﴿ ٱلنَّبِىُّ أَوْلَىٰ بِٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ ۖ وَأَزْوَٰجُهُۥٓ أُمَّهَٰتُهُمْ ۗ وَأُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَىٰ بِبَعْضٍۢ فِى كِتَٰبِ ٱللَّهِ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُهَٰجِرِينَ إِلَّآ أَن تَفْعَلُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰٓ أَوْلِيَآئِكُم مَّعْرُوفًۭا ۚ كَانَ ذَٰلِكَ فِى ٱلْكِتَٰبِ مَسْطُورًۭا ﴾

“The Prophet has a higher claim on the believers than [they have on] their own selves, [seeing that he is as a father to them] and his wives are their mothers: and they who are [thus] closely related have, in accordance with God’s decree, a higher claim upon one another than [was even the case between] the believers [of Yathrib] and those who had migrated [there for the sake of God]. None the less, you are to act with utmost goodness towards your [other] close friends as well: this [too] is written down in God’s decree.”

A Prophet during his life-time is, in person, of prime importance to the faithful and after his death he is so in principle. The reason for this is that Prophet is God’s representative on earth. In order to maintain the dignity and importance of the Prophet’s teachings, it is necessary that his existence should be sacred in the eyes of the people. Even his wives should be held in high esteem as mothers. After the prophet and his wives, relations with other members of society or community are determined on the basis of the principle of ‘blood-relatives being the nearest’ and, accordingly, people have rights over each other. Sometimes, in fulfillment of requirements in religious matters, the sharing of rights among non-relatives may be established temporarily, as was done after the migration (hijrah) to Madinah in the early days. But, as a permanent social arrangement, real relatives have preferential claims and it will be so always.