However, these 512 instances are very critical to understand the duties of the messengers who are blessed with God’s messages can broadly be grouped into 3: 130 as the verb, 341 as the noun and 41 as the participle as shown in the table below to review each group separately to better understand the message coded in the relevant verses as well as to make distinction between the terms to avoid misinterpretation:
Note: The above table is populated with data obtained from the corpus.quran.com while 1 instance of rasuul in the verse, 9:128 has not been included in the table as the two verses, 128 and 129 of Surah 9: Bara`ah (Ultimatum) do not belong to the Quran even though these two verses are still found in the standard edition of Quran.
Out of 331 instances of rasūl in the Quran, 200 instances in 171 verses across 23 surahs along with 10 instances of risālat in 10 verses are reviewed, while reviewing of the instances of rasūl is continuing to help us to make a clear distinction between the closely related terms: risaalat, rasuul and mur’sal as well as to make a distinction between the terms, rasuul and nabiy. However, 40 instances of rasuul in 38 verses across 11 surahs are reviewed below:
Instances of rasūl
[25:7] And they said: “What is this the messenger eats the food and walks in the markets (maali haadhaa al-rasuuli yakulu al-tta`aama wa-yamshee fee al-aswaaqi)? Why has not been sent down an angel to him that he would be a warner with him?”
[25:27] And a day biting on his hands the wrongdoer will say: “Oh I wish! I had accepted a path with the messenger (yaa’laytanee itaakhadhtu ma`a al-rasuuli).”
[25:30] And the messenger said (wa-qaala al-rasuulu): “O Lord; indeed, my people have accepted this, the Quran as a deserted thing.”
[25:37] And Noah’s people when had denied the messengers (wa-qawma nuuhin lammaa khadh’dhabuu al-rusula), we drowned them and made them a sign for the people. And we have prepared a painful retribution for the wrongdoers.
[25:41] And when they have seen you (Muhammad), they do not accept you except mockery: “Is this whom God has sent as a messenger (a-haadhaa alladhee ba`atha allahu rasuulan)?”
[26:16] “So go both of you (Moses and Aaron) to Pharaoh and say: “Indeed, we are messenger of Lord of the worlds (innaa rasuulu rabbi al-`aalameena).”
[26:27] He (Pharaoh) said: “Indeed, your messenger whom has been sent to you is surely a mad (inna rasuulakum alladhee ur’sila ilaykum la’majnuunun)!”
[26:107] “Indeed, I (Noah) am a trustworthy messenger to you (innee lakum rasuulun ameenun).”
[26:125] “Indeed, I (Hud) am a trustworthy messenger to you (innee lakum rasuulun ameenun).”
[26:143] “Indeed, I (Saleh) am a trustworthy messenger to you (innee lakum rasuulun ameenun).”
[26:162] “Indeed, I (Lut) am a trustworthy messenger to you (innee lakum rasuulun ameenun).”
[26:178] “Indeed, I (Shuaib) am a trustworthy messenger to you (innee lakum rasuulun ameenun).”
[28:47] If not that a disaster strikes them for what their hands had sent forth then they can say: “Our Lord, why not You have sent a messenger to us that we would follow Your revelations (rabbanaa lawlaa arsalta ilaynaa rasuulan fa-nattabi`a aayaatika) and we would be with the believers.”
[28:59] And it has not been your Lord a destroyer of the towns until He raises up a messenger in their mother towns to recite our revelations to them (hatta yab`atha fee ummihaa rasuulan yatluu `alayhim aayaatinaa). And we have not been a destroyer of the towns except, while their people are wrongdoers.
[29:18] And if is denied by you, then certainly, had denied the communities before yourselves while is not upon the messenger except the conveyance of the clear message (wa-maa `alaa al-rasuuli illaa al-balaaghu al-mubeenu).
[29:31] And when had come our messengers (angels) to Abraham with the good news (wa-lammaa jaa-at rusulunaa ib’raaheema bil-bush’raa), they said: “We are destroyers of people of this town; indeed, its people have been wrongdoers.”
[29:33] And when that had come our messengers (angels) to Lot (wa-lammaa an jaa-at rusulunaa luutan), he has been distressed and has felt uncomfortable with them while they said, “You do not fear, nor do you grieve. Indeed, we are your savers and your family except your wife; she has been with those who remain behind.”
[30:9] Do they not travel in the earth that they can see how has been an end of those before themselves? They have been mightier than them in strength and had cultivated the land and had built on it stronger than they have built on it, and had come to them their messengers with the clear proofs (wa-jaa-at’hum rusuluhum bil-bayyinaati). Then God had not done to wrong them, but they had done to wrong themselves.
