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

Asbab al-Nuzul
shall I do’ [As a response] this verse was revealed (O ye who believe! Enter not houses other than your
own without first announcing your presence and invoking peace upon the folk thereof)”. 10
The commentators of the Qur’an said: “When this verse was revealed, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be
well pleased with him, said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, what about the inns and houses along the roads of
Syria which are uninhabited’ Allah, exalted is He, then revealed ((It is) no sin for you to enter uninhabited
houses) [24:29]”. 11
(And such of your slaves as seek a writing (of emancipation), write it for them…) [24:33].
This verse was revealed about a slave of Huwaytib ibn ‘Abd al-‘Uzza who was called Subayh. The latter
asked his master for a writing of emancipation but he refused. When Allah, exalted is He, revealed this
verse, Huwaytib agreed to write a letter of emancipation in exchange for a hundred pieces of gold. Out
of this sum, he offered him twenty pieces of gold which he paid. But he was killed in war at the Battle of
Hunayn. 12
(Force not your slave-girls to whoredom that ye may seek enjoyment of the life of the world, if they
would preserve their chastity) [24:33].
Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Qadi informed us> the chamberlain of Ahmad al-Tusi> Muhammad ibn Hamdan>
Abu Mu‘awiyah> al-A‘mash> Abu Sufyan> Jabir who said: “‘Abd Allah ibn Ubayy used to say to a
slave-girl of his: ‘Go and earn something for us from whoring’, and so Allah, glorious and majestic is He,
revealed (Force not your slave-girls to whoredom) up to His words (Allah will be Forgiving, Merciful!)”. 13
Narrated by Muslim from Abu Kurayb from Abu Mu‘awiyah.
Al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Farisi informed us> Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Hamdun> Ahmad
ibn al-Hasan al-Hafiz> Muhammad ibn Yahya> Isma‘il ibn Abi Uways> Malik> Ibn Shihab> ‘Umar ibn
Thabit who related that the verse (Force not your slave-girls to whoredom) was revealed about Mu‘adhah,
the slave-girl of ‘Abd Allah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul. 14
And through this chain of transmission> Muhammad ibn Yahya> ‘Ayyash ibn al-Walid> ‘Abd al-A‘la>
Muhammad ibn Ishaq> al-Zuhri> ‘Umar ibn Thabit who said: “Mu‘adhah was Muslim as well as being
the slave-girl of ‘Abd Allah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul. The latter used to force her to whoredom, and so Allah,
exalted is He, revealed (Force not your slave-girls to whoredom) up to the end of the verse”. 15
Sa‘id ibn Muhammad al-Mu’adhdhin informed> Abu ‘Ali al-Faqih> Abu’l-Qasim al-Baghawi> Dawud
ibn ‘Amr> Mansur ibn Abi al-Aswad> al-A‘mash> Abu Nadrah> Jabir who said: “‘Abd ibn Ubayy used to
have a slave-girl by the name of Musaykah whom he forced to whoredom. And so, Allah, glorious and
majestic is He, revealed (Force not your slave-girls to whoredom) up to the end of the verse”. 16
10
Tabari, :110-111; Qurtubi, :213; Durr, :171.
11
Qurtubi, :213.
12
Qurtubi, :244; Durr, :190-192 (Suyuti gives different accounts for the occasion of this verse). The Battle of Hunayn took
place only a few weeks after the conquest of Mecca. The Wawazin and Thaqif tribes mobilized their armies against the Muslims,
fearing a possible attack by them after the fall of Mecca. Even though the Muslims outnumbered their enemies in this battle, they
incurred heavy casualities. In fact, they were on the brink of a crushing defeat before they rallied round the Messenger of Allah and
successfully defeating their enemy. The cost in Muslim lives was huge, though. In their exuberance, the Muslims had thought they
were never going to be defeated by their outnumbered foes. They were taught in a harsh and brutal manner that the believers need
more than numbers to gain victory in the battlefield. Cf. Muhammad Husayn Haykal, The Life of Muhammad, North American
Trust Publications, 1976, pp. 414-428.
13
Tabari, :132-133; Qurtubi, :254; Durr, :189.
14
Tabari, :133; Qurtubi, :254; Durr, :192.
15
Durr, :193.
16
Tabari, :132-133.
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