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Ayah
Word by Word
وَمَآ
And not
أَرۡسَلۡنَا
We sent
مِن
before you
قَبۡلِكَ
before you
إِلَّا
but
رِجَالٗا
men
نُّوحِيٓ
We revealed
إِلَيۡهِم
to them
مِّنۡ
from (among)
أَهۡلِ
(the) people
ٱلۡقُرَىٰٓۗ
(of) the townships
أَفَلَمۡ
So have not
يَسِيرُواْ
they traveled
فِي
in
ٱلۡأَرۡضِ
the earth
فَيَنظُرُواْ
and seen
كَيۡفَ
how
كَانَ
was
عَٰقِبَةُ
(the) end
ٱلَّذِينَ
(of) those who
مِن
(were) before them
قَبۡلِهِمۡۗ
(were) before them
وَلَدَارُ
And surely the home
ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ
(of) the Hereafter
خَيۡرٞ
(is) best
لِّلَّذِينَ
for those who
ٱتَّقَوۡاْۚ
fear Allah
أَفَلَا
Then will not
تَعۡقِلُونَ
you use reason
وَمَآ
And not
أَرۡسَلۡنَا
We sent
مِن
before you
قَبۡلِكَ
before you
إِلَّا
but
رِجَالٗا
men
نُّوحِيٓ
We revealed
إِلَيۡهِم
to them
مِّنۡ
from (among)
أَهۡلِ
(the) people
ٱلۡقُرَىٰٓۗ
(of) the townships
أَفَلَمۡ
So have not
يَسِيرُواْ
they traveled
فِي
in
ٱلۡأَرۡضِ
the earth
فَيَنظُرُواْ
and seen
كَيۡفَ
how
كَانَ
was
عَٰقِبَةُ
(the) end
ٱلَّذِينَ
(of) those who
مِن
(were) before them
قَبۡلِهِمۡۗ
(were) before them
وَلَدَارُ
And surely the home
ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ
(of) the Hereafter
خَيۡرٞ
(is) best
لِّلَّذِينَ
for those who
ٱتَّقَوۡاْۚ
fear Allah
أَفَلَا
Then will not
تَعۡقِلُونَ
you use reason
Translation
Nor did We send before thee (as messengers) any but men, whom we did inspire,- (men) living in human habitations. Do they not travel through the earth, and see what was the end of those before them? But the home of the hereafter is best, for those who do right. Will ye not then understand?
Tafsir
And We did not send before you [any messengers] save men inspired by revelation (yoohaa ilayhim: a variant reading has noohee ilayhim, 'to whom We revealed') - and not angels - from among the people of the towns, the principal towns, since they are more knowledgeable and wiser than the people of the desert, who are crude and ignorant. Have they, the people of Mecca, not travelled in the land and seen the nature of the consequence for those who were before them?, that is, how they ended up, when they were destroyed for denying their messengers? And verily the abode of the Hereafter, that is, the Paradise, is better for those who are wary, of God. Will they not understand? (read a-fa-laa ya'qiloon, or a-fa-laa ta'qiloon. 'Will you not understand?'), this, O people of Mecca, and so have faith?
"
All of the Prophets are Humans and Men
Allah says;
وَمَا أَرۡسَلۡنَا مِن قَبۡلِكَ إِلاَّ رِجَالاً نُّوحِي إِلَيۡهِم
And We sent not before you (as Messengers) any but men unto whom We revealed,
Allah states that He only sent Prophets and Messengers from among men and not from among women, as this Ayah clearly states.
Allah did not reveal religious and legislative laws to any woman from among the daughters of Adam. This is the belief of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama`ah.
Sheikh Abu Al-Hasan, Ali bin Ismail Al-Ash`ari mentioned that;
it is the view of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama`ah, that there were no female Prophets, but there were truthful believers from among women. Allah mentions the most honorable of the truthful female believers, Maryam, the daughter of Imran, when He said,
مَّا الۡمَسِيحُ ابۡنُ مَرۡيَمَ إِلاَّ رَسُولٌ قَدۡ خَلَتۡ مِن قَبۡلِهِ الرُّسُلُ وَأُمُّهُ صِدِّيقَةٌ كَانَا يَأۡكُلَنِ الطَّعَامَ
The Messiah ('Isa), son of Maryam (Mary), was no more than a Messenger; many were the Messengers that passed away before him. His mother was a Siddiqah (truthful believer). They both used to eat food. (5:75)
Therefore, the best description Allah gave her is Siddiqah.
