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Ayah
Word by Word
قَالَتۡ
Said
رُسُلُهُمۡ
their Messengers
أَفِي
Can (there) be about
ٱللَّهِ
Allah
شَكّٞ
any doubt
فَاطِرِ
(the) Creator
ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ
(of) the heavens
وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۖ
and the earth
يَدۡعُوكُمۡ
He invites you
لِيَغۡفِرَ
so that He may forgive
لَكُم
for you
مِّن
[of]
ذُنُوبِكُمۡ
your sins
وَيُؤَخِّرَكُمۡ
and give you respite
إِلَىٰٓ
for
أَجَلٖ
a term
مُّسَمّٗىۚ
appointed
قَالُوٓاْ
They said
إِنۡ
Not
أَنتُمۡ
you
إِلَّا
(are) but
بَشَرٞ
a human
مِّثۡلُنَا
like us
تُرِيدُونَ
you wish
أَن
to
تَصُدُّونَا
hinder us
عَمَّا
from what
كَانَ
used to
يَعۡبُدُ
worship
ءَابَآؤُنَا
our forefathers
فَأۡتُونَا
So bring us
بِسُلۡطَٰنٖ
an authority
مُّبِينٖ
clear
قَالَتۡ
Said
رُسُلُهُمۡ
their Messengers
أَفِي
Can (there) be about
ٱللَّهِ
Allah
شَكّٞ
any doubt
فَاطِرِ
(the) Creator
ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ
(of) the heavens
وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۖ
and the earth
يَدۡعُوكُمۡ
He invites you
لِيَغۡفِرَ
so that He may forgive
لَكُم
for you
مِّن
[of]
ذُنُوبِكُمۡ
your sins
وَيُؤَخِّرَكُمۡ
and give you respite
إِلَىٰٓ
for
أَجَلٖ
a term
مُّسَمّٗىۚ
appointed
قَالُوٓاْ
They said
إِنۡ
Not
أَنتُمۡ
you
إِلَّا
(are) but
بَشَرٞ
a human
مِّثۡلُنَا
like us
تُرِيدُونَ
you wish
أَن
to
تَصُدُّونَا
hinder us
عَمَّا
from what
كَانَ
used to
يَعۡبُدُ
worship
ءَابَآؤُنَا
our forefathers
فَأۡتُونَا
So bring us
بِسُلۡطَٰنٖ
an authority
مُّبِينٖ
clear
Translation
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]."
Tafsir
Their messengers said, 'Can there be doubt concerning God (an interrogative meant as a denial), in other words, there can be no doubt concerning His Oneness, given the manifest proofs of it, the Originator, the Creator, of the skies and the earth? He calls you, to obedience of Him, so that He might forgive you your sins (min dhunoobikum: min is extra, since through submission [to the One God] all that may have been committed previously is forgiven (or else it [min, 'some of'] is partitive, intended to state that [forgiveness] which is due to [God's] servants) and defer you, without chastisement, to an appointed term', the term of death. They said, 'You are but mortals like us, desiring to bar us from that which our fathers used to worship, in the way of idols. So bring us a clear warrant', a manifest argument demonstrating your truthfulness.
"The Argument between the Prophets and the Disbelievers
Allah says:
قَالَتْ رُسُلُهُمْ
Their Messengers said:
Allah narrates to us the arguments that ensued between the disbelievers and their Messengers. When their nations doubted the Message of worshipping Allah alone without partners, the Messengers said,
أَفِي اللّهِ شَكٌّ
(What!) Can there be a doubt about Allah...
about His Lordship and having the exclusive right to be worshipped alone, being the only Creator of all creatures!
فَاطِرِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالَارْضِ
the Creator of the heavens and the earth!
Verily, none besides Allah is worthy of worship, alone without partners with Him. Most nations were, and still are, affirming the existence of the Creator, but they call upon intermediaries besides Him whom they think will benefit them or bring them closer to Allah.
Their Messengers said to them,
يَدْعُوكُمْ لِيَغْفِرَ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمْ
He calls you that He may forgive you of your sins, (in the Hereafter),
وَيُوَخِّرَكُمْ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُّسَـمًّى
and give you respite for a term appointed,
in this worldly life.
Allah said in other Ayat,
وَأَنِ اسْتَغْفِرُواْ رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُواْ إِلَيْهِ يُمَتِّعْكُمْ مَّتَاعًا حَسَنًا إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى وَيُوْتِ كُلَّ ذِي فَضْلٍ فَضْلَهُ
Seek the forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him in repentance, that He may grant you good enjoyment, for a term appointed, and bestow His abounding grace to every owner of grace. (10:3)
However, their nations went on arguing against their Prophethood, after they had to submit to the first evidence (that Allah Alone created everything).
Disbelievers reject Prophethood because the Messengers were Humans!
Their nations said,
قَالُواْ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا
They said:""You are no more than human beings like us!
so why should we follow you just because you say so, even though we did not witness a miracle by your hands,
تُرِيدُونَ أَن تَصُدُّونَا عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ ابَأوُنَا
You wish to turn us away from what our fathers used to worship.
فَأْتُونَا بِسُلْطَانٍ مُّبِينٍ
Then bring us a clear authority.
i.e. a miracle of our choice
قَالَتْ لَهُمْ رُسُلُهُمْ إِن نَّحْنُ إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ
Their Messengers said to them:""We are no more than human beings like you...""
affirming that truly, they were only human being like their nations,
وَلَـكِنَّ اللّهَ يَمُنُّ عَلَى مَن يَشَاء مِنْ عِبَادِهِ
but Allah bestows His grace to whom He wills of His servants,
with Prophethood and Messengership which is His choice,
وَمَا كَانَ لَنَا أَن نَّأْتِيَكُم بِسُلْطَانٍ
It is not ours to bring you an authority,
according to your choice,
إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِ اللّهِ
except by the permission of Allah,
after we beg Him and He provides us with a miracle,
وَعلَى اللّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُوْمِنُونَ
And in Allah (alone) let the believers put their trust.
in all their affairs.
Their Messengers said to them next
وَمَا لَنَا أَلاَّ نَتَوَكَّلَ عَلَى اللّهِ
And why should we not put our trust in Allah,
after He had guided us to the best, most clear and plain way,
وَقَدْ هَدَانَا سُبُلَنَا
while He indeed has guided us in our ways!
وَلَنَصْبِرَنَّ عَلَى مَا اذَيْتُمُونَا
And we shall certainly bear with patience all the hurt you may cause us,
such as foolish actions and abusive statements,
وَعَلَى اللّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُتَوَكِّلُونَ
and in Allah (alone) let those who trust, put their trust."
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