أَوَعَجِبْتُمْ أَنْ جَاءَكُمْ ذِكْرٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ عَلَى رَجُلٍ مِنْكُمْ لِيُنْذِرَكُمْ وَاذْكُرُوا إِذْ جَعَلَكُمْ خُلَفَاءَ مِنْ بَعْدِ قَوْمِ نُوحٍ وَزَادَكُمْ فِي الْخَلْقِ بَسْطَةً فَاذْكُرُوا آلَاءَ اللَّهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿۶۹﴾ قَالُوا أَجِئْتَنَا لِنَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ وَحْدَهُ وَنَذَرَ مَا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ آبَاؤُنَا فَأْتِنَا بِمَا تَعِدُنَا إِنْ كُنْتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ ﴿۷۰﴾ قَالَ قَدْ وَقَعَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ رِجْسٌ وَغَضَبٌ أَتُجَادِلُونَنِي فِي أَسْمَاءٍ سَمَّيْتُمُوهَا أَنْتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُمْ مَا نَزَّلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ فَانْتَظِرُوا إِنِّي مَعَكُمْ مِنَ الْمُنْتَظِرِينَ ﴿۷۱﴾

﴾69﴿ Awa 'ajibtum an jaaa'akum zikrum mir Rabbikum 'alaa rajulim minkum liyunzirakum; wazkurooo iz ja'alakum khulafaaa'a mim ba'di qawmi noohinw wa zaadakum filkhalqi bastatan fazkurooo aalaaa'al laahi la'allakum tuflihoon
﴾70﴿ Qaalooo aji'tanaa lina'budal laaha wahdahoo wa nazara maa kaana ya'budu aabaaa'unaa fa'tinaa bimaa ta'idunaaa in kunta minas saadiqeen
﴾71﴿ Qaala qad waqa'a alaikum mir Rabbikum rijsunw wa ghadab, atujaadiloonanee feee asmaaa'in sammaitumoohaaa antum wa aabaaa'ukum maa nazzalal laahu bihaa min sultaan; fantazirooo innee ma'akum minal muntazireen

﴾69﴿ Were you surprised that a revelation came to you from your Lord through the language of a man of your kind To make you afraid and remember because you were made to settle the earth after Noah's people And he added, for you in the creation of expansion, so remember the favors of Allah, the Most High, so that you will be successful
﴾70﴿ They said: Have you come to us so that we worship Allah, the Most High, and leave what our elders worshiped So bring to us that (torment) that you fear us from it, if you are truthful
﴾71﴿ He said, There has certainly come upon you from the Lord of bells and whistles. Are you arguing with me about some names which you have decreed, it has not been revealed to you and your fathers, Allah Almighty has no reason for it, so wait, I am one of those waiting with you

[69] The objection against him was: “You are human and a man, so how can you be a messenger?”
This is also mentioned in verse 10 of Surah Ibrahim and verse 33 of Surah Al-Mu’minūn.
He responded to this with “Awaʿajibtum” – “Do you find it strange?”
"Basṭah" – refers either to the abundance of descendants or to physical size and tall stature.
From authentic hadith, it is clear that the height of Adam (peace be upon him) was sixty cubits, and his descendants gradually became shorter.
Thus, the Israelite reports (isrā'īliyyāt) about the people of ʿĀd being a hundred cubits tall, or a man named ʿŪj reaching the sky, are unreliable.
“Wa-dhkurū” – “And remember” – this is an emphatic call, urging remembrance of blessings as encouragement to accept the message.
[70] This was their method of denial – expressing astonishment at monotheism (tawḥīd).
Al-Alūsī said this was due to their excessive immersion in blindly following their forefathers.
“Aji'tanā” – “Have you come to us…” – was said because he previously lived apart from them during times of ease, similar to how our Prophet lived in the cave of Ḥirāʾ before prophethood.
Or this statement was made mockingly – as if to say: “Have you come from the heavens with this message?”
Or it was sarcasm about a new message, hinting at the novelty of his mission.
This shows that their dispute (and that of all polytheists) was not about the concept of worship itself, nor about Allah’s existence, but about tawḥīd – that is, they did not accept that supplication, prostration, vows, etc., should be made exclusively for Allah Most High.
They believed others also had a right in these acts alongside Him.
This is also affirmed in verse 46 of Surah Al-Isrāʾ, verse 35 of Surah Al-Ṣāffāt, and verse 5 of Surah Ṣād.
[71] “Qad waqaʿa” means it has become obligatory, indicating the certainty of the punishment due to their statement.
“Rijṣ” refers either to punishment or the rust/stain upon hearts.
“Asmāʾ” – names – refers to the attributes and titles they assigned to their false deities, and which they used to argue with the messenger.
Just as in today's time, people say: Bābā-ye Bād, Bābā-ye Falaj, Dātā Ganj Bakhsh, Ghawth Aʿẓam, etc.
These names of the elders were given by later generations.
There is no evidence for them in the Qur'an or the Sunnah.
This naming is not something passed down simply from parents, but is rooted in polytheistic belief introduced by both the elders and followers among the polytheists.
“Ābāʾukum” – “your forefathers” – is a refutation of blind following of ancestors in assigning polytheistic names.
“Mā nazzala” – “what Allah has not sent down” – indicates that the basis for affirming any belief, including shirk, must be revealed evidence.
Belief cannot be established through evidence that is not divinely revealed.