Surah Yasin Tafseer

قَالُوا مَا أَنتُمْ إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا

They said:"You are only human beings like ourselves..."

means, `so how could you receive revelation when you are human beings and we are human beings, so why do we not receive revelation like you If you are Messengers, you should be angels.'

This is like what many of the nations said who disbelieved, as Allah has told us in the Ayah:

ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُ كَانَت تَّأْتِيهِمْ رُسُلُهُم بِالْبَيِّنَـتِ فَقَالُواْ أَبَشَرٌ يَهْدُونَنَا

That was because there came to them their Messengers with clear proofs, but they said:"Shall mere men guide us!" (64:6)

meaning that they were amazed by that and they denied it.

And Allah says:

قَالُواْ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا تُرِيدُونَ أَن تَصُدُّونَا عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ ءَابَأوُنَا فَأْتُونَا بِسُلْطَـنٍ مُّبِينٍ

They said:"You are no more than human beings like us! You wish to turn us away from what our fathers used to worship. Then bring us a clear authority." (14:10)

And Allah tells us that they said:

وَلَيِنْ أَطَعْتُمْ بَشَراً مِّثْلَكُمْ إِنَّكُمْ إِذاً لَّخَـسِرُونَ

"If you were to obey a human being like yourselves, then verily, you indeed would be losers." (23:34)

And Allah says:

وَمَا مَنَعَ النَّاسَ أَن يُوْمِنُواْ إِذْ جَأءَهُمُ الْهُدَى إِلاَّ أَن قَالُواْ أَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ بَشَرًا رَّسُولاً

And nothing prevented men from believing when the guidance came to them, except that they said:"Has Allah sent a man as (His) Messenger!" (17:94)

These people said:

قَالُوا مَا أَنتُمْ إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا وَمَا أَنزَلَ الرَّحْمن مِن شَيْءٍ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلاَّ تَكْذِبُونَ

قَالُوا رَبُّنَا يَعْلَمُ إِنَّا إِلَيْكُمْ لَمُرْسَلُونَ