۞ قَالَتْ رُسُلُهُمْ أَفِى ٱللَّهِ شَكٌّ فَاطِرِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ يَدْعُوكُمْ لِيَغْفِرَ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمْ وَيُؤَخِّرَكُمْ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ۚ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا تُرِيدُونَ أَن تَصُدُّونَا عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ ءَابَآؤُنَا فَأْتُونَا بِسُلْطَـٰنٍ مُّبِينٍ 10
Translations
Their messengers said, "Can there be doubt about Allāh, Creator of the heavens and earth? He invites you that He may forgive you of your sins, and He delays you [i.e., your death] for a specified term." They said, "You are not but men like us who wish to avert us from what our fathers were worshipping. So bring us a clear authority [i.e., evidence]."
Transliteration
Qalat rusuluhum afi-llahi shakkun fatiri-s-samawati wa-l-ardi yadʿukum liyaghfira lakum min dhunubikum wa-yuʾakhkhirakum ila ajalin musammā. Qalu in antum illa basharun mithluna tureeduna an tasduduna ʿamma kana yaʿbudu abaʾuna faʾtuna bi-sultanin mubīn.
Tafsir (Explanation)
The messengers of the respective nations respond to their people's rejection by questioning how there can be doubt concerning Allah, the Creator of the heavens and earth, who calls them toward forgiveness and respite until their appointed term. The disbelievers counter with the argument that the messengers are merely human beings like themselves seeking to divert them from their ancestral worship, demanding clear proof (sultan mubīn) for their message. This exchange illustrates the fundamental tension between faith and human pride, where the disbelievers conflate the messenger's humanity with a lack of divine authority, a refutation Ibn Kathir notes appears throughout the Quran.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Ibrahim (Meccan period), which addresses the patterns of rejection messengers face across generations. The surah presents a dialogue between messengers and their peoples, depicting the repeated cycle of divine guidance being rejected due to tribal customs and the demand for miraculous proof. This particular exchange reflects the historical resistance faced by the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and earlier messengers when calling their nations to monotheism.
Related Hadiths
The principle is reflected in the hadith: 'The most hated person to Allah is a stubborn opponent in falsehood' (reported in various collections). Related thematically is the hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet (ﷺ) stated that the signs and miracles were given to prove prophethood, yet people still disbelieved.
Themes
Key Lesson
True faith requires recognizing Allah's oneness and authority over creation beyond superficial objections based on a messenger's human nature; the ultimate proof lies in the message itself and one's openness to truth, not in dismissing guidance due to pride or attachment to inherited customs.