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

Asbab al-Nuzul
exalted is He, changed what they had”. 19
Isma‘il ibn al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Naqib informed us> his grandfather> ‘Abd Allah
ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Nasrabadhi> Ahmad ibn Sa‘id al-Darimi> ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn
Waqid> his father> al-Rabi‘ ibn Anas> Abu’l-‘Aliyah>> Ubayy ibn Ka‘b who said: “When the Messenger
of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and his Companions migrated to Medina and the Helpers
sheltered them, all the Arabs united to destroy them, such that they were forced to sleep with their
weapon and wake up with their weapons. Some said: ‘Do you think we will live to see the day when we
go to sleep fearing no one but Allah, glorified and majestic is He’ [As a response] Allah, exalted is He,
revealed (Allah hath promised such of you as believe and do good work) up to His words (Those who disbelieve
henceforth, they are the miscreants) i.e. those who are ungrateful for [Allah’s] bounties”. 20 This was
narrated by al-Hakim Abu ‘Abd Allah in his Sahih from Muhammad ibn Salih ibn Hani’> Abu Sa‘id ibn
Shadhan> al-Darimi.
(O ye who believe! Let your slaves, and those of you who have not come to puberty, ask leave of
you…) [24:58].
Said ibn ‘Abbas: “The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, sent a boy from the
Helpers, called Mudlij ibn ‘Amr, to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, May Allah be pleased with him, after noon to
summon him. When he entered in, he saw ‘Umar in a state which the latter disliked to be seen in. And so
he said to the Prophet: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I wish that Allah, exalted is He, give us some commands
and prohibitions regarding asking permission before entering’. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this
verse”.
Said Muqatil: “This verse was revealed about Asma’ bint Marthid. She had a slave-boy who was quite old
and he happened to enter in on her one day at a time in which she disliked him to enter in on her. She
went to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said: ‘Our servants and slaves
enter in on us and find us in states in which we dislike them to see us’. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed
this verse”. 21
(No blame is there upon the blind…) [24:61].
Said ibn ‘Abbas: “When Allah, glorious and exalted is He, revealed (O ye who believe! Squander not your
wealth among yourselves in vanity…) [4:29], the Muslims felt vexed to eat with the sick, the old, the blind
and the lame. They said: ‘Food is the best part of one’s wealth, and Allah, exalted is He, has warned
against squandering wealth in vanity. The blind cannot see where wholesome food is, the lame cannot
compete over food and the sick cannot eat properly’. As a response, Allah, exalted is He, revealed this
verse”. 22
Sa‘id ibn Jubayr and al-Dahhak said: “The lame and the blind used to feel vexed at eating with healthy
people because the latter found them despicable and disliked eating with them. The people of Medina
did not allow the blind, lame or sick person to share their food because they considered them dirty. For
this reason, Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse”. 23
Said Mujahid: “This verse was revealed to grant dispensation for the sick and the elderly to eat from the
houses which Allah, exalted is He, has named in this verse. This is because some Companions of the
Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, used to go to the houses of their fathers and
19
Tabari, :159-160; Qurtubi, :297; Durr, :116.
20
Durr, :116.
21
Durr, :217 (the name of the woman prophetic Companion in Durr is Asma’ bint Murshidah).
22
Tabari, :168; Qurtubi, :312.
23
Tabari, :168-169.
170