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 />
(… and who saith: I will reve<strong>al</strong> the like of that which <strong>Al</strong>lah hath reve<strong>al</strong>ed) [6:93].<br />
This verse was reve<strong>al</strong>ed about ‘Abd <strong>Al</strong>lah ibn Sa‘d ibn Abi Sarh. 18 This man had declared his faith in Islam<br />
and so the Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, c<strong>al</strong>led him one day to write something<br />
for him. When the verses regarding the believers were reve<strong>al</strong>ed (Verily, We created man from a<br />
produc of wet earth…) [23:12-14], the Prophet dictated them to him. When he reached up to (and then<br />
produced it as another creation), ‘Abd <strong>Al</strong>lah expressed his amazement at the precision of man’s creation<br />
by saying (So blessed be <strong>Al</strong>lah, the Best of Creators!). <strong>The</strong> Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give<br />
him peace, said: “This [‘Abd <strong>Al</strong>lah’s last expression] is how it was reve<strong>al</strong>ed to me”. At that point, doubt<br />
crept into ‘Abd <strong>Al</strong>lah. He said: “If Muhammad is truthful, then I was inspired just as he was; and if he is<br />
lying, I have uttered exactly what he did utter”. Hence <strong>Al</strong>lah’s words (and who saith: I will reve<strong>al</strong> the like<br />
of that which <strong>Al</strong>lah hath reve<strong>al</strong>ed). <strong>The</strong> man renounced Islam. This is <strong>al</strong>so the opinion of Ibn ‘Abbas according<br />
to the report of <strong>al</strong>-K<strong>al</strong>bi. 19<br />
‘Abd <strong>al</strong>-Rahman ibn ‘Abdan informed us> Muhammad ibn ‘Abd <strong>Al</strong>lah ibn Nu‘aym> Muhammad ibn<br />
Ya‘qub <strong>al</strong>-Umawi> Ahmad ibn ‘Abd <strong>al</strong>-Jabbar> Yunus ibn Bukayr> Muhammad ibn Ishaq> Shurahbil<br />
ibn Sa‘d who said: “This verse was reve<strong>al</strong>ed about ‘Abd <strong>Al</strong>lah ibn Sa‘d ibn Abi Sarh. <strong>The</strong> latter said: ‘I will<br />
reve<strong>al</strong> the like of that which <strong>Al</strong>lah has reve<strong>al</strong>ed’, and renounced Islam. When the Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah,<br />
<strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, entered Mecca, this man fled to ‘Uthman [ibn ‘Affan] who was his<br />
milk brother. ‘Uthman hid him until the people of Mecca felt safe. He then took him to the Messenger of<br />
<strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, and secured an amnesty for him”.<br />
(Yet they ascribe as partners unto Him the jinn…) [6:100].<br />
<strong>Al</strong>-K<strong>al</strong>bi said: “This verse was reve<strong>al</strong>ed about the atheists who claimed that <strong>Al</strong>lah and Satan were two<br />
brothers; that <strong>Al</strong>lah was the creator of human beings, beasts and cattle whereas Satan was the creator of<br />
vipers, predatory anim<strong>al</strong>s and scorpions. Hence <strong>Al</strong>lah’s saying (Yet they ascribe as partners unto Him the<br />
jinn)”. 20<br />
(Revile not those unto whom they pray beside <strong>Al</strong>lah lest they wrongfully revile <strong>Al</strong>lah through<br />
ignorance…) [6:108].<br />
Said ibn ‘Abbas, according to the report of <strong>al</strong>-W<strong>al</strong>ib: “<strong>The</strong>y [the idolaters] said: ‘O Muhammad, either<br />
you stop reviling our idols or we will revile your Lord’. And so <strong>Al</strong>lah, ex<strong>al</strong>ted is He, warned against reviling<br />
their idols lest they wrongfully revile <strong>Al</strong>lah through ignorance”. 21<br />
Qatadah said: “<strong>The</strong> Muslims used to revile the idols of the unbelievers and the latter used to react against<br />
them. <strong>Al</strong>lah, ex<strong>al</strong>ted is He, therefore, warned the Muslims against being the cause which drives ignorant<br />
unbelievers, who have no knowledge of <strong>Al</strong>lah, to revile <strong>Al</strong>lah as a result of reviling their idols”. 22<br />
Said <strong>al</strong>-Sudd: “When Abu T<strong>al</strong>ib was dying, [some chiefs of] the Quraysh said: ‘let us go to this man and<br />
ask him to forbid his nephew from reviling our idols, for we feel shame to kill him after he passes away<br />
and drive the Arabs to say: ‘He used to defend him but once he passed away, they killed him’. And so<br />
Abu Sufyan, Abu Jahl, <strong>al</strong>-Nadr ibn <strong>al</strong>-Harith, Umayyah and Ubayy the sons of Kh<strong>al</strong>af, ‘Uqbah ibn Abi<br />
Mu‘ayt, ‘Amr ibn <strong>al</strong>-‘As, <strong>al</strong>-Aswad ibn <strong>al</strong>-Bukhturi went to see Abu T<strong>al</strong>ib. <strong>The</strong>y said to him: ‘You are our<br />
master and chief, but Muhammad has harmed us and harmed our idols. We would like you to c<strong>al</strong>l him<br />
and warn him against speaking ill of our idols. And from our part, we will leave him <strong>al</strong>one to his <strong>Al</strong>lah’.<br />
18<br />
Cf. Durr, :317; Tabari, :273.<br />
19<br />
Qurtubi, :40.<br />
20<br />
Qurtubi, :53.<br />
21<br />
Durr, :338; Tabari, :310.<br />
22<br />
Durr, :339; Tabari, :307.<br />
107
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