Surah Al-Ahzaab (33) — Ayah 6

(Ayah 6) ➊ { اَلنَّبِيُّ اَوْلٰى بِالْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ مِنْ اَنْفُسِهِمْ :} In the previous verses, there was a command to call adopted sons by the names of their (biological) fathers, which included calling Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) Zayd bin Harithah instead of Zayd bin Muhammad. Therefore, it was necessary to clarify the relationship of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with the Muslims, so that, seeing the emphasis on attribution to the father, one should not consider the father’s relationship more important than the Prophet’s relationship, because the relationship you have with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is not only that of a father, but is even closer than your own selves.

➋ In {’’ اَلنَّبِيُّ ‘‘}, the alif-lam is for specification, so it has been translated as “this Prophet.”

➌ The meaning of {’’ اَوْلٰى ‘‘} is also {’’أَقْرَبُ‘‘} (closer) and {’’أَحَقُّ‘‘} (more entitled). Here, if the meaning is taken as {’’أَقْرَبُ‘‘}, then it means that no relative’s closeness to a person is as much as the closeness of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to the believers. This closeness refers to the closeness of relationship, not physical proximity, such that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is physically closer to every believer than his own self at all times. Rather, just as all relatives, wherever they may be, maintain their genealogical closeness and relationship, similarly, wherever a believer may be, the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) relationship with him is closer than all his relatives, even his own self. Because his relatives, even his own self, can sometimes harm him, whereas the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is always a source of goodness for the believers. However, here the meaning of { ’’أَحَقُّ‘‘} is more appropriate, and in fact, by {’’أَقْرَبُ‘‘} is also meant {’’أَحَقُّ‘‘} (more entitled), that is, due to this closeness, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is more entitled, because immediately after this, the same word is used regarding relatives: «{ وَ اُولُوا الْاَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ اَوْلٰى بِبَعْضٍ }» meaning, relatives are more entitled to one another. The meaning is that the right of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) over a person is greater than that of all his relatives, even his own self. Shah Abdul Qadir writes: “The Prophet is the deputy of Allah; a person does not have as much authority over his own life and wealth as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) does. It is not permissible to throw oneself into blazing fire, but if the Prophet commands, then it is obligatory.” (Mawduh) Later in this surah, it is said: «{ وَ مَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَّ لَا مُؤْمِنَةٍ اِذَا قَضَى اللّٰهُ وَ رَسُوْلُهٗۤ اَمْرًا اَنْ يَّكُوْنَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ اَمْرِهِمْ وَ مَنْ يَّعْصِ اللّٰهَ وَ رَسُوْلَهٗ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلٰلًا مُّبِيْنًا }» [ الأحزاب : ۳۶ ] “And it is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should have any choice in their affair. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly gone astray, a clear going astray.”

Included in being more entitled than one’s own self is that the Prophet’s command should be obeyed even more than one’s own self. On one side is the demand of any person in the world, even one’s own self, and on the other side is the command of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), so his command should be given preference, and also that one should love the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) more than one’s own self. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ وَالَّذِيْ نَفْسِيْ بِيَدِهِ! لاَ يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتّٰی أَكُوْنَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ وَالِدِهِ وَ وَلَدِهِ وَ النَّاسِ أَجْمَعِيْنَ ] [ بخاري، الإیمان، باب حب الرسول صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم من الإیمان : ۱۴، ۱۵، عن أبي ھریرۃ رضی اللہ عنہ ] “By Him in Whose hand is my soul! None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his children, and all people.” Once, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “O Messenger of Allah! You are more beloved to me than everything except my own self.” So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ لاَ وَالَّذِيْ نَفْسِيْ بِيَدِهِ! حَتّٰی أَكُوْنَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ نَفْسِكَ ] “No (O Umar!), by Him in Whose hand is my soul, not until I am more beloved to you than your own self.” So Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: [ فَإِنَّهُ الْآنَ، وَاللّٰهِ ! لَأَنْتَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ نَفْسِيْ ] “Now, by Allah, you are more beloved to me than my own self.” So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ اَلْآنَ يَا عُمَرُ! ] “Now, O Umar!” [ بخاري، الأیمان والنذور، باب کیف کانت یمین النبي صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ؟ : ۶۶۳۲ ] Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) has narrated this hadith in the commentary of this verse, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ مَا مِنْ مُؤْمِنٍ إِلاَّ وَأَنَا أَوْلٰی بِهِ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ، اقْرَءُ وْا إِنْ شِئْتُمْ : «{ اَلنَّبِيُّ اَوْلٰى بِالْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ مِنْ اَنْفُسِهِمْ }» [الأحزاب : ۶] [بخاري، الاستقراض، باب الصلاۃ علی من ترک دینا : ۲۳۹۹، عن أبي ہریرۃ رضی اللہ عنہ ] “Whoever is a believer, I am more entitled to him in this world and the Hereafter, or I am the closest to him. If you wish, recite this verse: « اَلنَّبِيُّ اَوْلٰى بِالْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ مِنْ اَنْفُسِهِمْ » So, whoever among the believers leaves behind wealth, his ‘asabah will inherit it, whoever they may be, and whoever leaves behind a debt or dependents, let them come to me, for I am his guardian.”

