THE TERMS MOST FREQUENTLY USED in the Qur'ān to identify the Prophet and those to whom he was sent are ummf and ummīyūn, respectively. In other instances a certain people are directly addressed or indirectly referred to as those from among whom (min anfusikum /anfusihim) a messenger was sent, though they are not explicitly said to be the Arabs. In many verses, however, the Qur'an is described as one revealed in the Arabic tongue so that it would be understood. It will be interesting to examine the literary process through which Mu﹜:tammad was identified as an Arab prophet sent to the Arabs, and the effect this had on promoting their role in Islam.

Surat al-Baqara (2), vv. 129, 151, Sūrat Al ‘lmrān (3), v. 164, Sūrat al-Tawba (9), v. 128, and Sūrat al-Mu'minun (23), v. 32, address or mention certain people to whom a messenger was sent. We notice, however, that most early exegetical traditions and commentary views do not explicitly say that those meant are the Arabs. Instead, it is generally stated that the ones referred to are the umma of Mu﹜:lammad, as represented by the Muslim “who has not been contaminated by a pre-Islamic birth” (lam yu∼ibhu shay'un min wilādat al-jāhil'īya).

This does not mean, of course, that attempts at ethnic identification were not recorded. From Muqātil we learn that those addressed by Sūrat al-Tawba (9), v. 128, were the people of Mecca who knew the Prophet and did not deny him ( ta ‘rifūnahu wa-lii tunkirūnah ).Concerning the same verse, Farrā’ says that min anfusikum meant that there was no Arab tribal branch ( bafn) that did not have a share in his birth. The ps.-lbn ‘Abbās source presents Surat al-Baqara (2) , vv. 129 and 151, as meaning the genealogy of the descendants of Isma'Il. As for Surat al-Tawba (9), v. 128, this passage says that the ones being addressed were the people of Mecca, and that rasiilun min anfusikum meant that he was “an Arab, Hashimite like you.”And both Zajjāj and Ṭabarī upheld their own understanding that vv. 129 and 151 of Sūrat al-Baqara (2) addressed the Arab polytheists and Arabs in general, respectively.