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﴿ Do you find it strange that a revelation has come to you from your Lord through the tongue of a man from among yourselves, so that he may warn you? And remember when He made you successors on the earth after the people of Noah, and increased you in stature. So remember the blessings of Allah so that you may succeed.
﴾70﴿ They said, “Have you come to us so that we should worship Allah alone and leave what our forefathers used to worship? Then bring upon us that (punishment) with which you threaten us, if you are among the truthful.”
﴾71﴿ He said, “Surely, punishment and anger from your Lord have already fallen upon you! Are you arguing with me about names which you and your forefathers have invented, for which Allah has sent down no authority? So wait (for the outcome); I too am with you among those who wait.”

[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.