Had she been a Prophet, Allah would have mentioned this fact when He was praising her qualities and honor. Therefore, Mary was a truthful believer according to the words of the Qur'an.
All Prophets were Humans not Angels
Ad-Dahhak reported that Ibn `Abbas commented on Allah's statement,
وَمَا أَرۡسَلۡنَا مِن قَبۡلِكَ إِلاَّ رِجَالاً
(And We sent not before you (as Messengers) any but men),
""They were not from among the residents of the heaven (angels), as you claimed.""
This statement of Ibn Abbas is supported by Allah's statements,
وَمَأ أَرۡسَلۡنَا قَبۡلَكَ مِنَ الۡمُرۡسَلِينَ إِلاَّ إِنَّهُمۡ لَيَأۡكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمۡشُونَ فِى الاٌّسۡوَاقِ
And We never sent before you any of the Messengers, but verily, they ate food and walked in the markets. (25:20)
وَمَا جَعَلۡنَـهُمۡ جَسَداً لاَّ يَأۡكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ وَمَا كَانُواۡ خَـلِدِينَ
ثُمَّ صَدَقۡنَـهُمُ الۡوَعۡدَ فَأَنجَيۡنَـهُمۡ وَمَن نَّشَأءُ وَأَهۡلَكۡنَا الۡمُسۡرفِينَ
And We did not create them with bodies that ate not food, nor were they immortals. Then We fulfilled to them the promise. So We saved them and those whom We willed, but We destroyed extravagant, (21:8-9)
and,
قُلۡ مَا كُنتُ بِدۡعاً مِّنَ الرُّسُلِ
Say:""I am not a new thing among the Messengers."" (46:9)
Allah said next,
مِّنۡ أَهۡلِ الۡقُرَى
from among the people of townships,
meaning, from among the people of cities, not that they were sent among the Bedouins who are some of the harshest and roughest of all people.
Drawing Lessons from the Incidents of the Past
Allah said next,
أَفَلَمۡ يَسِيرُواۡ فِي الَارۡضِ
Have they not traveled in the land,
meaning, `Have not these people who rejected you, O Muhammad, traveled in the land,'
فَيَنظُرُواۡ كَيۡفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ
and seen what was the end of those who were before them,
that is, the earlier nations that rejected the Messengers, and how Allah destroyed them. A similar end is awaiting all disbelievers.
Allah said in another Ayah,
أَفَلَمۡ يَسِيرُواۡ فِى الاٌّرۡضِ فَتَكُونَ لَهُمۡ قُلُوبٌ يَعۡقِلُونَ بِهَأ
Have they not traveled through the land, and have they hearts wherewith to understand! (22:46)
When they hear this statement, they should realize that Allah destroyed the disbelievers and saved the believers, and this is His way with His creation.
This is why Allah said,
وَلَدَارُ الاخِرَةِ خَيۡرٌ لِّلَّذِينَ اتَّقَواۡ
And verily, the home of the Hereafter is the best for those who have Taqwa.
Allah says, `Just as We saved the faithful in this life, We also wrote safety for them in the Hereafter, which is far better for them than the life of the present world.'
Allah said in other Ayah,
إِنَّا لَنَنصُرُ رُسُلَنَا وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواۡ فِى الۡحَيَوةِ الدُّنۡيَا وَيَوۡمَ يَقُومُ الاٌّشۡهَـدُ
يَوۡمَ لَا يَنفَعُ الظَّـلِمِينَ مَعۡذِرَتُهُمۡ وَلَهُمُ الۡلَّعۡنَةُ وَلَهُمۡ سُوءُ الدَّارِ
Verily, We will indeed make victorious Our Messengers and those who believe in this world's life and on the Day when the witnesses will stand forth (i.e. Day of Resurrection). The Day when their excuses will be of no profit to the wrongdoers. Theirs will be the curse, and theirs will be the evil abode (in Hellfire). (40:51-52)
أَفَلَ تَعۡقِلُونَ
Do you not then understand?"
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