Ar-Ra'd 13:38–43

All Prophets and Messengers were Humans

Allah says, `Just as We have sent you O Muhammad, a Prophet and a human, We sent the Messengers before you from among mankind, that eat food, walk in the markets, and We gave them wives and offspring.' Allah said to the most honorable and Final Messenger,

قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أَنَاْ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُوحَى إِلَىَّ

(Say: "I am only a man like you. It has been revealed to me.") 18:110 It is recorded in the Two Sahihs that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«أَمَّا أَنَا فَأَصُومُ وَأُفْطِرُ، وَأَقُومُ وَأَنَامُ، وَآكُلُ اللَّحْمَ، وَأَتَزَوَّجُ النِّسَاءَ، فَمَنْ رَغِبَ عَنْ سُنَّتِي فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي»

(As for me, I fast and break the fast, stand in prayer at night and sleep, eat meat and marry women; so whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of mine.)

No Prophet can bring a Miracle except by Allah's Leave

Allah said,

وَمَا كَانَ لِرَسُولٍ أَن يَأْتِىَ بَِايَةٍ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ

(And it was not for a Messenger to bring a sign except by Allah's leave.) meaning, no Prophet could have brought a miracle to his people except by Allah's permission and will, for this matter is only decided by Allah the Exalted and Most Honored, not the Prophets; surely Allah does what He wills and decides what He wills.

لِكُلِّ أَجَلٍ كِتَابٌ

((For) every matter there is a decree (from Allah).) for every term appointed, there is a record (or decree) that keeps it, and everything has a specific due measure with Allah,

أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِى السَّمَآءِ وَالاٌّرْضِ إِنَّ ذلِكَ فِى كِتَبٍ إِنَّ ذلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ

(Know you not that Allah knows all that is in the heaven and on the earth Verily, it is (all) in the Book. Verily, that is easy for Allah.)22:70

Meaning of Allah blotting out what He wills and confirming what He wills of the Book

Allah said,

يَمْحُو اللَّهُ مَا يَشَآءُ

(Allah blots out what He wills) of the divinely revealed Books,

وَيُثَبِّتْ

(and confirms), until the Qur'an, revealed from Allah to His Messenger peace be upon him, abrogated them all. Mujahid commented;

يَمْحُو اللَّهُ مَا يَشَآءُ وَيُثْبِتُ

(Allah blots out what He wills and confirms (what He wills).) "Except life and death, misery and happiness i.e., faith and disbelief, for they do not change." Mansur said that he asked Mujahid, "Some of us say in their supplication, `O Allah! If my name is with those who are happy (believers), affirm my name among them, and if my name is among the miserable ones (disbelievers), remove it from among them and place it among the happy ones." Mujahid said. "This supplication is good." I met him a year or more later and repeated the same question to him and he recited these Ayat,

إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَهُ فِى لَيْلَةٍ مُّبَرَكَةٍ

(We sent it (this Qur'an) down on a blessed night.) Mujahid commented next, "During Laylatul-Qadr (Night of the Decrees), Allah decides what provisions and disasters will occur in the next year of. He then brings forward or back (or blots out) whatever He wills. As for the Book containing the records of the happy (believers) and the miserable (disbelievers), it does not change." Al-A`mash narrated that Abu Wa'il, Shaqiq bin Salamah said that he used to recite this supplication often, "O Allah, if You wrote us among the wretched ones, remove this status from us and write us among the blessed ones. If You wrote us among the blessed ones, please let us stay that way, for surely, You blot out and confirm what You will, and with You is the Mother of the Book." Ibn Jarir At-Tabari collected this. Similar statements were collected from `Umar bin Al-Khattab and `Abdullah bin Mas`ud, indicating that Allah blots out (or abrogates) and affirms what He wills in the Book of Records. What further supports this meaning is that Imam Ahmad recorded that Thawban said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيُحْرَمُ الرِّزْقَ بِالذَّنْبِ يُصِيبُهُ، وَلَا يَرُدُّ الْقَدَرَ إِلَّا الدُّعَاءُ، وَلَا يَزِيدُ فِي الْعُمْرِ إِلَّا الْبِر»

(A man might be deprived of a provision (that was written for him) because of a sin that he commits; only supplication changes Al-Qadar (Predestination); and only Birr (righteousness) can increase the life span.") An-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah collected this Hadith. There is also a Hadith recorded in the Sahih that affirms that maintaining the ties of the womb increases the life span. Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn `Abbas said about Allah's statement,

يَمْحُو اللَّهُ مَا يَشَآءُ وَيُثْبِتُ وَعِندَهُ أُمُّ الْكِتَبِ

(Allah blots out what He wills and confirms (what He wills). And with Him is the Mother of the Book.) "A man might work in Allah's obedience for a while but he reverts to the disobedience of Him and then dies while misguided. This is what Allah blots out, while what He confirms is a man who works in His disobedience, but since goodness was destined for him, he dies after reverting to the obedience of Allah. This is what Allah confirms." It was also reported that Sa`id bin Jubayr said that this Ayah is in the meaning of another Ayah,

