Quran Universe
23:24

فَقَالَ ٱلۡمَلَؤُاْ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِن قَوۡمِهِۦ مَا هَٰذَآ إِلَّا بَشَرٞ مِّثۡلُكُمۡ يُرِيدُ أَن يَتَفَضَّلَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَلَوۡ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَأَنزَلَ مَلَـٰٓئِكَةٗ مَّا سَمِعۡنَا بِهَٰذَا فِيٓ ءَابَآئِنَا ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ

Faqala almalao allatheena kafaroo min qawmihi ma hatha illa basharun mithlukum yureedu an yatafaddala AAalaykum walaw shaa Allahu laanzala malaikatan ma samiAAna bihatha fee abaina alawwaleena

But the eminent among those who disbelieved from his people said, "This is not but a man like yourselves who wishes to take precedence over you; and if Allah had willed [to send a messenger], He would have sent down angels. We have not heard of this among our forefathers.

Word by word
  1. فَقَالَBut said
  2. ٱلۡمَلَؤُاْthe chiefs
  3. ٱلَّذِينَ(of) those who
  4. كَفَرُواْdisbelieved
  5. مِنamong
  6. قَوۡمِهِۦhis people
  7. مَاThis is not
  8. هَٰذَآThis is not
  9. إِلَّاbut
  10. بَشَرٞa man
  11. مِّثۡلُكُمۡlike you
  12. يُرِيدُhe wishes
  13. أَنto
  14. يَتَفَضَّلَassert (his) superiority
  15. عَلَيۡكُمۡover you
  16. وَلَوۡand if
  17. شَآءَAllah had willed
  18. ٱللَّهُAllah had willed
  19. لَأَنزَلَsurely He (would have) sent down
  20. مَلَـٰٓئِكَةٗAngels
  21. مَّاNot
  22. سَمِعۡنَاwe heard
  23. بِهَٰذَاof this
  24. فِيٓfrom
  25. ءَابَآئِنَاour forefathers
  26. ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَour forefathers
Al-Mu'minun · 23:24Makkah

He is just a man like you, they said.

The chiefs attack the messenger, not the message

The chiefs' objections
only humanlike you
wants statusto be above you
why not angels?
our fathers never heard
What they avoided
who is saying itmotive, status, novelty
is it true?the only real question

The leaders did not answer Nuh's call. They attacked him: he is a human like you, he wants to make himself superior. If Allah wanted a messenger He would send angels, and our forefathers never heard of this.

Someone younger gives you good advice and you think, who is he to tell me? A colleague points out a mistake and you wonder about her motives. The question is not who said it, but whether it is true.

I judge advice by who it comes from.

Truth can come through an ordinary person, and I should weigh it as truth.

Try this

Think of one piece of advice you dismissed because of who gave it. Reconsider it honestly.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 23:23)

And indeed We sent Nuh to his people, and he said: "O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other God but Him. Will you not then have Taqwa? (23)But the chiefs of his people who disbelieved said: "He is no more than a human being like you, he seeks to make himself superior to you. Had Allah willed, He surely could have sent down angels. Never did we hear such a thing among our fathers of old. (24)"He is only a man in whom is madness, so wait for him a while. (25)

The Story of Nuh, Peace Be upon Him, and His People

Allah tells us about Nuh, peace be upon him, whom He sent him to his people to warn them of the severe punishment of Allah and His severe vengeance on those who associated partners with Him, defied His commands and disbelieved His Messengers:

 فَقَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُمْ مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ ۖ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ

(and he said: "O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other God but Him. Will you not then have Taqwa?") Meaning, "Do you not fear Allah when you associate others in worship with Him?" The chiefs or leaders of his people said:

مَا هَٰذَا إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَتَفَضَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ

(He is no more than a human being like you, he seeks to make himself superior to you.) meaning, 'he is putting himself above you and trying to make himself great by claiming to be a Prophet, but he is a human being like you, so how can he receive revelation when you do not?'

 وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَأَنْزَلَ مَلَائِكَةً

(Had Allah willed, He surely could have sent down angels.) meaning, 'if Allah had wanted to send a Prophet, He would have sent an angel from Him, not a human being. We have never heard of such a thing – i.e., sending a man to our forefathers' – their predecessors in times past.

إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا رَجُلٌ بِهِ جِنَّةٌ 

(He is only a man in whom is madness,) means, 'he is crazy in his claim that Allah has sent him and chosen him from among you to receive revelation.'

فَتَرَبَّصُوا بِهِ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍ

(so wait for him a while.) means, 'wait until he dies, put up with him until you are rid of him.'