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سُورَةُ الرَّعۡدِ · 13:38
MedinanRevelation order ٩٦Juzʾ ١٣Page ٢٥٤

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلًۭا مِّن قَبْلِكَ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُمْ أَزْوَٰجًۭا وَذُرِّيَّةًۭ ۚ وَمَا كَانَ لِرَسُولٍ أَن يَأْتِىَ بِـَٔايَةٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ لِكُلِّ أَجَلٍۢ كِتَابٌۭ

٣٨
Saheeh International · EN

And We have already sent messengers before you and assigned to them wives and descendants. And it was not for a messenger to come with a sign except by permission of Allah. For every term is a decree.

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Introduction

This is āyah 38 of Sūrat Ar-Ra'd (The Thunder), the 96th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Medinan period and sits within Juzʾ 13. Medinan verses often address community life, law, and the building of society.

This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.

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Revelation & occasion

Asbāb al-Nuzūl
Period
Medinan
Order revealed
96 of 114
Surah
Ar-Ra'd (13)
Occasion of revelation · Al-Wahidi

(And verily We sent messengers (to mankind) before thee, and We appointed for them wives and offspring�) [13:38]. Said al-Kalbi: �The Jews insulted the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, saying: �This man has no aspiration except for women and marriage. If he was really a prophet, as he claims to be, the matter of prophethood would have preoccupied him from women�, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse�.

Commentary

Tafsir

4 works

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

And indeed We sent Messengers before you, and made for them wives and offspring. And it was not for a Messenger to bring a sign except by Allah's leave. (For) every matter there is a decree (from Allah)(38)Allah blots out what He wills and confirms (what He wills). And with Him is the Mother of the Book (39) 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 إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُوحَىٰ إِلَيَّ (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 النِّ…
Provenance

Chains of transmission

Oral — isnād

  1. ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation

    Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.

  2. 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation

    Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.

  3. TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation

    Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.

Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.

Written — the manuscript record

  1. ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation

    The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).

  2. 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation

    Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.

  3. Modern printModern printawaiting curation

    The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.

A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.

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Provenance

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