17:94 Al-Israa (The Night Journey)

تفسير الآيتين 93 و 94 :ـ { أَوْ يَكُونَ لَكَ بَيْتٌ مِنْ زُخْرُفٍ } أي: مزخرف بالذهب وغيره { أَوْ تَرْقَى فِي السَّمَاءِ } رقيًا حسيًا، { و } ومع هذا فـ { وَلَنْ نُؤْمِنَ لِرُقِيِّكَ حَتَّى تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنَا كِتَابًا نَقْرَؤُهُ } ولما كانت هذه تعنتات وتعجيزات؛ وكلام أسفه الناس وأظلمهم، المتضمنة لرد الحق وسوء الأدب مع الله، وأن الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم هو الذي يأتي بالآيات، أمره الله أن ينزهه فقال: { قُلْ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّي } عما تقولون علوًا كبيرًا، وسبحانه أن تكون أحكامه وآياته تابعة لأهوائهم الفاسدة، وآرائهم الضالة. { هَلْ كُنْتُ إِلَّا بَشَرًا رَسُولًا } ليس بيده شيء من الأمر. وهذا السبب الذي منع أكثر الناس من الإيمان، حيث كانت الرسل التي ترسل إليهم من جنسهم بشرًا. وهذا من رحمته بهم، أن أرسل إليهم بشرًا منهم، فإنهم لا يطيقون التلقي من الملائكة.

يقول تعالى "وما منع الناس" أي أكثرهم "أن يؤمنوا" ويتابعوا الرسل إلا استعجابهم من بعثه البشر رسلا كما قال تعالى "أكان للناس عجبا أن أوحينا إلى رجل منهم أن أنذر الناس وبشر الذين آمنوا أن لهم قدم صدق عند ربهم" وقال تعالى "ذلك بأنه كانت تأتيهم رسلهم بالبينات فقالوا أبشر يهدوننا" الآية وقال فرعون وملأه "أنؤمن لبشرين مثلنا وقومهما لنا عابدون" وكذلك قالت الأمم لرسلهم "إن أنتم إلا بشر مثلنا تريدون أن تصدونا عما كان يعبد آباؤنا فائتونا بسلطان مبين" والآيات في هذا كثيرة ثم قال تعالى منبها على لطفه ورحمته بعباده أنه يبعث إليهم الرسول من جنسهم ليفقهوا عنه ويفهموا منه لتمكنهم من مخاطبته ومكالمته ولو بعث إلى البشر رسولا من الملائكة لما استطاعوا مواجهته ولا الأخذ عنه كما قال تعالى "لقد من الله على المؤمنين إذ بعث فيهم رسولا من أنفسهم" وقال تعالى "لقد جاءكم رسول من أنفسكم" وقال تعالى "كما أرسلنا فيكم رسولا منكم يتلو عليكم آياتنا ويزكيكم ويعلمكم الكتاب والحكمة ويعلمكم ما لم تكونوا تعلمون فاذكروني أذكركم وأشكروا لي ولا تكفرون".

The refusal of the Idolators to believe because the Messenger was a Human -- and its refutation

وَمَا مَنَعَ النَّاسَ

(And nothing prevented men) means, most of them,

أَن يُؤْمِنُواْ

(from believing) and following the Messengers, except the fact that they found it strange that human beings would be sent as Messengers, as Allah says:

أَكَانَ لِلنَّاسِ عَجَبًا أَنْ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَى رَجُلٍ مِّنْهُمْ أَنْ أَنذِرِ النَّاسَ وَبَشِّرِ الَّذِينَ ءامَنُواْ أَنَّ لَهُمْ قَدَمَ صِدْقٍ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ

(Is it a wonder for mankind that We have sent Our revelation to a man from among themselves (saying): "Warn mankind, and give good news to those who believe that they shall have with their Lord the rewards of their good deeds") 10:2 And Allah says:

ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُ كَانَت تَّأْتِيهِمْ رُسُلُهُم بِالْبَيِّنَـتِ فَقَالُواْ أَبَشَرٌ يَهْدُونَنَا

(That was because there came to them their Messengers with clear proofs, but they said: "Shall mere men guide us") 64:6 Fira`wn and his people said:

