Quran Quote  : 

Quran-12:109 Surah Surah-yusuf English Translation,Transliteration and Tafsir(Tafseer).

وَمَآ أَرۡسَلۡنَا مِن قَبۡلِكَ إِلَّا رِجَالٗا نُّوحِيٓ إِلَيۡهِم مِّنۡ أَهۡلِ ٱلۡقُرَىٰٓۗ أَفَلَمۡ يَسِيرُواْ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَيَنظُرُواْ كَيۡفَ كَانَ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡۗ وَلَدَارُ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ خَيۡرٞ لِّلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوۡاْۚ أَفَلَا تَعۡقِلُونَ

Transliteration:( Wa maaa arsalnaa min qablika illaa rijaalan nooheee ilaihim min ahlil quraa; afalam yaseeroo fil ardi fa yanzuroo kaifa kaana 'aaqibatul lazeena min qablihim; wa la Daarul Aakhirati Khairul lillazeenat taqaw; afalaa ta'qiloon )

109. And all those who were sent as messengers before you were men (226), whom We revealed, and all were residents of the cities. Have they not journeyed in the land, that they may see, what became the end (227), of those before them? And not doubt, the abode of the Hereafter is better for the duty-bound (228) Have you not then wisdom?

Related Ayat(Verses)/Topics

Surah Yusuf Ayat 109 Tafsir (Commentry)



  • Tafseer-e-Naeemi (Ahmad Yaar Khan)
  • Ibn Kathir
  • Ala-Madudi

226. Reason for its revelation: The infidels would say why did Allah Almighty made human beings as prophets, why did He not send the angels as prophets?. This verse was revealed as reply to their question in which it is said. Why do you express astonishment at this.

The very first Prophet was a man. From this we learn that angels, jinns, women, etc, were never made prophets. However, some prophets were already given prophethood in their childhood.

 Says Allah Almighty: "And We bestowed prophethood on whom in his childhood. (S19:V12) Further we learn that man is superior to a woman because Allah Almighty bestowed prophethood. leadership, position of Chief of Justice, to man. 

Also that prophets were born in cities. 

Hazrat Yaqoob (on whom be peace) and his children were not from a village but they had accepted temporary settlement there because of his grazing animals. 

227. This is a rhetorical question. The people of Makkah during their business trips do pass the ruins of the people of Aad and Thamood, and they are also aware that these people have been destroyed because they had opposed their prophets, yet these Makkans take no lessons from this.

228 From this we learn that no matter in what comforts the believer may live in this world, yet the comforts and luxuries of the Hereafter which he would be receiving would be far better than those. Similarly no matter in what difficulties the infidel may find himself in this world, yet the difficulties of the Hereafter awaiting him are far worse. 

Thus a believer is indifferent to the luxuries of the world and while even in hardships the infidel adores this world. It is for this reason the Hadith says that the world is a prison for a believer and a heaven for an infidel. This Hadith does not necessarily means that a believer would always live in hardship in this world, and an infidel in luxury.

 

Ibn-Kathir

109. And We sent not before you (as Messengers) any but men unto whom We revealed, from among the people of townships. Have they not traveled in the land and seen what was the end of those who were before them And verily, the home of the Hereafter is the best for those who have Taqwa. Do you not then understand

All of the Prophets are Humans and Men

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. Shaykh Abu Al-Hasan, `Ali bin Isma`il 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 الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ إِلاَّ رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ وَأُمُّهُ صِدِّيقَةٌ كَانَا يَأْكُلاَنِ 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,

﴿وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ 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,

﴿وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلاَّ إِنَّهُمْ لَيَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشُونَ فِى الاٌّسْوَاقِ﴾

(And We never sent before you any of the Messengers, but verily, they ate food and walked in the markets), ï´¿25:20ï´¾

﴿وَمَا جَعَلْنَاهمْ جَسَداً لاَّ يَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ وَمَا كَانُواْ خَـلِدِينَ – ثُمَّ صَدَقْنَاهُمُ الْوَعْدَ فَأَنجَيْنَاهُمْ وَمَن نَّشَآءُ وَأَهْلَكْنَا الْمُسْرفِينَ ﴾

(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 extravagants), ï´¿21:8-9ï´¾ and,

﴿قُلْ مَا كُنتُ بِدْعاً مِّنَ الرُّسُلِ﴾

(Say: “I am not a new thing among the Messengers.”) ﴿46:9﴾ Allah said next,

﴿مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَى﴾

(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,

﴿أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُواْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ﴾

(Have they not traveled in the land), meaning, `Have not these people who rejected you, O Muhammad, traveled in the land,’

﴿فَيَنظُرُواْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ﴾

(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,

﴿أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُواْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ فَتَكُونَ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ يَعْقِلُونَ بِهَآ﴾

(Have they not traveled through the land, and have they hearts wherewith to understand) ï´¿22:46ï´¾ 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 الاٌّخِرَةِ خَيْرٌ لِّلَّذِينَ اتَّقَواْ﴾

(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 another Ayah,

﴿إِنَّا لَنَنصُرُ رُسُلَنَا وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ فِى الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيَوْمَ يَقُومُ الاٌّشْهَـدُ – يَوْمَ لاَ يَنفَعُ الظَّـلِمِينَ مَعْذِرَتُهُمْ وَلَهُمُ الْلَّعْنَةُ وَلَهُمْ 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)

(12:109) The Messengers whom We raised before you, (O Muhammad), and to whom We sent down revelations, were only human beings, and were from among those living in earthly habitations. Have these people not travelled in the earth that they may observe the end of their predecessors? Certainly the abode of the Hereafter is much better for those (who accepted the call of the Messengers and) acted in a God-fearing manner. Will you still not act with good sense?[79]

79. A very comprehensive subject has been condensed here into a couple of sentences, which may be expanded like this: “O Muhammad! these people do not listen to you because it is not an easy thing for them to believe you to be a Messenger of Allah just because you are a mere human being who was born in their own city among them and brought up like other people. But there is nothing strange in this. For this is not the first instance of its kind. All the Prophets, whom We sent before you, were also human beings and lived in the same habitations to which they were sent. It never happened that a stranger came to a town and declared, “I have been sent as a Messenger to you. On the other hand, all the Prophets, Jesus, Moses, Abraham and Noah (peace be upon them all), who were raised for the reform of the people, were human beings who were born and brought up in their own habitations. Then it addresses the disbelievers directly, as if to say: Now it is for you to judge and decide whether you should accept the Messenger or reject him on such flimsy grounds as these. You have traveled abroad and seen the end of those people who rejected the message of their Prophets and followed their own desires. You have seen, on your journeys, the ruined habitations of the people of Aad, Thamud, Midian, Lot, and others. Have you not observed these as object lessons, for these warn you that they would meet with far worse consequences in the Hereafter, and that conversely, those who are pious and God fearing will have a very happy life?

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