But the leaders who rejected from among his people said, "What is this but a human like you? He wants to make himself better than you! If it was indeed God's will, He would have sent down angels. We did not hear such a thing among our fathers of old."
Translation endnotes
[23:24] The most ardent opponents of God's messengers have always been the blind followers of the traditions of their ancestors. The opposition against those who invite to the "Quran alone" in modern times demonstrates a similar mindset and reaction. Throughout history, the modus operandi of polytheists, have not changed much. They show the same weakness, the same knee-jerk reaction, the same ancestor-worship, the same gullibility, the same belligerent attitude, the same bigotry, the same ignorance and arrogance, and the same apathy and fear towards learning the truth. Polytheists are the riders of twin horses, named Ignorance and Arrogance. To protect themselves from tearing apart, they spend a lot of effort to keep the two competing twin horses at the same speed and distance.