Al-Tawbah: (128) "There has certainly come to you a Messenger..."

"There has certainly come to you" — The address is directed at the Arabs. "a Messenger" — Meaning a Messenger of great stature. "from among yourselves" — Meaning from your own race and lineage; an Arab just like you. 'Abd ibn Humayd and others narrated from Ibn 'Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them—that he said: "There is no tribe among the Arabs that did not participate in the ancestry of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), including the Mudar, Rabi'ah, and the Yemenis." It has been said that the address is to humanity at large, and the meaning of his being from among themselves is that he is of the human species.

Ibn 'Abbas, Ibn Muḥayṣin, and al-Zuhrī read anfasikum (derived from nafāsa), making it an elative noun (comparative of excellence) denoting nobility. Thus, he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is from the most noble of the Arabs. Al-Tirmidhi (who authenticated it) and al-Nasa'i narrated from al-Muṭṭalib ibn Rabī'ah that he said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) heard some of what people were saying, so he ascended the pulpit, praised Allah, and lauded Him, then said: 'Who am I?' They replied: 'You are the Messenger of Allah.' He said: 'I am Muhammad, son of Abdullah, son of 'Abd al-Muṭṭalib. Allah created the creation and placed me among the best of His creation. He divided them into two groups and placed me in the best group. He divided them into tribes and placed me in the best tribe. He divided them into houses and placed me in the best house. So I am the best of you in house and the best of you in self.'"

Al-Bukhari and al-Bayhaqi in al-Dalā'il narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "I was sent from the best generations of the sons of Adam, generation after generation, until I was in the generation in which I am."

Muslim and others narrated from Wāthilah ibn al-Asqa' that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Allah selected Ismā'īl from the children of Ibrāhīm, selected the Banū Kinānah from the children of Ismā'īl, selected the Quraysh from the Banū Kinānah, selected the Banū Hāshim from the Quraysh, and selected me from the Banū Hāshim."

Al-Bayhaqi narrated from Anas that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "People have never been divided into two groups but that Allah placed me in the best of them. I emerged from between my parents, and nothing of the immorality of the Jahiliyyah touched me. I came forth from a legal marriage (nikāḥ) and did not come forth from an illicit one (sifāḥ), from Adam until I reached my father and mother. Thus, I am the best of you in self and the best of you in ancestry."

"Grieved by" — Meaning, it is severe and burdensome for him. It is derived from 'azza 'alayya, meaning "it became difficult and burdensome." "what you suffer" — Meaning your suffering, which is—with the vowel ḥarakah—that which you dislike, such as an evil outcome or falling into punishment. 'Azīz is in the nominative case as a causal modifier of "Messenger," with 'alayhi being related to it, and its subject being the verbal noun (ma 'antum). This is what the apparent structure of the magnificent text dictates. It is also said that 'azīz 'alayhi is a fronted predicate and ma 'antum is a postponed subject, with the clause being in the position of an adjective. It is also said that 'azīz is a true adjective for "Messenger," the speech is completed at 'alayhi, and ma 'antum begins a new sentence, meaning: your suffering concerns him and burdens him.

"concerned for you" — Meaning for your faith and the rectification of your affairs, as concern (ḥirṣ) does not apply to their physical selves. "to the believers" — Among you and others. "is kind and merciful."

It is said that the more eloquent of the two was placed first, which is Ra'fah (kindness), as it signifies the intensity of mercy, in consideration of the rhyme scheme (fawāṣil), which is a maintained practice in the Qur'an. This is based on how Ra'fah is interpreted; it is held that Ra'fah is compassion and Raḥmah is beneficence. It is also said that Ra'fah is placed first because its effect is the warding off of harm, and Raḥmah is delayed because its effect is the bringing of benefits, and the former is more important than the latter. This is why it is placed first in His saying: "Kindness and mercy, and monasticism which they invented." The rule of rhyme does not apply there, as is obvious. It is as if Ra'fah in this context is derived from the "mending of a garment" to fix its tear. Thus, his description (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) with what is mentioned serves as a description of his warding off harm from them and bringing benefit to them. These two names were not combined for anyone other than him (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

Some have claimed that the meaning is: kind to the obedient among them and merciful to the sinners. Others say: kind to his relatives and merciful to his allies. Others say: kind to those he sees and merciful to those he does not see. There is no foundation for any of these claims.