۞ وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ لِقَآءَنَا لَوْلَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ أَوْ نَرَىٰ رَبَّنَا ۗ لَقَدِ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ فِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَعَتَوْ عُتُوًّا كَبِيرًا 21
Translations
And those who do not expect the meeting with Us say, "Why were not angels sent down to us, or [why] do we [not] see our Lord?" They have certainly become arrogant within themselves and [become] insolent with great insolence.
Transliteration
Wa qalal ladhīna lā yarjūna liqāanā law lā unzila alaynā al-malāikatu aw narā rabbānā. Laqad istakbarū fī anfusihim wa ʿataw ʿutuwwan kabīrā.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah condemns the arrogance of disbelievers who demand impossible signs—the descent of angels or a direct vision of Allah—as conditions for believing, demonstrating their stubborn rejection of the clear evidence already provided. Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari explain that such demands reflect profound spiritual sickness and rebellion (ʿutuw) against Allah's wisdom, as these believers refuse to accept the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and the Qur'an itself as sufficient miracles. The ayah emphasizes that their obstinacy stems not from rational doubt but from arrogance and haughtiness within their souls.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Furqan, a Meccan chapter addressing the objections and demands of Quraysh disbelievers. The broader context discusses various false claims and unreasonable demands made by those who rejected the Prophet's message, reflecting the historical opposition faced during the early Meccan period.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The most hateful of people to Allah are three: a man who commits sin in the Sacred Mosque, a man who seeks the reward of the Days of Ignorance in Islam, and a man who sheds blood unlawfully' (Sahih Bukhari). More thematically, the hadith in Muslim: 'Arrogance is rejecting the truth and despising people' illustrates the spiritual disease described in this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that true faith requires accepting the signs Allah has already provided rather than making arrogant, impossible demands; our spiritual progress depends on humility and openness to guidance, not on insisting that the Divine conform to our expectations.
Related Ayahs
إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَـٰلِحًا فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ ٱللَّهُ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمْ حَسَنَـٰتٍ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allāh will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allāh Forgiving and Merciful.
۞ وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى مَرَجَ ٱلْبَحْرَيْنِ هَـٰذَا عَذْبٌ فُرَاتٌ وَهَـٰذَا مِلْحٌ أُجَاجٌ وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخًا وَحِجْرًا مَّحْجُورًا
And it is He who has released [simultaneously] the two seas [i.e., bodies of water], one fresh and sweet and one salty and bitter, and He placed between them a barrier and prohibiting partition.
يَـٰوَيْلَتَىٰ لَيْتَنِى لَمْ أَتَّخِذْ فُلَانًا خَلِيلًا
Oh, woe to me! I wish I had not taken that one as a friend.
أَوْ يُلْقَىٰٓ إِلَيْهِ كَنزٌ أَوْ تَكُونُ لَهُۥ جَنَّةٌ يَأْكُلُ مِنْهَا ۚ وَقَالَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ إِن تَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا رَجُلًا مَّسْحُورًا
Or [why is not] a treasure presented to him [from heaven], or does he [not] have a garden from which he eats?" And the wrongdoers say, "You follow not but a man affected by magic."