Surah Ar-Ra'd (13) — Ayah 38

(Ayah38) ➊ {وَ لَقَدْ اَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلًا مِّنْ قَبْلِكَ … : } The polytheists also objected to the Prophethood of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) by saying that this is a strange Prophet who marries like other human beings, and he has children as well, whereas what does a Prophet have to do with such things?! In fact, they even objected that what kind of Messenger is this who eats food and walks in the markets. (See Furqan: 7) In this verse, the answer to this objection is given: Prophethood is not contrary to marrying women; all the Prophets of Allah who came before you were human beings, and the majority of them were those Prophets who had wives and children. They all used to eat food and walk in the markets. (See Furqan: 20) You take pride in being the descendants of Ibrahim and Ismail (peace be upon them), so were you born without their marriage?! Similarly, look at the Children of Israel and their Prophets. Pay attention to the number of wives and slave women of Sulaiman (peace be upon him)! In short, your objection is utterly baseless. Even in our times, many people consider only those as Allah’s people, saints, and elders who neither marry nor earn, who live as monks, and instead of inviting to religion and striving in Allah’s cause, they prefer seclusion and live off others’ earnings instead of working themselves, whereas these acts are forbidden in Islam. Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: [جَاءَ ثَلَاثَةُ رَهْطٍ إِلٰی بُيُوْتِ أَزْوَاجِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَسْأَلُوْنَ عَنْ عِبَادَةِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَلَمَّا أُخْبِرُوْا كَأَنَّهُمْ تَقَالُّوْهَا فَقَالُوْا وَأَيْنَ نَحْنُ مِنَ النِّبِيِّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَدْ غَفَرَ اللّٰهُ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ، فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمْ أَمَّا أَنَا فَأَنَا أُصَلِّی اللَّيْلَ أَبَدًا، وَقَالَ آخَرُ أَنَا أَصُوْمُ الدَّهْرَ وَلَا أُفْطِرُ، وَقَالَ آخَرُ أَنَا أَعْتَزِلُ النِّسَاءَ فَلاَ أَتَزَوَّجُ أَبَدًا، فَجَاءَ إِلَيْهِمْ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ أَنْتُمُ الَّذِيْنَ قُلْتُمْ كَذَا وَكَذَا ؟ أَمَا وَاللّٰهِ ! إِنِّيْ لَأَخْشَاكُمْ لِلّٰهِ وَأَتْقَاكُمْ لَهُ، لٰكِنِّيْ أَصُوْمُ وَأُفْطِرُ، وَأُصَلِّيْ وَ أَرْقُدُ، وَأَتَزَوَّجُ النِّسَاءَ، فَمَنْ رَغِبَ عَنْ سُنَّتِيْ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّيْ ] [ بخاری، النکاح، باب الترغیب في النکاح : ۵۰۶۳۔ مسلم : ۱۴۰۱ ] “Three men came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), asking about the worship of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). When they were informed, it was as if they considered it little, and said: ‘What comparison do we have with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)? Allah has forgiven his past and future sins.’ So one of them said: ‘I will always pray all night.’ The second said: ‘I will always fast and never break my fast.’ The third said: ‘I will keep away from women and never marry.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came (they were called to him) and said: ‘You have said such and such things. Remember! By Allah, I am the most fearful of Allah among you and the most pious among you, but I fast and I do not fast, I pray and I sleep, and I marry women. So whoever turns away from my way is not from me.’”

➋ {وَ مَا كَانَ لِرَسُوْلٍ اَنْ يَّاْتِيَ بِاٰيَةٍ اِلَّا بِاِذْنِ اللّٰهِ:} Another objection of the opponents was that if this (Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him) is truly the Messenger of Allah, then why does he not bring miracles and signs according to our demand? In response, it is said that all the miracles brought by previous Prophets were brought by the will and command of Allah Almighty; now, if Allah wills, He will manifest miracles through this Prophet as well, otherwise, the Prophet does not have the power to manifest any miracle by his own will. The same is the case with the wondrous acts (karamat) of the saints, that they are not able to show miracles by their own will. Here, “ayah” can also mean a verse of the Qur’an in which a command is revealed according to their wish. (Ibn Kathir)

➌ { لِكُلِّ اَجَلٍ كِتَابٌ :} That is, for every time there is a written decree which will certainly occur at its appointed time.

38. 1. That is, all the Messengers and Prophets who came, including you, were all human beings, who had their own families and tribes, and had wives and children. They were not angels nor any luminous beings in human form, but were from the human species, because if they had been angels, it would have been impossible for humans to be familiar with them and to be close to them, which would have nullified the very purpose of sending them. And if they had come as angels in human guise, they would not have had families or tribes in this world, nor wives and children. From this, it is known that all the Prophets, in terms of species, were human beings; they were not angels in human form or any luminous beings. In the mentioned verse, "azwajan" refutes monasticism, and "dhurriyyah" refutes family planning, because "dhurriyyah" is plural and means at least three.

38. 2. That is, the occurrence of miracles is not within the control of the Messengers, so that whenever they are demanded, they can produce them, but rather it is in Allah's control. He decides according to His wisdom and will whether there is a need for a miracle or not, and if so, how and when it should be shown.

38. 3. That is, whatever Allah has promised, there is a fixed time for it, and at that time it will certainly occur. Therefore, Allah's promise is never broken. Every matter that Allah has decreed has a fixed time, meaning the matter does not depend on the wishes and intentions of the disbelievers, but solely on Allah's will.

38. And indeed, We sent messengers before you, and We gave them wives and offspring [50]. And it was not for any messenger to bring a sign except by Allah’s permission. For every term there is a decree.

[50]
What Relation Do Prophets and Friends of Allah Have With Worldly Affairs of Family and Children:

In this sentence, an objection has also been answered. The ignorant masses think that getting married and having children is the work of worldly people. How could prophets and friends of Allah have anything to do with these worldly affairs? They should not be seekers of the world but rather renouncers of it, as monasticism became prevalent among the Jews and Christians. In response, Allah Almighty said that all the messengers who passed before were people with families and children, and you believe in their truthfulness, so which of them will you deny? They were human beings and fulfilled human needs, and since they were human, none of them had the power to show any miracle by their own will or ability, except that by Allah’s command, miracles would occur at their hands. And even now, if Allah wills, He is able to show miracles at the hands of this Prophet.