➍ { وَ اَزْوَاجُهٗۤ اُمَّهٰتُهُمْ:} Due to this special characteristic of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned above, another characteristic is that the Muslims’ so-called mothers are not their mothers in any sense, but the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) are their mothers. Being mothers means they are to be honored and respected, and that after the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) passing, it is not permissible to marry them. In other rulings, such as seclusion, hijab, marriage to their children, etc., they are not like one’s own mother.

➎ { وَ اُولُوا الْاَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ اَوْلٰى بِبَعْضٍ فِيْ كِتٰبِ اللّٰهِ … :} When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) migrated to Madinah, for the settlement and economic needs of the Muhajirun, he made one Muhajir and one Ansari brothers to each other; this is called mu’akhat (brotherhood). This brotherhood became so strong that they were made heirs and guardians of each other. Upon death, the inheritance of a Muhajir would go to his Ansari brother instead of his relatives, and the inheritance of an Ansari would go to the Muhajir. In this verse of Surah Al-Ahzab, reference is made to the abrogation of this. See Surah Al-Anfal (72–74). The relevance of mentioning it here is that by merely saying so, no one becomes a mother, son, or brother, so now the brothers of closer relation are more entitled to inheritance, not those who became brothers due to alliance or the contract of mu’akhat.

➏ { اِلَّاۤ اَنْ تَفْعَلُوْۤا اِلٰۤى اَوْلِيٰٓىِٕكُمْ مَّعْرُوْفًا :} That is, any act of kindness with your believing or Muhajir brothers, except inheritance, is permissible, such as treating them kindly in life, giving them gifts, or making a bequest for them up to a third after death—there is no harm in this.

➐ { كَانَ ذٰلِكَ فِي الْكِتٰبِ مَسْطُوْرًا:} That is, in the Preserved Tablet, the original ruling is this, although people had made it a custom to make others heirs, but Allah Almighty knew that this would be abrogated, so He abrogated it and restored the original ruling. Or it means that this ruling has already been written in the Book of Allah, i.e., the Noble Qur’an, because this ruling was revealed in Surah Al-Anfal (72–74), which was revealed before Surah Al-Ahzab. (Ibn Ashur)

6-1. The extent to which the Prophet was compassionate and well-wishing for his Ummah needs no explanation. Seeing this compassion and goodwill of yours, Allah Almighty, in this verse, has made you more entitled to the believers than their own selves, your love superior to all other loves, and your command more important than all their desires. Therefore, it is necessary for the believers that whatever wealth you demand from them for Allah, they should lavish it upon you, no matter how much they themselves need it. They should love you more than their own selves (as is the incident of Hazrat Umar). They should give precedence to your ﷺ command over everything and consider obedience to you ﷺ the most important. Until this self-surrender happens, (فَلَا وَرَبِّکَ لَا یُؤمِنُوْنَ) (an-Nisa 65), according to which a person will not be a believer. Similarly, until your love prevails over all other loves, he will not be a true believer. 6-2. That is, in respect and honor, and in not marrying them. They are also the mothers of believing men and believing women. 6-3. That is, now inheritance will not be due to migration, brotherhood. Now inheritance will only be on the basis of close kinship. 6-4. Yes, you can deal with non-relatives with kindness and maintaining ties, and you can also make a bequest for them from one third of your wealth. 6-5. That is, in the Preserved Tablet, the original ruling is this, although temporarily, for expediency, others were also made heirs, but Allah knew that this would be abrogated. Thus, by abrogating it, the first ruling has been restored. Similarly, when your ﷺ love does not prevail over all other loves, then according to "None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father and his son," he is not a believer. In exactly the same way, negligence in obedience to the Messenger will make one fall under "None of you truly believes until his desires follow what I have brought." 6-2. That is, in respect and honor, and in not marrying them. They are also the mothers of believing men and believing women. 6-3. That is, now inheritance will not be due to migration, brotherhood, and alliance. Now inheritance will only be on the basis of close kinship. 6-4. Yes, you can deal with non-relatives with kindness and maintaining ties, and you can also make a bequest for them from one third of your wealth. 6-5. That is, in the Preserved Tablet, the original ruling is this, although temporarily, for expediency, others were also made heirs, but Allah knew that this would be abrogated. Thus, by abrogating it, the first ruling has been restored.

