Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 11 Hud, Ayat 27-28

فَقَالَ الۡمَلَاُ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا مِنۡ قَوۡمِهٖ مَا نَرٰٮكَ اِلَّا بَشَرًا مِّثۡلَنَا وَمَا نَرٰٮكَ اتَّبَعَكَ اِلَّا الَّذِيۡنَ هُمۡ اَرَاذِلُـنَا بَادِىَ الرَّاۡىِ​ۚ وَمَا نَرٰى لَـكُمۡ عَلَيۡنَا مِنۡ فَضۡلٍۢ بَلۡ نَظُنُّكُمۡ كٰذِبِيۡنَ‏  ﴿11:27﴾ قَالَ يٰقَوۡمِ اَرَءَيۡتُمْ اِنۡ كُنۡتُ عَلٰى بَيِّنَةٍ مِّنۡ رَّبِّىۡ وَاٰتٰٮنِىۡ رَحۡمَةً مِّنۡ عِنۡدِهٖ فَعُمِّيَتۡ عَلَيۡكُمۡؕ اَنُلۡزِمُكُمُوۡهَا وَاَنۡـتُمۡ لَـهَا كٰرِهُوۡنَ‏ ﴿11:28﴾

(11:27) The notables among Noah's own people, who had refused to follow him, responded: 'We merely consider you a human being like ourselves.31 Nor do we find among those who follow you except the lowliest of our folk, the men who follow you without any proper reason.32 We see nothing in you to suggest that you are any better than us.33 Rather, we believe you to be liars.' (11:28) Noah said: 'My people! If I base myself on a clear evidence from my Lord, and I have also been blessed by His mercy34 to which you have been blind, how can we force it upon you despite your aversion to it?


Notes

31. The same foolish objection was being raised by the people against the Prophet (peace be upon him). They argued like this: You are a man like us: you eat and drink, you walk and sleep and have a family, and there is nothing in you that might show that you have been sent by God. (See E. N. Surah Yaseen).

32. The big people of Makkah passed the same remarks about those who followed the Prophet (peace be upon him). They taunted him with things like these: Your followers consist of mere inexperienced boys or slaves or the lowest strata of society, in short, of such people as are credulous and lack commonsense and wisdom. Refer to (E.Ns 34-37 of Surah Al-Anaam) and (E.N. 75 of Surah Yunus).

33. This is to say, You claim that you are the favored ones of God Whose blessings are on you, and that those who do not follow your way are under His wrath. But the reverse of this is true for it is we who have been favored with wealth, servants and power and you possess nothing of the sort. Please point out anything in which you are superior to us.

34. This is the same thing that has been put into the mouth of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in( Ayat 17). That is, At first I recognized the reality of Tauhid by observing keenly the signs of God in the universe and in my own self. Then the same was confirmed by revelation to me. This shows that all the Prophets acquired the knowledge of the Unseen by observation and contemplation. Then Allah blessed them with the actual knowledge of the same at the time of their appointment as Prophets.