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

Chapter 17: Surah al-Isra’
lost long ago in the past and about a man who reached to the east and west of the earth. If he answers all
these questions, he is not a prophet; if he does not answer any of the questions, he is not a prophet; but
if he answers some questions and refrains from answering some others, he is a true prophet’. When they
asked him, Allah, exalted is He, revealed regarding the youths (Or deemest thou the people of the Cave
and the Inscription are a wonder among Our portents) [18:9] up to the end of the story. And He revealed
about the man who reached to the east and west of the earth (They will ask thee of Dhu’l-Qarnayn. Say:
I shall recite unto you a remembrance of Him) [18:83]. And He revealed about the Spirit (They are asking
thee concerning the Spirit…).
(And they say: We will not put faith in thee till thou cause a spring to gush forth from the earth for
us) [17:90].
‘Ikrimah reported that Ibn ‘Abbas related that ‘Utbah, Shaybah, Abu Sufyan, al-Nadr ibn al-Harith,
Abu’l-Bukhturi, al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah, Abu Jahl, ‘Abd Allah ibn Ubayy ibn Umayyah, Umayyah
ibn Khalaf, and the chiefs of Quraysh gathered in front of the Ka‘bah and said to each other: “Send for
Muhammad, speak to him, and argue with him so that others do not blame you about him”. They sent to
him with a message that the nobles of your people have gathered and want to speak with you. He came
promptly, thinking that they had changed their mind about him, for he was keen to see them guided
and was pained for their stubbornness. 14 When he sat with them, they said: ‘O Muhammad, by Allah we
do not know of any man among the Arabs who has introduced to his people what you have introduced.
You have insulted our forefathers, censored our religion, accused us of ignorance, slandered our idols,
divided the community and you have not left anything revolting except that you have placed it between
us and you. Now, if you have brought all this to seek wealth, we will collect from our wealth so that you
become the richest among us; if you seek status, we will make you our chief; if you seek kingship, we will
make you our king; and if the jinn that appears to you has completely overwhelmed you, we will spend
our money to get you the right medicine to cure you or discharge our duty toward you’. The Messenger of
Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to them: ‘I do not have what you accuse me of. I did not
bring you what I brought to seek wealth, status or kingship. Rather, it is Allah, glorious and majestic is
He, Who has sent me to you as a Messenger. He has revealed to me a Scripture and commanded me to be
a carrier of good tiding as well as a warner. I have conveyed to you the message of my Lord and advised
you well. If you accept that which I have brought you, it is your share in this world and in the next. And
if you reject it, I will be patient with the judgment of Allah until He judges between me and you’. They
said: ‘O Muhammad, if you do not accept our offer, then you know that, compared to other people, we
have a more restricted land, a tougher life and much less wealth. So ask your Lord, Who has sent you
with that which He has sent you, to remove from us these mountains which have restricted our land and
expand our country and run through it rivers like the rivers of Syria and Iraq. And let Him resurrect our
dead forefathers, and among those resurrected, let Him resurrect Qusayy ibn Kilab, for he was a truthful
old man, so that we ask them about whether what you say is true or false. If you do what we ask for, we
will believe you and, by the same token, know your status with Allah, and that He has sent you as a Messenger,
as you claim’. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: ‘I was not sent to
bring what you have asked for. Rather, I came to you from Allah, glorious is He, with that which He has
sent me, and I have conveyed to you what I have been sent with to you. If you accept it, it is your share in
this world and in the next; but if you reject it, I will be patient with Allah’s judgement’. They said: ‘If you
do not do what we have asked for, then ask your Lord to send an angel to confirm your message, and ask
Him to provide you with gardens, treasures and palaces of gold and silver which will suffice you from
your needs, for you stand in the market place as we do, and strive to earn a living as we do, in order that
we appreciate your merit and position with your Lord, if you are truly a messenger, as you claim to be’.
The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: ‘I will not do it, nor am I someone to
ask his Lord for such things, nor was I sent to you with this; He has rather sent me as a bringer of good
tidings and as a warner’. They said: ‘In that case, cause the heaven to fall piecemeal down on us, since you
claim that your Lord can do so if He wills’. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace,
14
We have opted for the alternative reading ta‘annutahum instead of ‘anatahum which the editor of the Arabic text has read.
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