The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves [8], and his wives are their mothers [9]. Blood relatives are more entitled (to inheritance) from one another according to the Book of Allah than the believers and the emigrants, except that you may do some good for your friends [10]. This is written in the Book of Allah [11].

[8]
The Prophet is More Well-Wishing to the Believers Than Their Own Selves:

This verse also has two meanings. One meaning is that you yourselves cannot be as well-wishing for yourselves as the Prophet is for you. This too has two aspects: one religious, the other worldly. From a religious perspective, the entire Ummah received guidance only through him, in which lies our worldly and hereafter success. He is our teacher as well as our nurturer; in this sense, he is the spiritual father and spiritual teacher of the entire Ummah. And in the worldly aspect, his utmost well-wishing is made clear by the following hadith. Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: "For all the believers, I am the most entitled (and well-wishing) of all people in matters of this world and the Hereafter. Whoever among the believers leaves behind wealth at the time of death, his heirs are his relatives, whoever they may be. And if he leaves behind any debt or small children, they should come to me, for I am the one who will take care of them." [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير]

Faith is Not Complete Without Loving the Prophet ﷺ More Than All People:

And the logical demand of this utmost well-wishing is that all Muslims should also respect the Prophet more than all other people and obey him so that they may fully benefit from his teaching and nurturing. The following ahadith shed light on this aspect:
1. Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik ؓ narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said: "None of you can be a believer until I become more beloved to him than his children, his parents, and all people." [مسلم، کتاب الایمان۔ باب وجوب محبۃ رسول اللہ]
2. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar ؓ says that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "No person can be a believer until he makes his desires subservient to what I have brought." [شرح السنۃ۔ بحوالہ مشکوٰۃ۔ کتاب الاعتصام بالکتاب والسنہ۔ فصل ثانی]
3. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Hisham narrates: We were with the Prophet ﷺ and he was holding the hand of Sayyiduna Umar ؓ. Sayyiduna Umar ؓ said: "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, you are more beloved to me than everything except my own self." The Prophet ﷺ said: "By Him in Whose hand is my soul, you cannot be a believer until I become more beloved to you than your own self." Sayyiduna Umar ؓ said: "By Allah! Now you are more beloved to me than my own self." The Prophet ﷺ said: "Now, O Umar!" (i.e., now you are a true Muslim) [بخاری۔ کتاب الایمان والنذور۔ باب کیف کان یمین النبی]
[9] When the Prophet is the spiritual father, then his wives are the spiritual mothers. Or, when the Prophet's wives are the mothers of the Ummah, then the Prophet is their father. But the wives of the Prophet ﷺ are mothers of the Ummah only in terms of respect, and no one can marry them after the Prophet's ﷺ demise, and the rest of the rulings remain as they are. For example, they will observe proper veiling from the believers, and the believers will consider them as strangers, nor can they claim inheritance from any member of the Ummah, etc.

[10]
Brotherhood and Inheritance:

When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and other Muslims migrated to Madinah, a very important issue was the settlement and livelihood of the emigrants, which was an urgent matter for the newly established Muslim state. The Prophet ﷺ handled this delicate issue with great wisdom. He paired each emigrant (Muhajir) with an Ansari, making the Ansari responsible for the settlement and livelihood of the Muhajir. The Ansar accepted this responsibility with great generosity. This process is called Mu’akhat (brotherhood). The Prophet ﷺ, in three gatherings at the house of Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik ؓ, made about forty-three emigrants brothers to an equal number of Ansar at different times. In this way, the issue of settlement and livelihood of the emigrants was temporarily resolved. Then this brotherhood reached such a level that they were made heirs and guardians of each other. The inheritance of a Muhajir would go to his Ansari brother, and that of an Ansari to his Muhajir brother. Then, when the economic condition of the Muslims improved somewhat, this temporary law was abolished and the real heirs were declared to be the close relatives. However, apart from the right of inheritance, better treatment with these brothers through other means was permitted. For example, a person could make a will in their favor, provide financial assistance and gifts during his lifetime, and give presents.

[11] That is, making the brothers of Mu’akhat heirs of each other was a temporary law. The permanent law of Shariah is that the rightful heirs are only the relatives.