فَيَغْفِرُ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

(Then He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. And Allah is able to do all things.) 2:284

Punishment is by Allah, and the Messenger's Job is only to convey the Message

Allah said to His Messenger ,

وَإِن مَّا نُرِيَنَّكَ

`(Whether We show you) O Muhammad, part of the disgrace and humiliation We have promised your enemies in this life,

أَوْ نَتَوَفَّيَنَّكَ

(or cause you to die) before that,

فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ الْبَلَغُ

(your duty is only to convey We have only sent you to convey to them Allah's Message, and by doing so, you will have fulfilled the mission that was ordained on you,

وَعَلَيْنَا الْحِسَابُ

(and on Us is the reckoning), their reckoning and recompense is on Us.' Allah said in similar Ayat,

فَذَكِّرْ إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مُذَكِّرٌ - لَّسْتَ عَلَيْهِم بِمُسَيْطِرٍ - إِلاَّ مَن تَوَلَّى وَكَفَرَ - فَيْعَذِّبُهُ اللَّهُ الْعَذَابَ الاٌّكْبَرَ - إِنَّ إِلَيْنَآ إِيَابَهُمْ - ثُمَّ إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا حِسَابَهُمْ

(So remind them - you are only one who reminds. You are not a dictator over them - Save the one who turns away and disbelieves. Then Allah will punish him with the greatest punishment. Verily, to Us will be their return, Then verily, for Us will be their reckoning.)88:21-26 Allah said next,

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْاْ أَنَّا نَأْتِى الاٌّرْضَ نَنقُصُهَا مِنْ أَطْرَافِهَا

(See they not that We gradually reduce the land from its outlying borders.) Ibn `Abbas commented, "See they not that We are granting land after land to Muhammad ﷺ" Al-Hasan and Ad-Dahhak commented that this Ayah refers to Muslims gaining the upper hand over idolators, just as Allah said in another Ayah,

وَلَقَدْ أَهْلَكْنَا مَا حَوْلَكُمْ مِّنَ الْقُرَى

(And indeed We have destroyed towns round about you.) 46:27

The Disbelievers plot, but the Believers gain the Good End

Allah says,

(And verily, those before them did devise plots,) against their Messengers, they wanted to expel them from their land, but Allah devised plots against the disbelievers and gave the good end to those who fear Him. Allah said in other Ayat,

(And (remember) when the disbelievers plotted against you to imprison you, or to kill you, or to get you out; they were plotting and Allah too was plotting; and Allah is the Best of those who plot.) 8:30, and,

(So they plotted a plot, and We planned a plan, while they perceived not. Then see how was the end of their plot! Verily, We destroyed them and their nation, all together.)27:50,51 Allah said next,

(He knows what every person earns,) meaning, He alone knows all secrets and concealed thoughts and will reckon each person according to his work, (

and the Kafir (disbeliever) will know

or the Kuffar (disbelievers) according to another way of reciting,

(who gets the good end.) who will earn the ultimate and final victory, they or the followers of the Messengers. Indeed, the followers of the Messengers will earn the good end in this life and the Hereafter, all thanks and praise is due to Allah.

Allah and those who have Knowledge of the Scripture are Sufficient as Witness to the Message of the Prophet

Allah says, the disbelievers reject you and say,

(You are not a Messenger.) from Allah,

(Say: "Sufficient as a witness between me and you is Allah...") meaning, say, `Allah is sufficient for me and He is the witness over me and you. He is witness that I (Muhammad) have conveyed the Message from Him and over you, O rejecters, to the falsehood that you invent.' Allah said,

(and those too who have knowledge of the Scripture.) This refers to `Abdullah bin Salam, according to Mujahid. However, this opinion is not plausible, since this Ayah was revealed in Makkah and `Abdullah bin Salam embraced Islam soon after the Prophet emigrated to Al-Madinah. A more suitable explanation is that narrated by Al-`Awfi from Ibn `Abbas that this Ayah refers to Jews and Christians. Qatadah said that among them are, `Abdullah bin Salam, Salman (Al-Farisi) and Tamim Ad-Dari. The correct view is that this Ayah,

(and those too who have. ..), refers to the scholars of the People of the Scriptures who find the description of Muhammad in their Books and the good news of his advent that were conveyed to them by their Prophets. Allah said in other Ayat,

(And My mercy embraces all things. That (mercy) I shall ordain for those who have Taqwa, and give Zakah; and those who believe in Our Ayat; Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write whom they find written with them in the Tawrah and the Injil.) 7:156-157 and,

(It is not a sign to them that the learned scholars of the Children of Israel knew it (as true))26:197 There are similar Ayat that affirm that the scholars of the Children of Israel know this fact from their divinely revealed Books. This is the end of Surat Ar-Ra`d, and all praise is due to Allah and all favors are from Him.