They balk at following “a single mortal from among us”, reducing the Messenger to “just some guy.” The wording heightens incredulity with the addition of وَاحِدًا (one, single).
فَقَالُوا أَبَشَرًا مِّنَّا وَاحِدًا نَّتَّبِعُهُ إِنَّا إِذًا لَّفِي ضَلَالٍ وَسُعُرٍ
“They said: ‘Is it one human being among us that we should follow? Indeed, we would then be in a state of being completely lost and insanity.’”
“So they said: ‘Are we supposed to follow just some guy from amongst us? If we did that we would have to be utterly confused, even crazy!’”
Core statement and attitude in 54:24
They insist that following him would mean being utterly lost and even in a state of madness/frenzy, captured in their phrase ضَلَالٍ and سُعُرٍ.
Overview: Thamud and Prophet Salih (as)
Thamud came after ‘Aad, and Prophet Salih (as) was sent to them. They were situated in the North and Centre of the Arabian Peninsula, and there are structures and ruins linked to them.
They were known for being highly skilled in carving structures and dwellings within mountains.
Salih (as) had been someone of standing among them. As Allah relates in Surah Hud:
قَالُوا يَا صَالِحُ قَدْ كُنتَ فِينَا مَرْجُوًّا قَبْلَ هَٰذَا
“They said: ‘O Salih, you were among us a man of promise before this’”—they had hoped he would accomplish things among them. After Prophethood, however, his standing was lost in their eyes.
From esteem to resistance — the recurring pattern
This mirrors the reality of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: before Prophethood he was greatly respected, trusted, and loved by the Quraysh. After Prophethood, that flipped—from their most trusted voice to the voice they most resisted.
Lesson: When Allah honours some people, they become hated in the sight of Allah’s enemies, and the first tactic is to diminish them.
Language points and insights
“بَشَرًا — Bashar” and “بَشَرَة — Basharah”
- بَشَر (Bashar)
- Refers to the human being, a mortal.
- بَشَرَة (Basharah)
- The visible outer skin. The human—whose skin is visible—contrasts with animals whose skin is covered by hair or fur.
Intensifier: وَاحِدًا
The use of وَاحِدًا (“one”/“single”) intensifies the incredulity: You expect us to leave our ways to follow a man—just one single man!
Note: Ustadh Nu’man mistakenly referred to this skin term as Bishr; the correct form is Basharah.
“سُعُر — Su’ur” and emphasis
سُعُر refers to madness or being in a frenzied state. سَعِير is used for a blazing fire and as a word for hellfire, used for extreme situations, and is connected to the idea of something igniting or flaring up.
Here, the language amplifies their claim: Not only would we be extremely lost and misguided, we would have to be in a completely insane or crazed state to follow just this one human from among us.
How the wording shapes meaning
Reduction to “mere human”: Using بَشَرًا spotlights mortality and ordinariness to dismiss the Messenger’s authority.
Escalation through pairing: ضَلَالٍ + سُعُرٍ stacks misguidance with frenzy to exaggerate the supposed consequences of following him.
Intertext from Surah Hud
Their prior expectation of Salih (as) is captured by this address:
قَالُوا يَا صَالِحُ قَدْ كُنتَ فِينَا مَرْجُوًّا قَبْلَ هَٰذَا
Meaning: he was “a man of promise” among them—they hoped he would accomplish things. Prophethood redefined that relationship in their eyes.