Tafsir of Ar-Ra'd 13:38

"And indeed, We sent messengers" (many, existing) "before you, and We made for them wives and descendants"—meaning women and children, just as We made them for you. It is narrated from al-Kalbi that the Jews taunted the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying, "We see this man having no concern other than women and marriage; had he been a prophet as he claims, the affair of prophethood would have kept him preoccupied from women." Thus, this was revealed in refutation of them, as it implies that marriage does not contradict prophethood and that combining the two has occurred in many messengers before him. It is mentioned that Solomon, upon him be peace, had three hundred free wives and seven hundred concubines, and that David, upon him be peace, had one hundred wives.

His Majesty, may His glory be exalted, did not address the refutation of their statement, "We see this man having no concern other than women," as an indication that it does not deserve an answer, due to the manifest fact that the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was not distracted by the affair of women from any aspect of the affair of prophethood. His performance of both matters in the most perfect manner is evidence—and what evidence it is—of the increase of his perfection in his kingship and humanity. What clarifies this is that he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would hunger for days to the point of tying a stone upon his noble stomach, yet despite that, he would visit all his wives in a single night; this did not prevent him from that. There are immense benefits in the plurality of his wives, may Allah bless him and grant him peace; even if there were no benefit other than the verification of the consistency between his secret and his public life, it would suffice. This is because it is the nature of women not to keep a secret, whatever it may be; had there been anything in his secret life, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that contradicted his public life, they would have become aware of it—given their great number—and had they become aware of it, they would have divulged it, acting in accordance with the nature of women, especially co-wives.

Whoever studies the reports and possesses news of what has been narrated from those pure women knows that they left nothing of his hidden affairs without mentioning it. Suffice it as proof what is narrated: the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, differed as to whether intercourse without ejaculation necessitates ritual bathing (ghusl) or not. They asked Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, and she said—and there is no shyness in religion—"The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did that with me, and we both performed ghusl."

It is narrated that they attacked his prophethood for his marriage and for not bringing the signs they proposed, so this was revealed, and the saying of the Almighty: "And it was not for a messenger to bring a sign except by the permission of Allah"—meaning, it was not valid, nor was it appropriate, nor was it in the power of any messenger among those who were sent before to bring to those to whom they were sent a sign or miracle that they proposed to him, except through the facilitation of Allah the Almighty and His will, which is based upon wisdom and interests around which the affairs of created beings revolve. It may be intended by "the sign" the scriptural verse revealed with a ruling in accordance with the desire of those to whom it was sent, which is more fitting with what follows. It is permitted to intend both meanings based on the generality of metaphor—meaning the indicator absolutely—or upon the usage of the word for both its meanings based on the permissibility of that, and the shift from the preceding to confirm the content of the sentence by pointing to the cause:

"For every term"—meaning for every time and duration among the times and durations—"is a book"—a specific decree written for the servants according to what wisdom requires. For all religious laws are for the rectification of their conditions in the beginning and the end; it is a necessity of this that they differ according to their changing conditions, which change according to the change of times, just as treatment differs according to the difference in the conditions of patients according to times. This, according to some, is a refutation of what they denied regarding his, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, abrogation of some rulings, just as what preceded it is a refutation of their taunt regarding his not bringing the proposed miracles.