Transliteration:( Iz jaaa'at humur Rusulu mim baini aydeehim wa min khalfihim allaa ta'budooo illal laaha qaaloo law shaaa'a Rabunaa la anzala malaaa 'ikatan fa innaa bimaaa ursiltum bihee kaafiroon )
Then their Messengers came to them from before them and behind them [35], saying: "Worship none except Allah." They said [36]: "Had our Lord wished so, He would have sent down angels [37]. So we disbelieve in what you have [38] been sent with."
This indicates that the Messengers of these nations (Aad and Thamud) persistently conveyed the Divine message—approaching their people from all directions, using every method of advice, reasoning, and warning.
Their commitment shows that the rejection of truth was not due to lack of clarity, but due to willful arrogance.
This proves that polytheists and disbelievers are obligated to accept faith.
Only after accepting Iman, they become accountable to the rest of Islamic laws.
The fact that Prophets invited them to believe shows that even non-believers are addressed by the command of Iman.
The disbelievers argued: “If Allah wanted to send a Messenger, He would have sent angels—not humans like us.”
This flawed reasoning shows their inconsistency—they worshipped lifeless idols made of wood and stone, yet they objected to the idea of human Messengers chosen by Allah.
In truth, the honour of Prophethood far exceeds the capacity of worldly skills or positions.
By saying “we disbelieve in what you have been sent with”, they rejected not only the Messengers, but also the divine Books and ultimately Allah Himself.
This verse clarifies that denying a Prophet or revelation is counted as denying Allah Almighty—a direct act of disbelief.
The tafsir of Surah Fussilat verse 14 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Fussilat ayat 13 which provides the complete commentary from verse 13 through 19.
(41:14) When the Messengers (of Allah) came to them from the front and from the rear,[18] saying: “Do not serve any but Allah”; they said: “Had our Lord so willed, He would have sent down angels. So we deny the Message you have brought.”[19]
18. This sentence can have several meanings:
(1) That the Messengers continued to come to them one after the other.
(2) That the Messengers tried in every way to make them understand the truth and did not leave any stone unturned to bring them to the right path.
(3) That the Messengers came to them in their own country as well as in the adjoining countries.
19. That is, if Allah had disapproved of our religion, and had willed to send a messenger to us to keep us away from it, He would have sent the angels. As you are not an angel but a man like us, we do not believe that you have been sent by God, and sent for the purpose that we give up our religion and adopt the way of life that you are presenting. The disbelievers’ saying that they deny, what you have been sent with, was only sarcastic. It does not mean that they believed him to have been sent by God and then denied what he said. But this is a sarcastic expression of the type that Pharaoh had uttered before his courtiers about the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him): This messenger of yours, who has been sent to you, seems to be utterly mad. (Surah Ash-Shuara, Ayat 27). For further explanation, see (Surah YaSeen, ayat 15) note 11.
[1388]- To send messengers.
For a faster and smoother experience,
install our mobile app now.
Related Ayat(Verses)/Topics