[30:47] And certainly, we have sent messengers to their people before yourself (wa-laqad arsalnaa min qablika rusulan ilaa qawmihim), so they had come to them with the clear proofs, then we took revenge of those who had committed crimes, while it has been an obligation upon us to be help of the believers.
[33:12] And when says the hypocrites and those in their hearts there is a disease: “What God has promised us and His messenger is not but an delusion (maa wa`adanaa allahu wa-rasuuluhu illaa ghuruuran)!”
[33:21] Certainly, there has been a good example for you in God’s messenger (laqad kaana lakum fee rasuuli allahi us’watun hasanatan) for one whoever has made to hope in God and the last day and has remembered God very often.
[33:22] And when has seen the believers the confederates said: “This is what God has promised us and His messenger (haadhaa maa wa`adanaa allahu wa-rasuuluhu), and God has spoken truth and His messenger (wa-sadaqa allahu wa-rasuuluhu).” And it has not increased them except in faith and compliance.
[33:29] “And if you (wives of the prophet) have made to desire for God and His messenger and the abode of the Hereafter (wa-in kuntunna turid’na allahu wa-rasuulahu wal-daara al-aakhirata), then indeed, God has prepared a great reward for the good-doers from you.”
[33:31] And whoever from you (wives of the prophet) would be obedient to God and His messenger (wa-man yaqnut min’kunna lillahi wa-rasuulihi) and does as righteous, we will make her reward double and we have prepared for her a good provision.
[33:33] And you (wives of the prophet) shall stay in your homes and do not display as displaying of the old days of the ignorance. And you shall observe the Contact Prayer and shall give the Obligatory Charity, and shall obey God and His messenger (wa-ati`na allaha wa-rasuulahu). God only wishes to remove the impurity from you, a people of the House and to purify you a perfect purification.
[33:36] And it has not been for a believing man nor a believing woman, when has decided God and His messenger a matter (idhaa qadaa allahu wa-rasuuluhu amran) that there should be the choice for them from their affair. And whoever disobeys God and His messenger has gone far astray.
[33:40] Muhammad has not been a father of anyone of your men, but has had a messenger of God and a seal of the prophets (wa-laakin rasuula allahi wa-khaatama al-nabiyeena), and God has done being Knower of everything.
[33:53] O you who have believed, you do not enter the prophet’s homes except that permission is given for you to a meal, without awaiting its preparation. But when you have been invited, then you shall enter; so when you have eaten, then you shall leave, while you are not seeking to remain for a conversation. Indeed, that has made to hurt the prophet, while he feels shy of you, and God does not feel shy of the truth. And when you had asked them (his wives) for anything, then you shall ask them from behind a barrier. That is purer for your hearts and their hearts. And it has not been for you that you would hurt a messenger of God, nor that should you marry his wives after him ever (an tu’dhuu rasuula allahi wa-laa an tankihuu azwaajahu min ba`dihi abadan). Indeed, that has been a gross offense with God.
[33:57] Indeed, those who hurt God and His messenger (inna alladheena yu’dhuuna allaha wa-rasuulahu), God has cursed them in the world and the Hereafter, and has prepared for them a humiliating punishment.
[33:66] A day their faces will be turned over in the Fire, they will say: “Oh! We wish, we had obeyed God and we had obeyed the messenger (yaa’laytanaa ata`naa allaha wa-ata`naa al-rasuulaa).”
[33:71] He will amend your deeds for you and will forgive your sins for you. And whoever obeys God and His messenger (wa-man yuti`i allaha wa-rasuulahu), then certainly, he has achieved a great achievement.
[34:45] And had denied those who were before themselves, and they have not attained one tenth of what we had given them. As they had denied My messengers so how has been My retribution (fa-kadhabuu rusuli-i fa-kayfa kaana nakeeri)!
[35:1] All praise to God, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Maker of the angels as messengers having wings of two, and three, and four (jaa`ili al-malaa-i-kati rusulan ulee ajnihatin mathnaa wa-thulaatha wa-rubaa`a). He increases in the creation whatever He wills. Indeed, God has power over everything.
[35:4] And if they deny you (Muhammad), then certainly, has denied messengers before yourself (fa-qad kudhibat rusulun min qablika). And to God the matters will be returned.
[35:25] And if they deny you (Muhammad), then certainly, had denied those who were before themselves. Had come to them their messengers with the clear proofs, and with the Psalms, and with the scripture of the enlightening message (jaa-at’hum rusuluhum bil-bayyinaatin wa-bil-zuburi wa-bil-kitaabi al-muneeri).
