Surah 13:38
Show Full Scripture Context (13:38-39) — 2 Verses
وَلَقَدۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا رُسُلٗا مِّن قَبۡلِكَ وَجَعَلۡنَا لَهُمۡ أَزۡوَٰجٗا وَذُرِّيَّةٗۚ وَمَا كَانَ لِرَسُولٍ أَن يَأۡتِيَ بِـَٔايَةٍ إِلَّا بِإِذۡنِ ٱللَّهِۗ لِكُلِّ أَجَلٖ كِتَابٞ
Certainly We sent messengers before you, and gave them wives and descendants, but it was not for any messenger to bring a sign, except by the permission of God. For every (period of) time (there is) a written decree.
يَمۡحُواْ ٱللَّهُ مَا يَشَآءُ وَيُثۡبِتُۖ وَعِندَهُۥٓ أُمُّ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ
God blots out whatever He pleases, and He confirms (whatever He pleases). With Him is the mother of the Book.
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,
{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 said,
"As for me, I fast and break my fast, stand in prayer and sleep, and marry women. Therefore, whoever turns away from my Sunnah, is not of me."
Allah's statement,
{And it was not for a Messenger to bring a sign except by Allah's leave.}
meaning, no Prophet could have brought a miracle to his people except by Allah's permission and will, for this matter is only decided by Allah the Exalted and Most Honored, not the Prophets; surely Allah does what He wills and decides what He wills.
{For every matter there is a decree.}
for every term appointed, there is a record (or decree) that keeps it, and everything has a specific due measure with Allah,
{Know you not that Allah knows all that is in the heaven and on the earth? Verily, it is (all) in the Book.} [22:70]
Meaning of Allah blotting out what He wills and confirming what He wills of the Book
Allah said,
{Allah blots out what He wills}
of the divinely revealed Books,
{and confirms}, until the Qur'an, revealed from Allah to His Messenger peace be upon him, abrogated them all.
Mujahid commented;
{Allah blots out what He wills and confirms (what He wills).}
"Except life and death, misery and happiness [i.e., faith and disbelief], for they do not change." Mansur said that he asked Mujahid, "Some of us say in their supplication, 'O Allah! If my name is with those who are happy (believers), affirm my name among them, and if my name is among the miserable ones (disbelievers), remove it from among them and place it among the happy ones." Mujahid said. "This supplication is good." I met him a year or more later and repeated the same question to him and he recited these Ayat,
{We sent it (this Qur'an) down on a blessed night.}
Mujahid commented next, "During Laylatul-Qadr (Night of the Decrees), Allah decides what provisions and disasters will occur in the next year of. He then brings forward or back (or blots out) whatever He wills. As for the Book containing the records of the happy (believers) and the miserable (disbelievers), it does not change." Al-A'mash narrated that Abu Wa'il, Shaqiq bin Salamah said that he used to recite this supplication often, "O Allah, if You wrote us among the wretched ones, remove this status from us and write us among the blessed ones. If You wrote us among the blessed ones, please let us stay that way, for surely, You blot out and confirm what You will, and with You is the Mother of the Book." Ibn Jarir At-Tabari collected this. Similar statements were collected from 'Umar bin Al-Khattab and 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud, indicating that Allah blots out (or abrogates) and affirms what He wills in the Book of Records. What further supports this meaning is that Imam Ahmad recorded that Thawban said that the Messenger of Allah said,
"A man might be deprived of a provision (that was written for him) because of a sin that he commits; only supplication changes Al-Qadar (Predestination); and only Birr (righteousness) can increase the life span."
An-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah collected this Hadith. There is also a Hadith recorded in the Sahih that affirms that maintaining the ties of the kinship increases the life span.
Al-'Awfi reported that Ibn 'Abbas said about Allah's statement,
{Allah blots out what He wills and confirms (what He wills). And with Him is the Mother of the Book.}
"A man might work in Allah's obedience for a while but he reverts to the disobedience of Him and then dies while misguided. This is what Allah blots out, while what He confirms is a man who works in His disobedience, but since it was destined that he will die as a believer, Allah gives him the provision of obedience and makes him die as a believer. This is what He confirms." It was also reported that Sa'id bin Jubayr said that this Ayah means,
"Allah blots out what He wills and confirms what He wills, of the sins of His servants." Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn 'Abbas said that,
{Allah blots out what He wills}
"He abrogates what He wills,
{and confirms (what He wills)}
of it and does not abrogate it,
{And with Him is the Mother of the Book.}
the Qur'an in its entirety, the abrogating and the abrogated parts." Qatadah and Ibn Zayd made a similar statement. This is the most authentic explanation, and it is supported by Allah's statement,
{Whatever a verse We abrogate or cause to be forgotten We bring a better one or similar to it. Know you not that Allah is able to do all things.} [2:106]
What He says about His abrogating and confirming what He wills. And Allah is able to do all things.