Surah Al Anbiya Tafseer

The Messengers are no more than Human Beings

Here Allah refutes those who denied that human Messengers could be sent:

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ إِلاَّ رِجَالاً نُّوحِي إِلَيْهِمْ

And We sent not before you but men to whom We revealed.

meaning, all the Messengers who came before you were men, human beings. There were no angels among them.

This is like the Ayat:

وَمَأ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلاَّ رِجَالاً نُّوحِى إِلَيْهِمْ مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَى

And We sent not before you any but men unto whom We revealed, from among the people of townships. (12:109)

قُلْ مَا كُنتُ بِدْعاً مِّنَ الرُّسُلِ

Say:"I am not a new thing among the Messengers... (46:9)

Allah tells us that the previous nations denied that and said:

أَبَشَرٌ يَهْدُونَنَا

"Shall mere men guide us!" (64:6)

So Allah says here:

فَاسْأَلُواْ أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

So ask the people of the Reminder if you do not know.

meaning, ask the people of knowledge among the nations such as the Jews and Christians and other groups:`were the Messengers who came to you human beings or angels!' Indeed they were human beings.

This is a part of the perfect blessing of Allah towards His creation:He sent to them Messengers from among themselves so that they could receive the Message from them and learn from them