[36:30] Sorry for the servants! Not a messenger comes to them except that they have done to mock with him (maa yateehim min rasuulin illaa kaanuu bihi yas’tahziuuna).
[38:14] Not but all had denied the messengers (in kullun illaa kadhaba al-rusula), so was just My retribution.
[39:71] And has been driven those who had disbelieved to Hell in groups until when they have reached it; has been opened its gates while its guards said to them: “Did not come to you messengers from you to recite your Lord’s revelations upon you (a-lam yatikum rusulun minkum yatluuna `alaykum aayaati rabbikum), and to warn you this of a meeting of your day?” They said: “Yes, but has justified a promise of the punishment upon the disbelievers.”
Summary
- The disbelievers wanted to see the angel messenger as a warner with the human messenger.
- A day biting on his hands, the wrongdoer will say that he wished he had accepted the path with the messenger.
- A day the messenger will respond to his Lord that his people had deserted the Quran.
- God had drowned the disbelieving people of Noah to make it a sign for the people of later generations.
- When two messengers went to Pharaoh, he said to his people that whom has been sent as a messenger is a mad.
- Noah, Hud, Saleh, Lot and Shuaib said to their people to be trustworthy messengers from God.
- God has sent messenger to every nation so that the people could not say that they would follow His revelations when a disaster has struck them for their disbelief.
- God has not been destroyer of the wrongdoers of any town except raising His messenger in it.
- It is not upon the messenger except the conveyance of the clear message.
- Angels messengers went to Abraham with a good news and to Lot with a bad news of destroying the wrongdoers of his people but saving his family except his wife.
- God had destroyed the mightier people who were wrongdoers in the past upon sending messengers with the clear proofs while He had not wronged them, but they wronged themselves.
- God has sent messengers with the clear proofs before Muhammad and seized those who had committed crimes but being help of the believers.
- The hypocrites and those who have disease in their said that what God has promised and His messenger is not but an delusion.
- There has been a good example in God’s messenger for whoever has hoped in God and the Last Day and has remembered Him very often.
- When the believers had seen the confederates, they said this is what God has promised us and His messenger while God has spoken truth and His messenger, which increased faith and compliance in them.
- Prophet’s wives who desired for God and messenger and the abode of the Hereafter, God has prepared for them a great reward.
- God has ordered prophet’s wives to stay home as well as to observe salat and to give zakah, and to obey God and His messenger that He will purify them a perfect purification.
- Neither a believing man nor a believing woman has any choice of their own about their affair different from what has been decided by God and His messenger, and whoever disobeys God and His messenger has gone far astray.
- Even prophet Muhammad has not been given a son but what has been given to him is a messenger of God and a seal of the prophets, which is a great blessing for him from God.
- God has ordered the believers not to enter prophet’s house without permission, and if they are invited, they will leave his house after meal without seeking to remain for a conversation. However, if they wish to ask anything to any of his wives will ask behind a barrier, which is purer for her and for themselves.
- Those who hurt God and His messenger, God has cursed them in the world and the Hereafter, has prepared for them a humiliating punishment.
- A day the faces of those who had disobeyed God and His messenger will be turned over in the Fire, while they have said that they wish they had obeyed God and had obeyed the messenger.
- And those who had obeyed God and His messenger has achieved a great achievement as God will amend their deeds and will forgive them for their sins.
- Those who had denied God’s revelations and His messengers before the revelation of the Quran how terrible has been His retribution.
- All praise to God who is Creator of the heavens and the earth, and Maker of the angels with two, and three, and four wings increasing His creation as He wills while He has power over everything.
- People had denied Muhammad and also their messengers who had come to them with the clear proofs, the Psalms and the enlightening scripture.
- Not a messenger comes to people except that they have mocked with him. Thus, not but all had denied the messengers and how has been God’s just retribution.
- Those who had disbelieved have been driven to Hell until they have reached it, and its gates have been opened while its guards asked them that the messengers had not come to them to recite their Lord’s revelations and to warm them a day of this meeting while they have admitted and replied that it has justified a promise of the punishment upon the disbelievers.
God confirms obeying God and His messenger for people of all generations in the final edition of scripture given to Muhammad but they had denied and mocked with their messengers, even ignoring a sign of the destruction of previous generations. While a day when they will say that they wish they had obeyed God and had obeyed the messenger. That day of meeting the disbelievers will be driven to Hell to turn over their faces in it when they will admit that sending messengers to each nation has justified a promise of punishment upon the disbelievers from their Lord what they had missed.
Peaceful Friday, salaam and God bless.
Tafazzal (10/15/2021).