(163–165) “Indeed, We have revealed to you just as We revealed to Noah and the prophets after him. We also revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, the Tribes, Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon; and We gave David the Psalms. * There were messengers whose accounts We have already related to you and messengers whose accounts We have not related to you. And Allah spoke directly to Moses. * They were messengers bearing good news and warning, so that humanity would have no argument against Allah after the messengers. And Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.”
Allah Most High states that He revealed to His servant and Messenger—of the sublime Law and truthful reports—the same as He revealed to these prophets, peace and blessings be upon them. This contains several lessons.
One is that Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was not unprecedented among the messengers. Rather, Allah had sent a great multitude of messengers before him. There is therefore no reason to find his mission surprising except ignorance and obstinacy.
Another is that Allah revealed to him, just as He revealed to them, the fundamental principles and justice upon which they all agreed. They confirm and accord with one another.
Another is that he belongs to the same company as these messengers. Anyone wishing to assess him should therefore consider him in light of his fellow messengers. His call is their call; their character is in accord; their source is one; and their ultimate aim is one. Allah did not place him alongside unknown men, liars, or tyrannical kings.
Another is that mentioning and enumerating these messengers honors them, praises them truthfully, and recounts their circumstances. This increases the believer in faith in them, love for them, adherence to their guidance, observance of their way, and recognition of their rights. It also confirms His words: “Peace be upon Noah among all peoples,” “Peace be upon Abraham,” “Peace be upon Moses and Aaron,” and “Peace be upon Elias. * Indeed, thus do We reward those who do good.”
Every doer of good receives favorable praise among humanity in proportion to his good deeds, and the messengers—especially those named here—occupy the highest rank of goodness.
After mentioning their shared reception of His revelation, Allah mentions distinctions granted to some of them. He states that He gave David the Psalms—the well-known written Scripture ⦗215⦘ with which Allah singled David out, peace be upon him, because of his merit and honor. He also states that He spoke directly to Moses: He addressed him without any intermediary. Moses consequently became renowned among all peoples as “Moses, the one to whom the Most Merciful spoke.”
Allah also states that some messengers were related by Him to His Messenger, while others were not. This indicates how numerous they were. Allah sent them to give those who obey Him and follow them the glad tidings of happiness in this world and the Hereafter, and to warn those who disobey Him and oppose them of misery in both realms. Thus, humanity would have no argument against Allah after the messengers by saying, “No bearer of good news or warner ever came to us.” Rather, “A bearer of good news and a warner has now come to you.”
Creation therefore has no argument left against Allah, for He sent messenger after messenger, explaining to people the teachings of their religion, what pleases and angers their Lord, and the paths leading to Paradise and to Hell. Whoever disbelieves thereafter has no one to blame but himself.
It is part of the perfection of His might and wisdom that He sent them messengers and revealed scriptures to them. It is also part of His grace and beneficence, for people stood in the greatest conceivable need of the prophets, and He met that pressing need. All praise and gratitude therefore belong to Him. Just as He began His blessing upon us by sending them, we ask Him to complete it by granting us success in following their path. He is indeed Bountiful and Generous.