"…If ye realize this not, ask of those who possess the Message..." Will you explain the phrase above, mentioned in verse 43 of the chapter of an-Nahl?

- "…If ye realize this not, ask of those who possess the Message..." Will you explain the phrase above, mentioned in verse 43 of the chapter of an-Nahl?
- What is meant by ahl adh-dhikr?

Dear Brother / Sister,

The translation of the verse is as follows:

“And before thee also the messengers We sent were but men, to whom We granted inspiration: if ye realize this not, ask of those who possess the Message.” (an-Nahl, 16/43)

Dahhak narrates the following from Abdullah b. Abbas: "When Allah sent Muhammad (pbuh) as a prophet, those who did not accept him said, "Allah is too great to send a human being as a prophet." Thereupon, Allah sent down the verse above and similar ones.  

Tafsir scholars put forward different views about what is meant by the phrase "ahl adh-dhikr" in the verse translated as "those who possess the Message".

Mujahid, A'mash, Ibn Abbas state that what is meant by "ahl adh-dhikr" is the ummahs who were sent books before. According to this view, the explanation of the verse is as follows:  

"O Muhammad! Say to the polytheists who claim that you cannot be a prophet as a human being, "All of the prophets that were sent before me were some men who received revelation. If you do not believe in me regarding the issue, ask the ummahs who were sent books before: Were the prophets sent to them men like me or angels?"

According to some other scholars what is meant by the phrase "ahl adh-dhikr" in the verse is the people of the Quran; as evidence, they give the examples in other places of the Quran where the word "dhikr" is used in the sense of "the Quran". According to this view, the explanation of the verse is as follows:

"O polytheists! If you do not know that the prophets that were sent before were some men, ask the people of the Quran who believe in the Quran. Do not decide based on your own reasoning."

Abu Jafar al-Baqir states the following: "What is meant by the phrase "ahl adh-dhikr" here is us. That is, the ummah of Muhammad."

Therefore, the meaning of the verse is general. So, it can be said that it is more appropriate to explain "ahl adh-dhikr" as "those who know the issue" in general instead of using it as an adjective for some people. However, the beginning of the verse is closer to the view what is meant by the phrase "ahl adh-dhikr" is "Ahl al-Kitap" (the People of the Book).

Makkan polytheists did not regard a human being like them being sent as a prophet acceptable and said, "Did Allah send a human being as a prophet?" They put forward the view that an angel should have been sent as a prophet. However, Allah did not choose only Muhammad (pbuh) as a prophet; He chose prophets from the previous people and appointed them as prophets. The phrase "If ye realize this not, ask of those who possess the Message" in the verse indicates the insincerity of the polytheists related to the true belief. For, they had the opportunity to ask "the people who have knowledge" whether men were sent as prophets in the previous eras but they denied the prophethood of Muhammad beforehand, without asking them.

The most important lesson to be taken from the verse is as follows: It is necessary for those who do not have enough knowledge regarding an issue to ask those who are competent in that issue, that is, specialized people, experts; it is wrong to put forward a view or to do something without having true and sufficient knowledge about something.  (see Abu Jafar Muhammad b. Jarir at-Tabari, Taberi Tefsiri, Hisar Publications: 5/204-205)

Questions on Islam