Al-W¥^idÏ's Asb¥b al-Nuz‰l - The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies ...
Al-W¥^idÏ's Asb¥b al-Nuz‰l - The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies ...
Al-W¥^idÏ's Asb¥b al-Nuz‰l - The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies ...
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Chapter 6: Surah <strong>al</strong>-An‘am<br />
his father> Sa‘d who said: “This verse was reve<strong>al</strong>ed about six of us: it was reve<strong>al</strong>ed about me, [‘Abd <strong>Al</strong>lah]<br />
ibn Mas‘ud, Suhayb [<strong>al</strong>-Rumi], ‘Ammar [ibn Yasir], <strong>al</strong>-Miqdad [ibn ‘Amr] and Bil<strong>al</strong> [ibn Rabah]. <strong>The</strong><br />
Quraysh said to the Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace: ‘We do not accept to be followers<br />
of these, so repel them’. Some of what they said entered the heart of <strong>Al</strong>lah’s Messenger, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless<br />
him and give him peace, as much as <strong>Al</strong>lah willed it to enter. And so <strong>Al</strong>lah, ex<strong>al</strong>ted is He, reve<strong>al</strong>ed (Repel<br />
not those who c<strong>al</strong>l upon their Lord at morn and evening, seeking His Countenance…)”. 7 This was narrated<br />
by Muslim from Zuhayr ibn Harb from ‘Abd <strong>al</strong>-Rahman from Sufyan from <strong>al</strong>-Miqdam.<br />
Abu ‘Abd <strong>al</strong>-Rahman informed us> Abu Bakr ibn Abu Zakariyya <strong>al</strong>-Shaybani> Abu’l-‘Abbas Muhammad<br />
ibn ‘Abd <strong>al</strong>-Rahman> Abu S<strong>al</strong>ih <strong>al</strong>-Husayn ibn <strong>al</strong>-Faraj> Muhammad ibn Muqatil <strong>al</strong>-Marwazi><br />
Hakim ibn Zayd> <strong>al</strong>-Suddi> Abu Sa‘id>> Abu’l-Kanud> Khabbab ibn <strong>al</strong>-Aratt who said: “This verse was<br />
reve<strong>al</strong>ed about us. We were weak and stayed at the Prophet’s, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, in the<br />
morning and evening. He taught us the Qur’an and goodness and instilled fear in us through the mention<br />
of hellfire and the Garden and <strong>al</strong>so through that which benefits us and by means of mention of death<br />
and the Resurrection. One day, <strong>al</strong>-Aqra‘ ibn Habis <strong>al</strong>-Tamimi and ‘Uyaynah ibn Hisn <strong>al</strong>-Fazari came to<br />
the Prophet and said: ‘We are among the nobles of our people and we dislike that we be seen with them,<br />
so could you repel them when we sit with you’ <strong>The</strong> Prophet, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, agreed,<br />
but they said: ‘We will not be pleased until you write an agreement between us’. When skin and ink were<br />
brought, these verses were reve<strong>al</strong>ed (Repel not those who c<strong>al</strong>l upon their Lord at morn and evening, seeking<br />
His Countenance) up to His words (And even so do We try some of them by others) [6:53]”. 8<br />
Abu Bakr <strong>al</strong>-Harithi informed us> Abu Muhammad ibn Hayyan> Abu Yahya <strong>al</strong>-Razi> Sahl ibn ‘Uthman><br />
Asbat ibn Muhammad> Ash‘ath> Kurdus> Ibn Mas‘ud who said: “A group of people from Quraysh<br />
passed by the Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, while he had with him Khabbab<br />
ibn <strong>al</strong>-Aratt, Suhayb, Bil<strong>al</strong> and ‘Ammar, and they said: ‘O Muhammad, are you pleased with these Do<br />
you want us to be followers of these’ And so <strong>Al</strong>lah, ex<strong>al</strong>ted is He, reve<strong>al</strong>ed (Repel not those who c<strong>al</strong>l upon<br />
their Lord at morn and evening, seeking His Countenance)”. 9<br />
And with the same chain of transmission, ‘Ubayd <strong>Al</strong>lah related to us> Abu Ja‘far> <strong>al</strong>-Rabi‘ who said:<br />
“<strong>The</strong>re were some men who were <strong>al</strong>ways forerunners to the assembly of the Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah<br />
bless him and give him peace. Among these men were Bil<strong>al</strong>, ‘Ammar, Suhayb and S<strong>al</strong>man [<strong>al</strong>-Farisi]. <strong>The</strong><br />
nobles and chiefs of his people would come to see him and find <strong>al</strong>l the aforementioned <strong>al</strong>ready sitting<br />
with him. In one occasion they said: ‘Suhayb is a Byzantine, S<strong>al</strong>man a Persian, Bil<strong>al</strong> an Abyssinian: they<br />
<strong>al</strong>l come and sit close to him whereas when we come we sit on the side’. And then they mentioned this<br />
to the Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace. <strong>The</strong>y said to him: ‘We are the nobles and<br />
chiefs of your clan, why do you not sit closer to us when we come to see you’. He was about to do just that<br />
when <strong>Al</strong>lah, ex<strong>al</strong>ted is He, reve<strong>al</strong>ed this verse”. 10<br />
Said ‘Ikrimah: “A group of unbeliever nobles from Banu ‘Abd Manaf headed by ‘Utbah ibn Rabi‘ah,<br />
Shaybah ibn Rabi‘ah, Mut‘im ibn ‘Adiyy, <strong>al</strong>-Harith ibn Nawf<strong>al</strong> went to Abu T<strong>al</strong>ib and said: ‘If only your<br />
nephew Muhammad repels from him our clients, slaves and downtrodden, it would please us, mean a<br />
great de<strong>al</strong> to us and would be a step forward for us to follow him and believe in him’. Abu T<strong>al</strong>ib went<br />
and conveyed to the Prophet, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, what they said. ‘Umar ibn <strong>al</strong>-Khattab<br />
commented: ‘Why do you not do as they ask so that we consider what they want and verify whether they<br />
are truthful’ <strong>The</strong>n <strong>Al</strong>lah, ex<strong>al</strong>ted is He, reve<strong>al</strong>ed this verse. When it was reve<strong>al</strong>ed, ‘Umar ibn <strong>al</strong>-Khattab<br />
went and apologized for what he had said”. 11<br />
7<br />
Cf. Durr, :274-275; Qurtubi, :431; Tabari, :200-202.<br />
8<br />
Durr, :273; Tabari, :201; Qurtubi, :432.<br />
9<br />
Cf. Durr, :273-274; Tabari, :200.<br />
10<br />
Durr, :274-275.<br />
11<br />
Tabari, :202.<br />
105
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