The Confederates (Al-Ahzab)
Verses 6 GROUP_1081 33.6
6
النَّبِيُّ أَوْلَى بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَأَزْوَاجُهُ أُمَّهَاتُهُمْ وَأُوْلُو الْأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَى بِبَعْضٍ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ إِلَّا أَن تَفْعَلُوا إِلَى أَوْلِيَائِكُم مَّعْرُوفًا كَانَ ذَلِكَ فِي الْكِتَابِ مَسْطُورًا
The Prophet has a higher claim on the believers than [they have on] their own selves, and his wives are their mothers. Blood relatives are closer to one another in God’s Book than are believers and the Emigrants except that you want to show your friends a kindness. That is decreed in the Book.
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Commentary
(a) A Prophet during his life-time is, in person, of prime importance to the faithful and after his death he is so in principle. The reason for this is that Prophet is God’s representative on earth. In order to maintain the dignity and importance of the Prophet’s teachings, it is necessary that his existence should be sacred in the eyes of the people. Even his wives should be held in high esteem as mothers. After the prophet and his wives, relations with other members of society or community are determined on the basis of the principle of ‘blood-relatives being the nearest’ and, accordingly, people have rights over each other. Sometimes, in fulfillment of requirements in religious matters, the sharing of rights among non-relatives may be established temporarily, as was done after the migration (hijrah) to Madinah in the early days. But, as a permanent social arrangement, real relatives have preferential claims and it will be so always.