وَمَا مَنَعَ ٱلنَّاسَ أَن يُؤْمِنُوٓا۟ إِذْ جَآءَهُمُ ٱلْهُدَىٰٓ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُوٓا۟ أَبَعَثَ ٱللَّهُ بَشَرًا رَّسُولًا 94
Translations
And what prevented the people from believing when guidance came to them except that they said, "Has Allāh sent a human messenger?"
Transliteration
Wa mā mana'a an-nāsa an yu'minū idh jā'ahum al-hudā illā an qālū a-ba'atha Allāhu basharun rasūlā
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses the disbelievers' primary objection to Prophet Muhammad's message: their refusal to accept that Allah would send a human being as a messenger. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi explain that the disbelievers' arrogance and worldly attachments prevented them from accepting guidance, and they used the humanity of the messenger as a pretext for rejection. The ayah emphasizes that their resistance to faith stemmed not from rational objection but from spiritual blindness and pride, as they expected something extraordinary rather than submitting to divine wisdom.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-Isra, which discusses various aspects of disbelief and rejection of the message. It specifically addresses the Meccan pagans' common objection during the early Islamic period—their incredulity that Allah would choose a human messenger rather than an angel. This reflects the historical resistance the Prophet faced from his own people in Mecca.
Related Hadiths
Related to the theme of rejecting the human messenger: Sahih Muslim includes reports of how the disbelievers said, 'Why was not an angel sent down with him?' (referenced in Quran 6:8). Also relevant is the general hadith tradition in Sahih Bukhari regarding the rejection of the message by those who expected something other than what Allah sent.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that true belief requires humility and submission to divine wisdom rather than insisting on our own expectations of how guidance should come. It reminds modern believers that obstacles to faith often originate from ego and attachment to worldly status rather than from rational objections, encouraging introspection about what prevents us from deeper spiritual commitment.