“And We did not send (apostles) before you but men from the people of the towns whom We did inspire with revelations. Have they not traveled in the earth and seen what was the end of those who came before them? And certainly the abode of the Hereafter is better for those who are pious. Do you not understand?”
“There has never come before you prophets except that they have been men whom We have inspired from the towns/cities.”
The characteristics of the prophets are that they have been men that have been inspired from the cities.
What does this mean?
The point of saying this is to say the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) has all of the characteristics the previous prophets had as well.
“You have the exact same characteristics. You are not alone.”
This is a message to the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) to console him.
Remember this sūrah was revealed at a relatively depressing point in the life of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam).
He is being reminded:
“You are not the only person that has suffered. Many are the prophets before you that We have sent.”
SubḥānAllāh, it is human nature that when you find somebody who has suffered the same calamity as you, you feel a little bit of relief that you are not alone.
Our Rasūl (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is being reminded, “You are not alone. There have been many prophets before you that have come.”
This also shows us some theological points.
All prophets have been men.
There have been no female prophets.
We firmly believe this even though there is a small minority opinion that Maryam (‘alayhi’l-salām) was a prophet, but it doesn’t appear to be the case.
Rather, she saw an angel, and angel communicated with her, but she did not receive waḥy.
She did not receive a book from Allāh ‘azza wa jall.
Angels can come to women and can appear in front of women, but this does not make them prophets.
Prophets means you get a revelation from Allāh, waḥy, and the dominant opinion has always been [all prophets have been male], and it is quite clear from this verse.
Of the characteristics of the prophets is that they come from cultures of the cities.
They have manners, akhlāq and morals. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) came from the Quraysh, and the Quraysh were the most noble of all the Arabs.
*“Haven’t they traveled in the land and seen the fate of those who were before them?”*
We have so many signs and Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) is asking, “Haven’t they seen these signs?
SubḥānAllāh, it is the Sunnah of Allāh that every nation and society thinks that it is the pinnacle.
Such was the case of the people of Pompeii.
Such was the case of the people of Rome and the emperors of Persia.
Such was the case of the pharaohs of Egypt.
Every single civilization and society said, “We are the lasting legacy. We have achieved what no other society achieved.”
We still the same sentiment in our time as well, yet Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) is telling the Quraysh and people around them you are not the first, and you are not going to be the last.
Stop being so arrogant.
Allāh ‘azza wa jall has created so many different societies and nations.
Learns from the lessons of those before.
Where are they now?
Where is their power now?
Where is their fame?
Where is their might?
All of it has now gone. You don’t even see except for the remnants you visit in museums and see one house out of thousands that used to stand.
Don’t you learn that your civilization one day will also be the same?
It will be a lesson for other societies, so take advantage and benefit before the end comes to you.
*“*Surely the house and the abode of the Hereafter is better. Don’t you think and understand this?”**
You are seeing the abodes of the people before and marveling at them.
The pyramids, the people of Ṣāliḥ and Thamūd and the grand palaces of Petra.
You marvel at that.
The meaning here is that after setting up the stage for the miracles of the prophets,
the sincerity of the prophets that most of the people have rejected that the prophets have been preaching,
all of these verses when you read them initially you think every verse is different,
but when you actually study it, you see a beautiful message is in the background.
You just need to understand it.
What is that message?
“Ya Rasūlullāh, you are not the first prophet.
You have a message, you have a methodology, you have miracles.
Many people before you had the same miracles, and they were all rejected.”
Explanations
1. The prophets were human beings like other people in the fullest sense of the word and used to live among them. They were not angels, nor were they seeking after their own welfare.
2. All the prophets were men for the means of propagation and long arduous travel in its way can only be accomplished by men.
3. The knowledge of the prophets has been gained through revelation from the omniscience of Allah. Technically it has been ‘inspired’.
4. The polytheists, however, have nothing to gain from their opposition to the prophets. Even in this world they will be surrounded by punishment and pain. However, for the virtuous people in this world, the Hereafter would be much more than they could have imagined while being in this world.
5.Wisdom and meditation lead man directly towards the teachings of the prophets.
6. It is necessary, of course, to preserve historical relics and monuments for the experience and instruction of the future generations.
Lesson
The prophets are human beings and not angels. The knowledge of the Prophet is from Allah. The disbelievers are the losers in the hereafter because of their disbelief in the Prophet.