وَلَوْ جَعَلْنَـٰهُ مَلَكًا لَّجَعَلْنَـٰهُ رَجُلًا وَلَلَبَسْنَا عَلَيْهِم مَّا يَلْبِسُونَ 9
Translations
And if We had made him [i.e., the messenger] an angel, We would have made him [appear as] a man, and We would have covered them with that in which they cover themselves [i.e., confusion and doubt].
Transliteration
Wa law ja'alnahu malakan laja'alnahu rajulan wa lalbas'na 'alayhim ma yalbisun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses the disbelievers' demand that the Prophet Muhammad be an angel instead of a human messenger. The verse explains that even if Allah had sent an angel as a messenger, He would have made him appear in human form, thereby creating the same confusion among the people. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this demonstrates the wisdom of sending human messengers—communication and understanding between messenger and people requires shared human nature, and the fundamental obstacle of disbelievers would remain regardless of the messenger's form.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-An'am's broader response to Meccan objections against the Prophet's prophethood. The disbelievers challenged why Muhammad was human rather than an angel, and this surah systematically addresses their skepticism. This particular ayah is situated within a passage (6:8-9) that refutes the logical fallacy of rejecting a human messenger.
Related Hadiths
Related to Hadith in Sahih Bukhari (3440) where the Prophet mentioned that prophets before him were also sent as humans. Also thematically related to the hadith about the Quraysh's objections to the Prophet's humanity, recorded in various collections including Sunan Ibn Majah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that rejection of truth often stems from spiritual blindness rather than logical reasoning—disbelievers would find fault regardless of the form a messenger takes. It reminds believers that prophets are necessarily human to bridge the divine and human realms, and that criticism of the Prophet's humanity reflects the critic's own spiritual confusion rather than a valid objection.