[^9] Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir has this exegesis...

[^9] Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir has this exegesis: }وجعلنا في ذريته النبوة والكتاب…{ وجعل في ذريته النبوة والكتاب فكل نبي بعث بعده فهو من ذريته وكل كتاب نزل من السماء على نبي من الانبياء من بعده فعلى أحد نسله وعقبه {And We placed prophethood and the Book in his offspring…} and He placed prophethood and the Book in his offspring. Therefore, all prophets sent after him were from his offspring.

Also, every scripture revealed from heaven to any prophet after him was sent to someone from his offspring and progeny.[^10] This is expected, of course. None from outside the family of Nuh was qualified to exercise authority or leadership over them. Allah placed him and his family above all the worlds. So, all prophets, messengers, leaders and guides must naturally be from them. The same goes for the family of Ibrahim. His family was above all others, by Allah’s Decree.

Therefore, all his successors, and all masters of mankind after him, were automatically from his offspring, his family. This process started with Adam, ‘alaihi al-salam, the first prophet. The Qur’an states: أولئك الذين أنعم الله عليهم من النبيين من ذرية آدم Those were they unto whom Allah bestowed His Grace among the prophets from the offspring of Adam. [^11] Logically, the immediate khalifahs of Adam would be from his children.

The line of prophets continued among his descendants until the time of Nuh. It was Nuh who then founded a new dynasty – chosen above all creation - by Allah’s Decree, and the line of prophets shifted to his offspring alone. Ibrahim was from the descendants of Nuh, and he too founded a new dynasty – which was placed over the worlds; and all subsequent prophets naturally emerged from it. Meanwhile, the family of Ibrahim had some minor branches.

One of them was founded by his grandson, Ya’qub, ‘alaihi al-salam – who was also known as Israil. Commenting about his branch of the Ibrahimic tree, Allah states: ولقد آتينا بني إسرائيل الكتاب والحكم والنبوة ورزقناهم من الطيبات وفضلناهم على العالمين And indeed, We gave the offspring of Israil the Book, and authority and prophethood, and We provided them with good things, AND WE MADE THEM SUPERIOR ABOVE THE WORLDS.

[^12] We equally read about the families of Musa and Harun, ‘alaihima al-salam, also from the offspring of Ibrahim: وقال لهم نبيهم إن آية ملكه أن يأتيكم التابوت فيه سكينة من ربكم وبقية مما ترك آل موسى وآل هارون تحمله الملائكة And their Prophet said to them, “Verily! The sign of his (i.e.