Bismillāh
مَا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَآ أَحَدٍۢ مِّن رِّجَالِكُمْ وَلَـٰكِن رَّسُولَ ٱللَّهِ وَخَاتَمَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ
Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets. And Allah is All-Knowing of everything.
Sūrat Ahzab, No.33, Āyat 40
In this blessed verse of the Noble Qur’ān, the Messenger of Allah sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa ālih, is addressed by name and by two of his titles. The verses preceding this one were revealed concerning his marriage to Zaynab bint Jahsh, who had been previously married to Zayd ibn Hārithah. Zayd had been under the care of the Messenger of Allah (s) and was therefore regarded as his adopted son. In pre-Islamic Arab custom, an adopted son was treated liked a biological child, and as a result, marrying the former wife of an adopted son was forbidden. Through these verses, the Qur’ān clarified that Zayd was not the Prophet’s biological son and that legal guardianship alone does not confer the same status as biological lineage. The Prophet’s marriage to Zaynab served to abolish this pre-Islamic practice.
This verse presents the Prophet (s) through two distinct relationships: one that is negated and one that is affirmed.
The Qur’ān denies that the Prophet is a father of any man, declaring: “Muhammad is not the father of any of your men.” This explicitly establishes that he was not the father of Zayd. Notably, the verse uses the word rijāl, the plural of rajul, meaning man. This restricts the negation to adult males. As such, it does not apply to women, nor to boys who have not yet reached the age of puberty. Consequently, this verse does not negate his fatherhood to his sons Qāsim, ‘Abdullāh, and Ibrāhīm. Nor does it deny his fatherhood to Imām Hasan and Imam Husayn ‘alayhimā al-salām, as none of them had reached adulthood at the time of revelation. The verse also does not extend to his daughters.
The continuation of the Holy Prophet’s (s) lineage was preserved through his daughter, Sayyidah Fātimah (a). As mentioned in Majma‘ al-Bayān, the Prophet (s) said: “Every child of a daughter is attributed to his father, except the children of Fātimah, for I am their father.”
The second relationship mentioned in the verse that is affirmed, is more significant. It highlights the Prophet’s spiritual and prophetic station, saying: “But he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets.” The Prophet (s) is mentioned with two distinct and weighty titles:
- Rasūlullāh – the Messenger of Allah
A messenger is one who receives divine revelation and conveys it to the people. Allah (swt) frequently addresses the Prophet with this title in the Qur’ān. For example, He calls out to him with the words, Yā ayyuhā al-Rasūl (“O Messenger”). Prophet Muhammad (s) was a messenger in that he was the recipient of the Qur’ān, the heavenly Book, through which he taught and guided his community. Despite enduring immense hardship and fierce opposition from his people, he remained unwavering in conveying its message and upholding its laws. - Khātam al-Nabiyyīn – the Seal of the Prophets
A nabī is one who has attained a lofty station with Allah and is the recipient of divine revelation; the Arabic plural is nabiyyīn. Among the prophets, some are additionally entrusted with the duty of conveying the revelation they receive to othersthese are called messengers (rusul). However, not all prophets are given this commission. Thus, every messenger is a prophet, but not every prophet is a messenger. It is worth noting that the successors (awsiyā’) of a prophet follow in his path and may also attain a high station with Allah, commensurate with the rank of the prophet they follow. In fact, their status can be even greater than that of earlier prophets, even though they are not designated as nabī.
The word khātam signifies a signet, seal, or ring. In ancient times, people would engrave their names on rings and use them to seal letters by impressing them into hot wax. Once sealed, the contents of the letter could no longer be altered or added to.
The meaning of the Prophet being the “Seal of the Prophets” is that prophethood reached its completion with him. Prophet Muhammad (s) is the final prophet, and no prophet will come after him. Since every messenger must also be a prophet, it follows that no messenger will follow him either. An essential implication of this verse is that the religion and guidance of Islam will continue to fulfill the spiritual and moral needs of humanity until the Day of Resurrection.
On this point, it is reported from Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh that the Prophet (s) said:
“My example among the prophets is like that of a man who built a house, completed it, and beautified it, except for the place of one brick. Whoever entered it and looked at it would say, ‘How beautiful it is, except for the place of this brick.’” The Prophet (s) then added: “I am that place of the brick; through me the prophets were brought to an end.”
Notably, this is the only verse in the Qur’ān that mentions both the Prophet’s name and his prophetic mission through these distinctive titles: “Muhammad,” “Messenger of Allah,” and “Seal of the Prophets.”
We extend our congratulations to the Imam of our time (aj) and to the entire Muslim Ummah on the auspicious occasion of the Prophet’s birthday (Mīlād al-Nabī) and the birth of Imam al-Sādiq (a).
Sources: Āyatullāh Nāsir Makārim Shirāzī (Ed.), Tafsīr-e Namūneh; ‘Allāmah Muhammad Husayn Tabātabā’ī, Tafsīr al-Mīzān; Shaykh Tabarsī, Tafsīr Majma‘ al-Bayān; Agha Muhsin Qarā’atī, Tafsīr Nūr.