أَنُؤْمِنُ لِبَشَرَيْنِ مِثْلِنَا وَقَوْمُهُمَا لَنَا عَـبِدُونَ

(They said: "Shall we believe in two men like ourselves, and their people are obedient to us with humility!") 23: 47 Similarly, the nations said to their Messengers:

إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا تُرِيدُونَ أَن تَصُدُّونَا عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ ءَابَآؤُنَا فَأْتُونَا بِسُلْطَـنٍ مُّبِينٍ

("You are no more than human beings like us! You wish to turn us away from what our fathers used to worship. Then bring us a clear authority") 14:10 And there are many other similar Ayat. Then Allah says, pointing out His kindness and mercy towards His servants, that He sends to them Messengers of their own kind so that they will understand what he says and will be able to speak to him directly. If He sent to mankind a Messenger from among the angels, they would not be able to deal with him face to face and learn from him, as Allah says:

لَقَدْ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَى الْمُؤمِنِينَ إِذْ بَعَثَ فِيهِمْ رَسُولاً مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ

(Indeed, Allah conferred a great favor on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from among themselves) 3:164

لَقَدْ جَآءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ

(Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger from among yourselves) 10:128

كَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا فِيكُمْ رَسُولاً مِّنْكُمْ يَتْلُواْ عَلَيْكُمْ آيَـتِنَا وَيُزَكِّيكُمْ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ الْكِتَـبَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَيُعَلِّمُكُم مَّا لَمْ تَكُونُواْ تَعْلَمُونَ - فَاذْكُرُونِى أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُواْ لِي وَلاَ تَكْفُرُونِ

(Similarly, We have sent among you a Messenger of your own, reciting to you Our verses (the Qur'an) and purifying you, and teaching you the Book and the Hikmah, and teaching you that which you used not to know. Therefore remember Me. I will remember you, and be grateful to Me and never be ungrateful to Me.) (2:151-152) Allah says here:

قُل لَوْ كَانَ فِى الاٌّرْضِ مَلَـئِكَةٌ يَمْشُونَ مُطْمَئِنِّينَ

(Say: "If there were on the earth, angels walking about in peace and security,) meaning, just as you do,

لَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ مَلَكًا رَّسُولاً

(We should certainly have sent down for them from the heaven an angel as a Messenger). meaning, `one of their own kind. But as you are human, We have sent to you Messengers from yourselves, as a kindness and a mercy.'

And nothing prevented mankind from believing when guidance came to them but that they said that is except their saying in denial ‘Has God sent a human as a messenger from Him?’ instead of sending an angel.

Only a human being can be a messenger of Allah: Angels cannot be sent as messengers to human beings

Common disbelievers and polytheists thought that 'bashar,' that is, a man, could not be the messenger of Allah because he is someone accustomed to all human compulsions like them. When so, what edge did he have over them to make them call him the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and take him as their leader claiming that they follow him? This assumption of theirs has been answered in the Holy Qur'an, at several places in various ways. The outcome of the answer given here in this verse: مَا مَنَعَ النَّاسَ (And nothing prevented people - 94) is that a messenger of Allah sent to a set of people has to be from their genus or race. If these people are human, the messenger should be human because mutual congruity does not exist between one genus and the other - and without congruity, guidance and grooming bring no benefit. Had some angel been sent to men as their messenger, he would have known no hunger, or thirst, or sexual de-sires, nor would he have felt the effect of chill and heat, nor fatigue after hard work. He would have, then, expected human beings to act like him without having ever realized their weaknesses and limitations. Similarly, when human beings knew that he was an angel, after all, they would have come to the conclusion that they just did not have the ability to do what he did. Who would have, then, followed him? Following is the fruit of correction, reform and right guidance. This benefit can be hoped for only when the messenger of Allah is from the genus of men. He should be an embodiment of human emotions and physical desires while, at the same time, he should also have an angelic majesty that could serve as a liaison - intermediary communicator - between human beings and angels, receiving revelation from angels bringing it and communicating it to his fellow human beings.

This submission also removes the doubt that arises by thinking: when human beings cannot derive benefit from the angel, how would a messenger - despite being human - derive the benefit of revelation from them?

As for the doubt - when the compatibility of genus is a condition between a messenger and his people, how was the Holy Prophet ﷺ made a messenger of the jinns for they are not from the same genus as men? - it can be answered by saying that the messenger is not simply a human being, instead, he also has an angelic majesty about him because of which jinns too could also be congruous to him.