u> rij<u>a</u>lan noo<u>h</u>ee ilayhim fa<b>i</b>saloo ahla a<b>l</b><u>thth</u>ikri in kuntum l<u>a</u> taAAlamoon<b>a</b>
The messengers We sent before you were but men whom We had sent revelations. Ask the People of the Book if you do not know this --
Before thee, also, the messengers We sent were but men, to whom We granted inspiration: If ye realise this not, ask of those who possess the Message.
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًا نُّوحِىٓ إِلَيْهِمْ فَسْـَٔلُوٓا۟ أَهْلَ ٱلذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
And I did not send before you, O Messenger, except men amongst humans to whom I would send revelation. I did not send them as angels, so ask the People of the Book before you if you do not know this.
And I did not send before you, O Messenger, except men amongst humans to whom I would send revelation. I did not send them as angels, so ask the People of the Book before you if you do not know this.
<p>فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ‌ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ (So, ask the people (having the knowledge) of the message, if you do not know. - 21:7) In this verse, scholars of Injil Evangele) and Torah are referred to as أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ‌ (people of the message), who had accepted the Holy Prophet's prophethood. Therefore, what it actually means is that if you are not aware whether the prophets of the past were angels or ordinary men then you should find out from the scholars of Injil and Torah as they know perfectly well that all prophets were human beings. It is, therefore, quite possible that here the term اَھلَ :(people of the message) refers to all Jews and Christians (even though they have not believed in the Holy prophethood of the Holy Prophet ﷺ).</p><p>Ruling: Qurtubi has said in his exegesis that this verse has made it clear that ignorant persons who are not acquainted with the rules of Shari'ah must seek knowledge from scholars and then follow them accordingly.</p>
فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ‌ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ (So, ask the people (having the knowledge) of the message, if you do not know. - 21:7) In this verse, scholars of Injil Evangele) and Torah are referred to as أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ‌ (people of the message), who had accepted the Holy Prophet's prophethood. Therefore, what it actually means is that if you are not aware whether the prophets of the past were angels or ordinary men then you should find out from the scholars of Injil and Torah as they know perfectly well that all prophets were human beings. It is, therefore, quite possible that here the term اَھلَ :(people of the message) refers to all Jews and Christians (even though they have not believed in the Holy prophethood of the Holy Prophet ﷺ).Ruling: Qurtubi has said in his exegesis that this verse has made it clear that ignorant persons who are not acquainted with the rules of Shari'ah must seek knowledge from scholars and then follow them accordingly.
<h2 class="title">The Messengers are no more than Human Beings</h2><p>Here Allah refutes those who denied that human Messengers could be sent:</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ إِلاَّ رِجَالاً نُّوحِى إِلَيْهِمْ</div><p>(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:</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلاَّ رِجَالاً نُّوحِى إِلَيْهِمْ مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَى</div><p>(And We sent not before you any but men unto whom We revealed, from among the people of townships) 12:109</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">قُلْ مَا كُنتُ بِدْعاً مِّنَ الرُّسُلِ</div><p>(Say: "I am not a new thing among the Messengers...) 46:9 Allah tells us that the previous nations denied that and said:</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">أَبَشَرٌ يَهْدُونَنَا</div><p>("Shall mere men guide us") 64:6. So Allah says here:</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">فَاسْأَلُواْ أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنْتُم لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ</div><p>(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.</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَمَا جَعَلْنَـهُمْ جَسَداً لاَّ يَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ</div><p>(And We did not place them in bodies that did not eat food...) meaning, rather they had bodies that ate food, as Allah says:</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلاَّ إِنَّهُمْ لَيَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشُونَ فِى الاٌّسْوَاقِ</div><p>(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.</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">مَا لِهَـذَا الرَّسُولِ يَأْكُلُ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشِى فِى الاٌّسْوَاقِ لَوْلا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مَلَكٌ فَيَكُونَ مَعَهُ نَذِيراًأَوْ يُلْقَى إِلَيْهِ كَنْزٌ أَوْ تَكُونُ لَهُ جَنَّةٌ يَأْكُلُ مِنْهَا</div><p>(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</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَمَا كَانُواْ خَـلِدِينَ</div><p>(nor were they immortals) meaning, in this world; on the contrary, they lived, then they died.</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَمَا جَعَلْنَا لِبَشَرٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ الْخُلْدَ</div><p>(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.</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">ثُمَّ صَدَقْنَـهُمُ الْوَعْدَ</div><p>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:</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">فَأَنجَيْنَـهُمْ وَمَن نَّشَآءُ</div><p>(So We saved them and those whom We willed,) meaning, their followers among the believers,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَأَهْلَكْنَا الْمُسْرفِينَ</div><p>(but We destroyed Al-Musrifin.) meaning, those who disbelieved the Message brought by the Messengers.</p>
The Messengers are no more than Human BeingsHere Allah refutes those who denied that human Messengers could be sent:وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ إِلاَّ رِجَالاً نُّوحِى إِلَيْهِمْ(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 أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلاَّ رِجَالاً نُّوحِى إِلَيْهِمْ مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَى(And We sent not before you any but men unto whom We revealed, from among the people of townships) 12:109قُلْ مَا كُنتُ بِدْعاً مِّنَ الرُّسُلِ(Say: "I am not a new thing among the Messengers...) 46:9 Allah tells us that the previous nations denied that and said:أَبَشَرٌ يَهْدُونَنَا("Shall mere men guide us") 64:6. So Allah says here:فَاسْأَلُواْ أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنْتُم لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ(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 جَعَلْنَـهُمْ جَسَداً لاَّ يَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ(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 أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلاَّ إِنَّهُمْ لَيَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشُونَ فِى الاٌّسْوَاقِ(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.مَا لِهَـذَا الرَّسُولِ يَأْكُلُ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشِى فِى الاٌّسْوَاقِ لَوْلا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مَلَكٌ فَيَكُونَ مَعَهُ نَذِيراًأَوْ يُلْقَى إِلَيْهِ كَنْزٌ أَوْ تَكُونُ لَهُ جَنَّةٌ يَأْكُلُ مِنْهَا(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") 25:7-8وَمَا كَانُواْ خَـلِدِينَ(nor were they immortals) meaning, in this world; on the contrary, they lived, then they died.وَمَا جَعَلْنَا لِبَشَرٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ الْخُلْدَ(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 صَدَقْنَـهُمُ الْوَعْدَThen 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:فَأَنجَيْنَـهُمْ وَمَن نَّشَآءُ(So We saved them and those whom We willed,) meaning, their followers among the believers,وَأَهْلَكْنَا الْمُسْرفِينَ(but We destroyed Al-Musrifin.) meaning, those who disbelieved the Message brought by the Messengers.