Tafsir of Al-Mu'minoon 23:47

"So they said: Shall we believe in two human beings like us?"

The phrase "they said" is a conjunction following "they acted with arrogance," with the intervening text serving as a parenthetical clause that reinforces the mention of their arrogance. The intent is that they said this among themselves by way of mutual counsel.

Regarding "two human beings like us," the word bashar (human being) is dualized because it is applicable to the singular—as in His saying, "a well-proportioned human" (basharan sawiyya)—and it is applicable to the plural, as in His saying, "If you see any human being" (basharin ahadan). The word "like" (mithl) was not dualized, looking to its status as a verbal noun. Had bashar been kept in the singular, it would have been correct, for it is a generic noun applicable to both the singular and the plural. Likewise for the word mithl (like/equal); it comes as a dual in His saying, "seeing them as twice their number," and as a plural in His saying, "and they will not be like you," with consideration given to the fact that it is an interpretation of a description. However, what makes the dualization of the first and the singularization of the second preferable is that the first points to the fewness of the messengers and their isolation from their people despite the vastness and gathering of the elite, while the second points to the intensity of their likeness, as if, along with being humans, they are one thing. This is more indicative of what they meant.

These stories, as you can see, indicate that the basis of the doubt held by those who deny prophethood is the analogy they draw between the states of the Prophets—upon them be peace—and their own states. This is based on their ignorance of the details of human reality and the variance in the levels of its individuals, the heights of perfection, and the abysses of deficiency. Some individuals are in the "highest of heights"—they are those who possess pure souls, supported by sacred power, and due to the purity of their essences, they are connected to both worlds, the subtle and the dense. Thus, they receive from the [Divine] side and transmit to the [human] side, and being occupied with the interests of creation does not hinder them from devotion to the Presence of the Truth. Others are in the "lowest of lows"—they are like those ignorant ones who are like cattle, nay, they are even further astray in path.

It is a wonder that they were not satisfied with a human being for prophethood, yet most of them were satisfied with a stone for divinity! May Allah fight them; how ignorant they are! The interrogative particle is for negation; meaning: We shall not believe in two human beings like us, "and their people"—meaning the rest of the Children of Israel—"are to us worshippers."

"Worshippers" means servants, submissive to us like slaves. In "worshippers" (‘abidun), there is a metaphorical usage (isti‘arah tabi‘iyyah) in accordance with the conventions of language. Al-Khafaji transmits from Al-Raghib that he explicitly stated that ‘abid (worshipper) means khadim (servant) in the literal sense. Abu Ubaydah said: The Arabs call everyone who is subservient to a king a "worshipper." Al-Zamakhshari permitted the interpretation according to the literal meaning of worship, for Pharaoh claimed divinity and thus claimed that the people owed him worship in the literal sense.

It was objected that the manifest meaning is that this statement came from the "elite," and he [Pharaoh] rejects that. Furthermore, their saying it on behalf of Pharaoh—just as the confidants of a king might say: "We are people of many subjects and an extensive kingdom," meaning "Our king has many subjects"—is contrary to the apparent meaning. It was also argued against this that, even assuming the speaker is Pharaoh, it does not necessarily follow from his claim of divinity that the Children of Israel actually worshipped him, nor that he believed or claimed that they worshipped him in the literal sense. You know that once it is accepted that the speaker is Pharaoh and that he claims divinity, the lack of his belief in that [literal worship] does not invalidate his intention for the literal meaning of worship; because, as some reports indicate, he often displayed the opposite of what he concealed, to the point that they indicate that his claim to divinity was part of that. Yes, it is better to interpret "worshippers" as "servants," and this is something that can be correctly attributed to Pharaoh and his elite. It is as if they intended by this to cast aspersion upon the two messengers—upon them be peace—and to lower their exalted rank from the station of messengership through an angle other than that of their humanity.

The lam (preposition) in "to us" (lana) is connected to "worshippers," placed before it out of consideration for the verse endings. It has been said it is for restriction; meaning: they are worshippers to us, not to these two. The clause is an adverbial state (hal) from the subject of "we believe," emphasizing the rejection of belief in them based on their corrupt assumption—which is founded upon comparing religious leadership to worldly leadership, which revolves around the precedence in attaining worldly fortunes of wealth and status, as was the habit of the Quraish when they said: "Why was this Quran not sent down to a great man from the two towns?" They were ignorant that the basis for selection and messengership is precedence in possessing the sublime qualities and faculties that Allah, the Exalted, grants as a favor to whom He wills from among His creation.