Surah Al Imran Tafseer

لَقَدْ مَنَّ اللّهُ عَلَى الْمُومِنِينَ إِذْ بَعَثَ فِيهِمْ رَسُولاً مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ

Indeed Allah conferred a great favor on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from among themselves,

Meaning, from their own kind, so that it is possible for them to speak with him, ask him questions, associate with him, and benefit from him. Just as Allah said:

وَمِنْ ءايَـتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَجاً لِّتَسْكُنُواْ إِلَيْهَا

And among His signs is that he created for them mates, that they may find rest in.

Meaning; of their own kind. (30:21)

And Allah said;

قُلْ إِنَّمَأ أَنَاْ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُوحَى إِلَىَّ أَنَّمَأ إِلَـهُكُمْ إِلَـهٌ وَاحِدٌ

Say:"I am only a man like you. It has been revealed to me that your God is One God." (18:110)

وَمَأ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلاَّ إِنَّهُمْ لَيَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشُونَ فِى الاٌّسْوَاقِ

And We never sent before you any of the Messengers but verily, they ate food and walked in the markets. (25:20)

وَمَأ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلاَّ رِجَالاً نُّوحِى إِلَيْهِمْ مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَى

And We sent not before you any but men unto whom We revealed, from among the people of townships. (12:109)

and,

يَـمَعْشَرَ الْجِنِّ وَالاِنْسِ أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّنْكُمْ

O you assembly of Jinn and mankind! "Did not there come to you Messengers from among you..." (6:130)

Allah's favor is perfected when His Messenger to the people is from their own kind, so that they are able to talk to him and inquire about the meanings of Allah's Word.

This is why Allah said,

يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ ايَاتِهِ

reciting unto them His verses,

the Qur'an.

وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ

and purifying them,

commanding them to do righteous works and forbidding them from committing evil. This is how their hearts will be purified and cleansed of the sin and evil that used to fill them when they were disbelievers and ignorant.

وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ

and instructing them (in) the Book and the Hikmah,

the Qur'an and the Sunnah,

وَإِن كَانُواْ مِن قَبْلُ

while before that they had been,

before sending this Prophet, Muhammad,

لَفِي ضَللٍ مُّبِينٍ

in manifest error.

indulging in plain and unequivocal error and ignorance that are clear to everyone