Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Anbya Verse 7

Mufti Taqi Usmani

And We did not send before you messengers except men whom We inspired with revelation. So, ask the people (having the knowledge) of the Message, 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 [O Prophet] except men to whom We gave revelation, so [O people] ask the People of the Scriptures if you do not know.

A. J. Arberry

And We sent none before thee, but men to whom We made revelation -- question the People of the Remembrance, if you do not know --

Abdul Haleem

And even before your time [Prophet], all the messengers We sent were only men We inspired–– if you [disbelievers] do not know, ask people who know the Scripture––

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

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

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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), even before you We never sent any other than human beings as Messengers, and to them We sent revelation. Ask the People of the Book if you do not know.

Ahmed Ali

Never did We send a message before you but through a man, whom We inspired. If you do not know, then ask the keepers of the oracles of God.

Ahmed Raza Khan

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

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 as Messengers before you (O Muhammad), any but men to whom We revealed. So (O people) ask those who have special knowledge (of the Divine Revelations), if you do not know.

Amatul Rahman Omar

(Prophet!) We sent none (as Messengers) before you but (they were) men to whom We made Our revelations. Therefore (O disbelievers!) ask the followers of the Reminder if you do not know (this).

English Literal

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

Hamid S. Aziz

Of those before them not one of the communities which We destroyed believed, how will these believe?

Hilali & Khan

And We sent not before you (O Muhammad SAW) but men to whom We inspired, so ask the people of the Reminder [Scriptures - the Taurat (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel)] if you do not know.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Not a town believed before them which We destroyed: will they then believe?

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

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And We sent not (as Our messengers) before thee other than men, whom We inspired. Ask the followers of the Reminder if ye know not?

Muhammad Sarwar

The messengers that We had sent before you were only men to whom We had given revelation. Ask the People of the Book if you do not know.

Qaribullah & Darwish

We never sent (anyone) before you except men to whom We revealed to them. 'Ask the people of the Remembrance if you do not know'

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And We sent not before you but men to whom We revealed. So ask the people of the Reminder if you do not know.

Wahiduddin Khan

The messengers We sent before you were but men whom We had sent revelations. Ask the People of the Book if you do not know this --

Talal Itani

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

Tafsir jalalayn

And We sent none before you other than men to whom We revealed (read nh or yh, `[to whom] it is revealed') and [We sent] not any angels. Ask the People of the Remembrance, those with knowledge of the Torah and the Gospel, if you do not know, this; for they will know it. Since you are more likely to believe them than the believers are to believing Muhammad (s).

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

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