Al-W¥^idÏ's Asb¥b al-Nuz‰l - The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies ...

Chapter 5: Surah al-Ma’idah
(The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger…) [5:33].
Abu Nasr Ahmad ibn ‘Ubayd Allah al-Makhladi informed us> Abu ‘Amr ibn Nujayd> Muslim> ‘Abd al-
Rahman ibn Hammad> Sa‘id ibn Abi ‘Arubah> Qatadah> Anas who related that a group of people from
‘Ukal and ‘Uraynah went to see the Messenger of Allah, Allah, bless him and give him peace. They said:
“O Messenger of Allah, we were never people of agriculture, and before we settled around Medina we
used to be people who looked after cattle”. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace,
ordered that they be given a flock of camels, a shepherd and commanded them to set off with them, with
a dispensation to drink their milk and urine. When they reached the region of al-Harrah, they killed the
shepherd of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and took off with the camels.
The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, sent after them and when they were captured
and brought to him, he cut off their hands and feet and gouged their eyes. They were left in this
state in Medina until they died. 12
Said Qatadah: “It was mentioned to us that this verse was revealed about them (The only reward of those
who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land…)”. Narrated by Muslim
from Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna from ‘Abd al-A‘la from Sa‘id up to the quotation of Qatadah.
(As for the thief, both male and female, cut off their hands…) [5:38].
Said al-Kalbi: “This was revealed about Tu‘mah ibn Ubayriq who stole an armour. His story has already
been covered”.
(O Messenger! Let not them grieve thee who vie one with another in the race to disbelief…) [5:41-47].
Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Hiri informed us by dictation> Abu Muhammad, the chamberlain of
Ibn Ahmad al-Tusi> Muhammad ibn Hammad al-Abiwardi> Abu Mu’awiyah> al-A‘mash> ‘Abd Allah
ibn Murrah> al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib who said: “One day, the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him
peace, passed by a Jewish man who had just been flogged and had his face darkened with coal. He summoned
the Jews and asked them: ‘Is this what your Scripture decrees as punishment for the adulterer’
‘Yes!’ they replied. He then summoned one of their doctors and asked him: ‘I implore you by Allah who
has sent the Torah to Moses, is this what your Scripture decrees as punishment for the adulterer’. He said:
‘No! And if you had not implored me by Allah, I would not tell you. Our Scripture rules that the punishment
of the adulterer is stoning. But it became widespread among our notables. Initially, when one of
the notables committed adultery, we left him unpunished while we applied stoning on the communality
in cases of adultery. Then we decided to look for a punishment that was applied on both the notables
and communality of people. And so we agreed on darkening the face with coal and flogging to replace
stoning’. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: ‘O Allah! I am the first to
reapply your command after they had suspended it’. And he ordered that the Jewish man be stoned. Allah,
exalted is He, then revealed (O Messenger! Let not them grieve thee who vie one with another in the
race to disbelief) up to His words (If this be given unto you, receive it…), they said: ‘Go to Muhammad;
if he directs you to flog the adulterer and darken his face with coal and apply flogging, then follow him.
But do not follow him if he directs you to apply stoning on him’. Up to His words (Whoso judgeth not by
that which Allah hath revealed: such are disbelievers) [5:44]. He said: ‘This relates to the Jews’. Up to His
words (Whoso judgeth not by that which Allah hath revealed: such are wrong-doers) [5:45]. He said: ‘This
relates to the Christians’. Up to His words (Whoso judgeth not by that which Allah hath revealed: such are
evil-livers) [5:47]. He said: ‘This relates to all disbelievers’. Narrated by Muslim from Yahya ibn Yahya
from Abu Mu‘awiyah”.
Abu ‘Abd Allah ibn Abi Ishaq informed us> Abu’l-Haytham Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ghawth
12
Durr, :66; Tabari, :206.
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