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

Asbab al-Nuzul
yourselves: you welcomed them in your land and shared with them your wealth.
By Allah, if you were to withhold your surplus of food from Ju‘al and his family, they would not oppress
you and might even leave your land. Do not, therefore, spend on them until they disperse from Muhammad’.
Zayd ibn Arqam, who was there present, said: ‘By Allah, you are the one who is weak, isolated and
hated amongst your own people while Muhammad is mighty by the will of the All-merciful and affection
of all Muslims. By Allah, I will never love you after what you have just said!’ ‘Abd Allah said to him:
‘Be quiet, I was just jesting’. Zayd ibn Arqam went straight to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him
and give peace, and informed him of what had happened. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab who was there said: ‘O
Messenger of Allah, let me strike his neck!’ ‘If you did that, a lot of people in Yathrib will rise to avenge
him’, answered the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace. ‘Umar said: ‘If you dislike that he be
killed by a man from the Emigrants, then ask Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubadah, Muhammad ibn Maslamah or ‘Ubadah
ibn Bishr to kill him’. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: ‘People will say,
in that case, that Muhammad is killing his own Companions’. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him
and give him peace, then sent for ‘Abd Allah ibn Ubayy and, when he came, asked him: ‘Did you say the
things which were reported to me about you’ ‘Abd Allah said: ‘By Him who revealed the Book to you, I
did not say any such thing; Zayd is a liar!’ ‘Abd Allah was treated as a noble and highly-respected person
by his people. Those who were present among the Helpers said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, ‘Abd Allah is our
leader and chief, do not believe what one boy of the Helpers says about him; he could be mistaken about
what he has heard and did not report it properly’. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him
peace, gave ‘Abd Allah the benefit of the doubt. The fingers of blame among the Helpers all pointed to
Zayd. They all gave him the lie. His uncle said to him: ‘All you have done is that the Messenger of Allah,
Allah bless him and give him peace, has given you the lie and the Muslims detest you’. After this, Zayd
was ashamed to go near the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace. When the Messenger of Allah,
Allah bless him and give him peace, departed he was met by Usayd ibn Hudayr. The Prophet, Allah bless
him and give him peace, said to him: ‘Did you hear what your man. Abd Allah ibn Ubayy, said’ ‘And
what did he say’ asked Usayd. ‘He claimed that upon returning to Medina the mighty will drive out the
weak’. Usayd: ‘It is you, O Messenger of Allah, who will drive him out, if you wish. You are the mighty
and he is the weak’. Then he said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, be gentle with him; by Allah, Allah has brought
you when his people were preparing to crown him as their king. He thinks that you have deprived him
of kingship’. When ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Ubayy heard about what his father had said, he went to
the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said: ‘I heard that you want to kill ‘Abd
Allah ibn Ubayy for what you heard about him. If you are to do it, command me to kill him. I will bring
you his head! By Allah, the Khazraj know that they do not have a man who is more dutiful toward his
parents than I am. And I fear that if you were to ask someone to kill him, my ego will not permit me to
look at the killer of ‘Abd Allah walking among people and I would kill him and enter hellfire for killing
a believer’. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: ‘We will rather treat him
well as long as he is with us’.
When the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, returned to Medina, Zayd ibn Arqam
said: ‘I stayed at home because of anxiety and shame. Then Allah, exalted is He, revealed Surah
al-Munafiqun, confirming my words and giving the lie to ‘Abd Allah. When this Surah was revealed, the
Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, grabbed Zayd’s ear and said: ‘O Zayd, Allah
has confirmed what you heard’. ‘Abd Allah was then approaching Medina. His son, ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abd
Allah, went to camp at a spot where all the roads to Medina converged. When ‘Abd Allah reached that
spot, his son said to him: ‘Go back!’ ‘Abd Allah exclaimed, ‘Woe unto you, what ails you!’ His son said:
‘By Allah, you will never enter it except by leave of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him
peace, so that you would know today who is the mighty and who is the weak’. ‘Abd Allah complained to
the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, about what his own son did, and the Messenger
of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, sent to ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abd Allah asking him to
let his father enter Medina. When he received the order of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and
give him peace, he said: ‘Yes, now you can enter!’ And he entered Medina. When this Surah was revealed
and it was clear that he lied, people said to him: ‘O Abu Hubab! Severe verses of the Qur’an have been
revealed about you, why do you not go to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, so
that he asks forgiveness for you’. But he just turned his face away. This is what is referred to by the saying
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