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

Chapter 21: Surah al-Anbiya’
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
(Lo! those unto whom kindness hath gone forth before from Us…) [21:101].
Abu ‘Umar ibn Ahmad ibn ‘Umar al-Mawardi informed us> ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Nasr al-
Razi> Muhammad ibn Ayyub> ‘Ali ibn al-Madini> Yahya ibn Nuh> Abu Bakr ibn ‘Ayyash> ‘Asim> Abu
Ruzayn> Abu Yahya> Ibn ‘Abbas who said: “There is one verse about which people never ask me; I do
not know whether they know it and, therefore, do not have to ask about it; or do not know it at all and,
hence, do not ask about it”. He was asked: “And what is this verse” He said: “When the verse (Lo! Ye
(idolaters) and that which ye worship beside Allah are fuel of hell. Thereunto ye will come) [21:98], the
Quraysh were distressed and said: ‘He is insulting our idols’. Ibn al-Ziba‘ra came along and asked them:
‘What is wrong’ They said: ‘He is insulting our idols!’ ‘What does he say’, he pressed them. They said:
‘He said (Lo! Ye (idolaters) and that which ye worship beside Allah are fuel of hell. Thereunto ye will come)’.
He said: ‘Summon him for me!’ When the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was
called, he said to him: ‘O Muhammad, does this apply specifically to our idols or to all that is worshipped
beside Allah’ He said: ‘No, it applies to all that is worshipped besides Allah’. Ibn al-Ziba‘ra said: ‘You
have been dumbfounded by the Lord of this building’, meaning the Ka‘bah. ‘Do you not claim that the
angels are righteous servants and that Jesus is a righteous servant and that ‘Uzayr is a righteous servant
Well, the Banu Mulayh worship the angels, the Christians worship Jesus and the Jews worship ‘Uzayr’. 1
Upon hearing this, the people of Mecca cried out [of jubilation], and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed
(Lo! those unto whom kindness hath gone forth before from Us) the angels, Jesus and ‘Uzayr (they will be
far removed from thence)”. 2
1
Some Muslim scholars identify ‘Uzayr with the Biblical Ezra. Cf. M. Ayoub, “ ‘Uzayr in the Qur’an and Muslim Tradition”, in: W.
M. Brinner and S. D. Ricks (eds.), Studies in Islamic and Judaic Traditions, Atlanta, 1986, :3-18.
2
Tabari, :96-97; Durr: :679.