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

Chapter 17: Surah al-Isra’
glorious and majestic is He, revealed this verse (Naught hindereth Us from sending portents save that the
folk of old denied them…)”. 3
(…and (likewise) the Accursed Tree in the Qur’an…) [17:60].
Isma‘il ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Ahmad al-Wa‘iz informed us> Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Faqih>
Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Qattan> Ishaq ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Zurayr> Hafs ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman> Muhammad
ibn Ishaq> Hakim ibn ‘Abbad ibn Hunayf> ‘Ikrimah> Ibn ‘Abbas that he said: “When the tree
of al-Zaqqum was mentioned in the Qur’an [37:62; 44:43 and 56:52], the Quraysh were threatened with
it. Abu Jahl said: ‘Do you know what this Zaqqum, with which Muhammad threatens you, is’ They said:
‘No!’ He said: ‘Meat and broth with cream. By Allah, if he let us put our hands on it we will devour it!’ 4
Allah, glorious and exalted is He, revealed (…and (likewise) the Accursed Tree in the Qur’an…) saying:
this tree is repulsive (We warn them, but it increaseth them in naught save gross impiety)”. 5
(And they indeed strove hard to beguile thee (Muhammad) away from that wherewith We have
inspired thee…) [17:73].
‘Ata’ reported that Ibn ‘Abbas said: “This was revealed about the delegation of Thaqif. They went to see
the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and asked for unacceptable things. They
said: ‘Allow us to worship al-Lat for one year and make our valley inviolable — its trees, birds and wild
animals — just as you have made Mecca inviolable’. They persisted and insisted but the Messenger of
Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, rejected all their demands. They said: ‘We want the Arabs
to know our merit over them. If you dislike what we say and you are afraid that the Arabs say, you have
given them that which you did not give us, simply say that Allah has commanded you to do so’. The Messenger
of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, did not answer them and this raised their hope. But
‘Umar shouted in their faces: ‘Do you not see that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him
peace, did not answer you because he does not like what you have come for’ The Messenger of Allah,
Allah bless him and give him peace, was on the verge of giving them what they wanted. And so Allah,
exalted is He, revealed this verse”. 6
Said Sa‘id ibn Jubayr: “The idolaters said to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace: ‘We will not
leave you alone until you come close to our idols, even if you only have to touch them with your fingers’.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said in reply: ‘And what harm is there in me doing so,
if Allah knows that I dislike it’. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse (And they indeed strove
hard to beguile thee (Muhammad) away from that wherewith We have inspired thee) up to His words (…
accepted thee as a friend)”.
Said Qatadah: “It was mentioned to us that one night the Quraysh met the Messenger of Allah, Allah
bless him and give him peace, alone and their meeting lasted until morning. They talked to him, treated
him as if he was one of their greats and chiefs and were agreeable to him. They said: ‘You have brought
something that no human being has brought before; you are our master and the son of our master’, and
they kept talking to him until he almost agreed to some of the things they wanted. But Allah, exalted is
He, protected him. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed this verse”.
3
Tabari, :108; Durr, :306-307.
4
The play of words used in the original Arabic is lost in translation. Abu Jahl said in Arabic: “la-natazaqqamannahu tazaqquma!”
5
Tabari, :113-114; Durr, :310-311; Qurtubi, :283.
6
Tabari, :130; Qurtubi, :299; Durr, :319.
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