faqāla l-mala-u alladhīna kafarū min qawmihi mā narāka illā basharan mith'lanā wamā narāka ittabaʿaka illā alladhīna hum arādhilunā bādiya l-rayi wamā narā lakum ʿalaynā min faḍlin bal naẓunnukum kādhibīna
Translation
So the eminent among those who disbelieved from his people said, "We do not see you but as a man like ourselves, and we do not see you followed except by those who are the lowest of us [and] at first suggestion.558 And we do not see in you over us any merit; rather, we think you are liars."
Verse 27 of Surah Hud (11:27), a Meccan surah, is in juz 12, on page 224 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 73 reciters.
Listen to verse 27 of Surah Hud
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Tafsir of verse 27
Al-Mukhtasar
The nobility and leaders of Noah’s people said that they would not respond to his call, saying that he was no better than them, being a man like them, and that they only saw the least important people among them following him straightaway upon a simple suggestion, without considering carefully or examining the situation. They said that the believers were not more noble or wealthy than them, nor did they have a higher rank than them, which might make them worthy of being followed by them; rather, they considered them to be lying in their claims.
But the chiefs of his people who disbelieved said, “We only see you as a human being like ourselves, and we do not see those who follow you except the lowest among us apparently. We do not see you superior to us, rather, we think that you are liars.”
The chiefs who disbelieved among his people said: "We see you but a man like ourselves, nor do we see any follow you but the meanest among us and they (too) followed you without thinking. And we do not see in you any merit above us, in fact we think you are liars."
The chieftains of his folk, who disbelieved, said: We see thee but a mortal like us, and we see not that any follow thee save the most abject among us, without reflection. We behold in you no merit above us - nay, we deem you liars.
But the chiefs of the Unbelievers among his people said: "We see (in) thee nothing but a man like ourselves: Nor do we see that any follow thee but the meanest among us, in judgment immature: Nor do we see in you (all) any merit above us: in fact we thing ye are liars!"
But the chiefs of those who disbelieved from among his people said: We do not consider you but a mortal like ourselves, and we do not see any have followed you but those who are the meanest of us at first thought and we do not see in you any excellence over us; nay, we deem you liars.
So, the chiefs of the ones who disbelieved of his people said, "In no way do we see you except a mortal like ourselves, and in no way do we see that anyone has closely followed you except the ones who are the most decrepit of us, inconsiderately (i.e., without considering; literally: readily declared opinion). And in no way do we see you have over us any grace (Superiority) No indeed, we expect that you are liars."
And similarly, We did not send before you any warner into a city except that its affluent said, "Indeed, we found our fathers upon a religion, and we are, in their footsteps, following."
Verses with similar wording
They share a sequence of words with this verse: useful for telling them apart when memorising.
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 Allāh had willed [to send a messenger], He would have sent down angels. We have not heard of this among our forefathers.
