Surah Al An'am Tafseer

Censuring the Rebellious and their Refusal to Accept Human Messengers

Allah describes the rebellion and stubbornness of the idolators in defying the truth and arguing against it,

وَلَوْ نَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ كِتَابًا فِي قِرْطَاسٍ فَلَمَسُوهُ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ

And even if We had sent down unto you a Message written on paper so that they could touch it with their hands,

meaning, if they saw this Message's descent and were eye-witnesses to that,

لَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ إِنْ هَـذَا إِلاَّ سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ

the disbelievers would have said:"This is nothing but obvious magic!"

This is similar to Allah's description of the disbelievers' defiance of facts and truth,

وَلَوْ فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَاباً مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ فَظَلُّواْ فِيهِ يَعْرُجُونَ

لَقَالُواْ إِنَّمَا سُكِّرَتْ أَبْصَـرُنَا بَلْ نَحْنُ قَوْمٌ مَّسْحُورُونَ

And even if We opened to them a gate from the heaven and they were to continue ascending thereto. They would surely say:"Our eyes have been (as if) dazzled. Nay, we are a people bewitched." (15:14-15)

and,

وَإِن يَرَوْاْ كِسْفاً مِّنَ السَّمَأءِ سَـقِطاً يَقُولُواْ سَحَـبٌ مَّرْكُومٌ

And if they were to see a piece of the heaven falling down, they would say, "Clouds gathered in heaps!" (52:44