Tafsir of Fussilat 41:6

(Say: "I am only a human being like you"): I am neither an angel nor a jinn, such that you would be unable to receive from me—this is a refutation of their statement: "Between us and you there is a veil." (It is revealed to me that your God is One God): That is, I do not invite you to that which reason finds repulsive; rather, I invite you to the Oneness (Tawhid) which the proofs of reason have indicated and for which the testimonies of revelation have borne witness. This is a response to their statement: "Our hearts are within coverings from that to which you invite us, and in our ears is deafness."

(So take a straight course to Him): Be upright toward Him, the Exalted, through Tawhid and the sincerity of worship, and do not hold onto the bonds of polytheism, saying to the one who invites you to Tawhid: "Our hearts are within coverings," etc. (And seek His forgiveness): For what has preceded from you of speech and action. This is an angle that is not devoid of beauty in connecting the command to what preceded it, and in guiding the sound intellect. It means: I am not of a genus different from yours, such that there would be a veil between me and you, or a disparity that justifies a disparity in deeds and religions—as your statement, "So work, indeed we are working," implies. Rather, I am only a human being like you, commanded with that which I command you, for He has informed us all of Tawhid with a speech that encompasses both me and you, since the address in "your God" is narrated and inclusive of everyone; it is not merely a speech from him (peace and blessings be upon him) to the disbelievers, as in "like you." This is built upon selecting the first interpretation of "So work, indeed we are working," and there is no harm in it from this perspective. Yes, it has a deficiency from another side.

The author of al-Fara'id said: This is not a response to their statement, as it does not necessitate that it should have a response; the conclusion of it is, "Do not leave them and what they profess," because their statement is intended to mean that you should leave them. We concede that it is a response, but the intended meaning is: I am a human being, so I am not able to extract your hearts from the coverings, remove the veil from between us, or the deafness from the ears. But it is revealed to me, and I have been commanded to convey: "that your God is One God." The Imam has a statement close to what has been mentioned in terms of concession, but both statements fall short of the eloquence of the Noble Qur'anic order.

Al-Zamakhshari made it a response to the fact that the polytheists have long held onto the rejection of prophethood on the basis that the one who claims it is a human, and that he ought to be an angel; they hold that a human is not permissible [to be a messenger]. Therefore, they do not listen to the words of the messengers nor do they reflect upon them. Thus, his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): "I am not an angel, but I am a human," is a matter of turning the argument back upon them, not a concession to their premise, nor is it from the uslub hakim (wise style) in any way. As it has been said: It is as if he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What you have held onto in rejecting my prophethood—that I am human—is the very thing that verifies my prophethood, for it is not consistent with wisdom to send an angel to you." This necessitates your acceptance, not your rejection and exaggeration in turning away.

His saying: (It is revealed to me that your God is One God) is a preparation for the objective of the mission after establishing the prophethood—first in detail through the Almighty’s saying: "Ha-Mim," and the verses; and secondly in summary through his saying: "It is revealed to me." Then it was said: "that your God is One God," as an explanation of the objective. Thus, his saying "It is revealed" is meant to serve as a preparation, and in it is a symbol for establishing prophethood. This meaning, according to the view that the intent of "So work..." is "So work in invalidating our affair, indeed we are working in invalidating your affair," is apparent. As for the first view, its direction is that "the religion" is the sum of what the one to whom the messenger is sent commits himself to, in terms of obeying the Sender, the Exalted, through the mediation of the messenger’s conveyance. It is therefore caused by his prophethood, which is caused by its evidence. Thus, they showed by that [statement] that they were submissive to what their forefathers had established for them—that prophethood is incompatible with humanity—and that it was their religion. So, what was said was said to them. This interpretation is more consistent and more eloquent, and it is a subtle beauty; and what was mentioned first is more rapidly grasped.

In al-Kashf, it is stated that "Say: I am only a human being like you, it is revealed to me" is in response to their denial of the miracle and the prophethood. And his saying: "So take a straight course to Him" responds to the lack of acceptance, and in it is a symbol for something of what you have heard, so reflect.

Ibn Wathab and al-A'mash read "Qala" (He said) as a past-tense verb. Al-Nakha'i and al-A'mash read "Yūḥī" (He reveals) with a kasrah under the ha, meaning that Allah reveals to me that your God is One God.