Ad-Dahhak said, reporting from Ibn `Abbas: "When Allah sent Muhammad as a
Messenger, the Arabs, or some of them, denied him and said, `Allah is too great
to send a human being as a Messenger.' Then Allah revealed:
[أَكَانَ لِلنَّاسِ
عَجَبًا أَنْ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَى رَجُلٍ مِّنْهُمْ أَنْ أَنذِرِ النَّاسَ]
(Is it a wonder to people that We have sent Our Inspiration to a man from
among themselves (saying): "Warn mankind...'') and He said,
[وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا
مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلاَّ رِجَالاً نُّوحِى إِلَيْهِمْ فَاسْأَلُواْ أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ
إِن كُنْتُم لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ ]
(And We sent not (as Our Messengers) before you (O Muhammad) any but men,
whom We sent Revelation. So ask Ahl Adh-Dhikr, if you know not.). meaning, (ask)
the people of the previous Books, were the Messengers that were sent to them
humans or angels If they were angels, then you have the right to find this
strange, but if they were human, then you have no grounds to deny that Muhammad
is a Messenger. Allah says:
[وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا
مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلاَّ رِجَالاً نُّوحِى إِلَيْهِمْ مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَى]
(And We sent not before you (as Messengers) any but men to whom We revealed,
from among the people of townships. ) [12:109] and not from among the people of
heaven as you say.'' It was reported by Mujahid from Ibn `Abbas that what is
meant by Ahl Adh-Dhikr is the People of the Book. This is as Allah says:
[أَوْ يَكُونَ لَكَ
بَيْتٌ مِّن زُخْرُفٍ أَوْ تَرْقَى فِى السَّمَآءِ وَلَن نُّؤْمِنَ لِرُقِيِّكَ
حَتَّى تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنَا كِتَابًا نَّقْرَءُهُ قُلْ سُبْحَـنَ رَبِّى هَلْ كُنتُ
إَلاَّ بَشَرًا رَّسُولاً - وَمَا مَنَعَ النَّاسَ أَن يُؤْمِنُواْ إِذْ جَآءَهُمُ
الْهُدَى إِلاَّ أَن قَالُواْ أَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ بَشَرًا رَّسُولاً ]
(Say: "Glorified be my Lord! Am I anything but a man, sent as a Messenger''
And nothing prevented men from believing when the guidance came to them, except
that they said: "Has Allah sent a man as (His) Messenger'') (17:93-94)
[وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا
قَبْلَكَ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلاَّ إِنَّهُمْ لَيَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ
وَيَمْشُونَ فِى الاٌّسْوَاقِ]
(And We never sent before you (O Muhammad) any of the Messengers but verily,
they ate food and walked in the markets.) (25:20)
[وَمَا جَعَلْنَـهُمْ
جَسَداً لاَّ يَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ وَمَا كَانُواْ خَـلِدِينَ ]
(And We did not create them (the Messengers, with) bodies that did not eat
food, nor were they immortals.)(21:8)
[قُلْ مَا كُنتُ
بِدْعاً مِّنَ الرُّسُلِ]
(Say (O Muhammad ): "I am not a new thing among the Messengers. '') [46:9],
[قُلْ إِنَّمَآ
أَنَاْ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُوحَى إِلَىَّ]
(Say (O Muhammad): "I am only a man like you. It has been revealed to me.'')
[18:110] Then Allah informs those who doubt that a Messenger can be a human to
ask those who have knowledge of the previous Scriptures about the Prophets who
came before: were their Prophets humans or angels Then Allah mentions that He
has sent them,
[بِالْبَيِّنَـتِ]
(with clear signs), meaning proof and evidence, and
[وَالزُّبُرِ]
(and Books [Zubur]), meaning Scriptures. Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak and
others said: Zubur is the plural of Zabur, and the Arabs say, Zaburtul-Kitab
meaning, "I wrote the book.'' Allah says:
[وَكُلُّ شَىْءٍ
فَعَلُوهُ فِى الزُّبُرِ ]
(And everything they have done is noted in (their) Records (of deeds)
[Zubur]) (54:52)
[وَلَقَدْ كَتَبْنَا
فِى الزَّبُورِ مِن بَعْدِ الذِّكْرِ أَنَّ الاٌّرْضَ يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِىَ
الصَّـلِحُونَ ]
(And indeed We have written in Az-Zabur after the Dhikr that My righteous
servant shall inherit the land (i.e. the land of Paradise).) (21:105) Then Allah
says:
[وَأَنزَلْنَا
إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ]
(And We have also revealed the Dhikr to you), meaning the Qur'an,
[لِتُبَيِّنَ
لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ]
(so that you may clearly explain to men what was revealed to them,) meaning,
sent down from their Lord, because you know the meaning of what Allah has
revealed to you, and because of your understanding and adherence to it, and
because We know that you are the best of creation and the leader of the Children
of Adam. So that you may explain in detail what has been mentioned in brief, and
explain what is not clear.
[وَلَعَلَّهُمْ
يَتَفَكَّرُونَ]
(so that perhaps they may reflect.) meaning, they should examine themselves
and be guided by it, so that they may attain the victory of salvation in this
world and the next.
[أَفَأَمِنَ
الَّذِينَ مَكَرُواْ السَّيِّئَاتِ أَن يَخْسِفَ اللَّهُ بِهِمُ الاٌّرْضَ أَوْ
يَأْتِيَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لاَ يَشْعُرُونَ - أَوْ يَأْخُذَهُمْ فِى
تَقَلُّبِهِمْ فَمَا هُم بِمُعْجِزِينَ - أَوْ يَأْخُذَهُمْ عَلَى تَخَوُّفٍ
فَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ لَرَؤُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ ]
(45. Do then those who devise evil plots feel secure that Allah will not
cause them to sink into the earth, or that torment will not seize them from
where they do not perceive it) (46. Or that He may punish them in the midst of
their going to and fro (in their livelihood), so that there be no escape for
them (from Allah's punishment)) (47. Or that He may punish them where they fear
it most Indeed, Your Lord is full of kindness, Most Merciful.)