Al-Qur'an Surah An-Nahl Verse 43

Mufti Taqi Usmani

We did not send (messengers) before you other than men whom We inspired with revelation. So, ask the people (having the knowledge) of the Reminder (the earlier Scriptures), if you do not know.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

We did not send ˹messengers˺ before you ˹O Prophet˺ except mere men inspired by Us. If you ˹polytheists˺ do not know ˹this already˺, then ask those who have knowledge ˹of the Scriptures˺.

Ruwwad Translation Center

We did not send before you except men to whom We sent revelation. Ask the people of knowledge, if you do not know.

A. J. Arberry

We sent not any before thee, except men to whom We revealed: 'Question the people of the Remembrance, if it should be that you do not know --

Abdul Haleem

[Prophet], all the messengers We sent before you were simply men to whom We had given the Revelation: you [people] can ask those who have knowledge if you do not know.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And We sent not before thee any but men unto whom We Revealed; so ask ye the people of the Admonition if ye know not.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And before thee also the messengers We sent were but men, to whom We granted inspiration; if ye realise this not, ask of those who possess the Message.

Abul Ala Maududi

(O Muhammad), whenever We raised any Messengers before you, they were no other than human beings; (except that) to them We sent revelation. So ask those who possess knowledge if you do not know.

Ahmed Ali

We sent before you none (as apostles) but men, to whom We sent revelations. In case you are unaware, enquire of those who are keepers of the Oracles of God.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And We did not send before you except men, towards whom We sent divine revelations – so O people, ask the people of knowledge if you do not know. (* All the Prophets were men.)

Ali Quli Qarai

We did not send [any apostles] before you except as men to whom We revealed. Ask the People of the Reminder if you do not know.

Ali Ünal

We did not send before you (O Muhammad) any but men to whom We revealed – and if you (O people) do not know, then ask the people of expert knowledge (those who have knowledge of the Divine Revelations) —

Amatul Rahman Omar

And we sent not (as Messengers) before you but they were men to whom We revealed (Our teachings). So ask the people of the Reminder (-the Qur´ân), if you do not know.

English Literal

And We did not send from before you except men , We inspire/transmit to them, so ask/question the reminder`s/remembrance`s people , if you were not knowing.

Faridul Haque

And We did not send before you except men, towards whom We sent divine revelations - so O people, ask the people of knowledge if you do not know. (* All the Prophets were men.)

Hamid S. Aziz

And We have not sent before you any but men, whom We inspired - Ask you those who possess the Reminder (or the Message), if you know not yourselves,

Hilali & Khan

And We sent not (as Our Messengers) before you (O Muhammad SAW) any but men, whom We inspired, (to preach and invite mankind to believe in the Oneness of Allah). So ask of those who know the Scripture [learned men of the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)], if you know not.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Those who are steadfast and on their Lord they rely.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And We did not send before you any but men to whom We sent revelation-- so ask the followers of the Reminder if you do not know--

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And We sent not (as Our messengers) before thee other than men whom We inspired - Ask the followers of the Remembrance if ye know not! -

Muhammad Sarwar

The Messengers whom We sent before you were mere mortals to whom We had sent with miracles and revelations. Ask those who know about the heavenly Books if you do not know about this.

Qaribullah & Darwish

We never sent but men before you to whom We revealed, ask the people of the Remembrance, if you do not know.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

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.

Wahiduddin Khan

Before you also the messengers We sent were but [mortal] men to whom We vouchsafed revelation. Ask the People of the Book, if you do not know.

Talal Itani

We did not send before you except men whom We inspired. So ask the people of knowledge, if you do not know.

Tafsir jalalayn

And We did not send before you anything other than men, to whom We revealed, and [sent] not angels; `So ask the followers of the Remembrance, those knowledgeable in the Torah and the Gospels; if you do not know', that, then they know it, and you are more likely to believe them than the believers are to believe Muhammad (s),

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Only Human Messengers have been Sent

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 أَوْحَيْنَأ 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..." (10;2)

and He said,

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلاَّ رِجَالاً نُّوحِي إِلَيْهِمْ فَاسْأَلُواْ أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا 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;

وَمَأ 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 السَّمَأءِ وَلَن نُّوْمِنَ لِرُقِيِّكَ حَتَّى تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنَا كِتَابًا نَّقْرَءُهُ قُلْ سُبْحَـنَ رَبِّى هَلْ كُنتُ إَلاَّ بَشَرًا رَّسُولاً

وَمَا مَنَعَ النَّاسَ أَن يُوْمِنُواْ إِذْ جَأءَهُمُ 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)

وَمَأ 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 إِنَّمَأ 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