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

Chapter 42: Surah al-Shura
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
(Say (O Muhammad, unto mankind): I ask of you no fee therefor, save loving kindness among
kinsfolk…) [42:23].
Said Ibn ‘Abbas: “When the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, migrated to Medina,
he went through periods of time when he faced needs and rights which he had to address but did
not have the means to do so. The Helpers said: ‘Allah, exalted is He, has guided you through this man
who is the son of your sister. 1 He faces life’s vicissitudes and has rights but does not have the means to
fulfil them. Collect for him from your wealth that which will not hurt you and give it to him so that he
uses it to help himself with the ups and downs of life’. They collected some wealth and took it to him.
They said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, you are the son of our sister, and Allah, exalted is He, has guided us
through you. Sometimes you go through ups and downs in life and you also have rights to address. But
you do not have the means to face up to all of this. We thought to collect for you some of our wealth so
that you can use it when you need it. Here it is’. This verse was then revealed”. 2
(And if Allah were to enlarge the provision for His slaves they would surely rebel in the earth…) [42:27].
This verse was revealed about some people amongst the folk of the Platform (ahl al-Suffah) who wished
to have an expansion of this worldly life and riches. 3
Khabbab ibn al-Aratt said: “This verse was revealed about us. This is because we had looked at the wealth
of Banu Qurayzah and Banu’l-Nadir and wished to have the same, and so Allah, glorified and exalted is
He, revealed this verse”. 4
He said: Abu ‘Uthman al-Mu’adhdhin informed me> Abu ‘Ali al-Faqih> Abu Muhammad ibn Mu‘adh>
al-Husayn ibn al-Hasan ibn Harb> Ibn al-Mubarak> Haywah> Abu Hani’ al-Khawlani> ‘Amr ibn
Hurayth who said: “This verse was revealed about the folk of the Platform (And if Allah were to enlarge
the provision for His slaves they would surely rebel in the earth). This is because they said: ‘If only we had
this worldly life’, they desired this worldly life”.
(And it was not (vouchsafed) to any mortal that Allah should speak to him unless (it be) by revelation
or from behind a veil...) [42:51].
The Jews said to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace: “Do you not speak [directly] with Allah
and look at Him as did Moses This is if you are really a Prophet. We will never believe in you until
you do that”. He said: “Moses did not look at Allah, exalted is He”. Then, Allah, exalted is He, revealed
this verse.
1
The mother of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, was from the Banu’l-Najjar of Medina.
2
Qurtubi, :24. Ahl al-Suffah is a general term which applies to those poor people among the prophetic Companions — they
were mainly from the Emigrants — who lived in the Prophet’s mosque in Medina. They were devoted to worship and learning
from the Messenger of Allah.
3
Tabari, :30.
4
Qurtubi, :27.