Surat Al-Mu’minun Verse No. 24: Reading and listening
Translation of the verse 24 from Surah Al-Mu’minun : Number of verses 118 - - page 343 - Part 18.
﴾فَقَالَ ٱلۡمَلَؤُاْ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِن قَوۡمِهِۦ مَا هَٰذَآ إِلَّا بَشَرٞ مِّثۡلُكُمۡ يُرِيدُ أَن يَتَفَضَّلَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَلَوۡ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَأَنزَلَ مَلَٰٓئِكَةٗ مَّا سَمِعۡنَا بِهَٰذَا فِيٓ ءَابَآئِنَا ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ ﴿
[ المؤمنون: 24]
But the chiefs of those who disbelieved among his people said: "He is no more than a human being like you, he seeks to make himself superior to you. Had Allah willed, He surely could have sent down angels; never did we hear such a thing among our fathers of old.
English - Sahih International
But the eminent among those who disbelieved from his people said, "This is not but a man like yourselves who wishes to take precedence over you; and if Allah had willed [to send a messenger], He would have sent down angels. We have not heard of this among our forefathers.
Tafheem-ul-Quran by Syed Abu-al-A'la Maududi
(23:24) Are you not afraid (of shirk"? *25 Those of the chiefs of his people, who had rejected his Message, said, "This person is no more than a human being like yourselves. *26 By this, he merely intends to obtain superiority over you. *27 Had Allah willed, He would have sent down angels.27a Since the time of our forefathers we have never heard (that a human being came as a Messenger).
Tafheem-ul-Quran by Syed Abu-al-A'la Maududi
*25) That is, "Are you not afraid that if you set up partners and associates with Allah, Who is the real Sovereign, and worship and submit to them, you shall incur His wrath and punishment ?"
*26) There has been a common deviation that "a human being cannot be a Prophet, and a Prophet cannot be a human being." That is why the Qur`an has refuted this wrong conception over and over again, and has stated forcefully that all the Prophets were human beings and that a human being only could be sent as a Prophet to human beings. For details, see AI-A`araf (VII,): 63, 69, Yunus (X): 2, Hud (XI): 27-31, Yusuf (XII): 109, Ar-Ra`d (XIII): 38, Ibrahim (XIV): 10-11, An-Nahl (XVI): 43, Bani Isra'il (XVII): 94-95, Al-Kahf (XVIII): 110, Al-Anbiya' (XXI): 3, 34, Al-Mu'minun (XXIII): 33-34, 47, Al-Furqan (XXV): 7, 20, AshShu'ara` (XXVI): 154, 186, Ya Sin (XXXVI): 15, Ha Mim Sajdah (XLl): 6 along with the relevant E.N.'s.
*27) This accusation is another old objection, which has always been raised against those who tried to reform their people. Their opponents always accused them of exploiting "religion" to gain domination in the land. Prophets Moses, Aaron and Jesus were accused of the same and so was Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him). So much so that the disbelievers of Makkah offered to make the Holy Prophet their king, if he gave up his Message.
As a matter of fact, the people who exhaust themselves in pursuit of worldly benefits and gains, cannot believe that somebody in this world could also exert himself sincerely and selflessly for the sake of human welfare. They regard deceptive slogans, which they raise to capture power, and false promises, which they make day and night to bring about reforms as natural. They think that sincerity and selflessness can be employed only to deceive people and these cannot be put to any better use. That is why the epithet of "power hungry" for the reformers in all ages has been used by those already in power as if their own power and domination in the land was their birth-right, and they were in no way blame-worthy for struggling for it and achieving it. (For further explanation, see E.N. 36 below)
In this connection, it should also be noted that all those, who try to reform the prevalent corrupt system of life, have inevitably to fight against those in, power in order to establish the righteous system. That is why the powers that be, have always been against the Prophets and their followers, who had to dislodge the corrupt rulers. It is, however, obvious that here is a vast difference between those who want power to gain their own selfish ends and those who want it to reform their people.
27a. This is a clear proof of the fact that Noah's people were not disbelievers in the existence of God nor did they reject Him as Lord of the universe and the angels as His obedient servants. They were only guilty of shirk: they had set up other deities as partners in God's attributes and powers and rights.