Tafsir for verses: 23:31, 23:32, 23:33, 23:34
ثُمَّ أَنشَأۡنَا مِنۢ بَعۡدِهِمۡ قَرۡنًا ءَاخَرِينَ ٣١ ﴿31﴾ فَأَرۡسَلۡنَا فِيهِمۡ رَسُولٗا مِّنۡهُمۡ أَنِ ٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنۡ إِلَٰهٍ غَيۡرُهُۥٓۚ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ ٣٢ ﴿32﴾ وَقَالَ ٱلۡمَلَأُ مِن قَوۡمِهِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَكَذَّبُواْ بِلِقَآءِ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ وَأَتۡرَفۡنَٰهُمۡ فِي ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا مَا هَٰذَآ إِلَّا بَشَرٞ مِّثۡلُكُمۡ يَأۡكُلُ مِمَّا تَأۡكُلُونَ مِنۡهُ وَيَشۡرَبُ مِمَّا تَشۡرَبُونَ ٣٣ ﴿33﴾ وَلَئِنۡ أَطَعۡتُم بَشَرٗا مِّثۡلَكُمۡ إِنَّكُمۡ إِذٗا لَّخَٰسِرُونَ ٣٤ ﴿34﴾
31Then after them We created another generation, 32and sent among them a messenger from themselves (to convey the message): “Worship Allah; you have no god whatsoever other than Him. So do you not fear Allah?” 33Then said the chiefs of his nation who were disbelievers and who denied facing the Hereafter and whom We made affluent in the worldly life, “This (man) is nothing but a human being. He eats from what you eat from, and drinks from what you drink. 34If you obey a human like yourselves, then you will be absolute losers.
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Commentary

His saying, exalted and glorified is He:

"Then We raised up after them another generation. So We sent among them a messenger from themselves: 'Worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him. Will you not fear?"

"And the elite of his people who disbelieved and denied the meeting of the Hereafter, and We had given them luxury in the worldly life, said: 'This is nothing but a human being like you. He eats from what you eat from and drinks from what you drink.'"

"And if you obey a human being like yourselves, then indeed you will be losers.'"

Al-Tabari - may Allah have mercy on him - said: "This generation is Thamud, and their messenger is Salih - peace be upon him. In the narrations, there is what implies that the people of 'Aad preceded, except that they were not destroyed by a cry. In this, there are many possibilities, and Allah knows best.

And 'We had given them luxury' means: We had blessed them and expanded for them hopes and provisions. The statement of these also implies the rejection of the sending of a human being. This group and the people of Noah are not mentioned in these verses as having witnessed a miracle and then denied it after its clarity. However, that is a predetermined matter, even if the miracle is not specified for us. Punishment does not relate to anyone except after they abandon what is obligatory upon them. The obligation of following is only the establishment of proof against a person or against whom is intended, and the majority, like the Arabs regarding the miracle of the Qur'an, and the doctors regarding Jesus, and the magicians regarding Moses. By establishing proof against these, it was established against all who came after them.

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