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

Chapter 92: Surah al-Layl
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Abu Ma‘mar ibn Isma‘il al-Isma‘ili informed us through dictation in Jurjan in the year 431/1039> Abu’l-
Hasan ‘Ali ibn ‘Umar al-Hafiz> ‘Ali ibn al-Hasan ibn Harun> al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Turqufi> Hafs
ibn ‘Umar> al-Hakam ibn Aban> ‘Ikrimah> Ibn ‘Abbas who related that a man owned a palm-tree whose
branches fell extended to the house of a poor man who had dependents. It happened that sometime
this man would come home, climb up to get dates and if some dates fell to the poor man’s house and
his children collected them, this man would come down take them back from the children. In fact, he
sometimes retrieved his dates even when he found them in the mouth of one of the children. The poor
man complained to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and informed him of
the suffering he was exposed to from the owner of the palm-tree. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give
him peace, ask the poor man to leave the matter with him. When he met the owner of the palm-tree,
the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to him: “Give your palm-tree whose branches fall
in the house of so-and-so and, in exchange, you have a palm-tree in Paradise”. The man said: “I was offered
[a lot for it] but I like the dates of this palm more than any other dates, even though I have many
palm-trees”, and then the man left. Then the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, met
another man who overheard what he had said to the owner of the palm-tree. He said: “O Messenger of
Allah, would you give me what you have offered that man: a palm-tree in Paradise, if I were to get hold of
that specific palm-tree” He said: “Yes!” This man proceeded until he found the owner of the palm-tree
and bargained with him about its price. The owner of the palm-tree said to this man: “Do you realise that
Muhammad has given me a palm-tree in Paradise in exchange for it and I said I liked its dates”. The man
asked him: “Do you want to sell it” The owner of the tree said: “No, unless I am given for it more than
I expect!” “What do you want in exchange for it” asked the man. He said: “I want forty palm-trees in
exchange for it!” The man said: “You are asking for too much: forty palm-trees for your tilted palm-tree!”
The man kept quiet for a moment and then said: “I will give you forty palm-trees for it”. The owner of the
palm-tree said: “Let us have some people to witness the deal, if you are truthful”. A group of people who
were passing by were called to witness that he had given forty palm-trees for that one particular tree. The
man then went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said: “O Messenger of Allah,
the palm-tree is in my possession now and I give it to you”. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and
give him peace, went to the poor man’s house and said to the man: “The palm-tree is in your possession
and that of your dependents”. Allah, glorious and exalted is He, then revealed (By the night enshrouding,
and the day resplendent, and Him Who hath created male and female, lo! your effort is dispersed (toward
divers ends)) [92:1-4]. 1
Abu Bakr al-Harithi informed us> Abu’l-Shaykh al-Hafiz> al-Walid ibn Aban> Muhammad ibn Idris>
Mansur ibn Abi Muzahim> Ibn Abi al-Waddah> Yunus> Ibn Ishaq> ‘Abd Allah who related that Abu
Bakr bought Bilal [ibn Rabah] from Umayyah ibn Khalaf in exchange for one outer garment and ten
ounces of gold, and then freed him. And so Allah, glorious and exalted is He, revealed (By the night) up
to His words (lo! your effort is dispersed (toward divers ends)). 2
(As for him who giveth and is dutiful (toward Allah) and believeth in goodness) [92:5-6].
Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ibrahim informed us> Muhammad ibn Ja‘far ibn Haytham al-Anbari>
Ja‘far ibn Muhammad ibn Shakir> Qubaysah> Sufyan al-Thawri> Mansur and al-A‘mash> Sa‘d ibn
‘Ubaydah> Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami> ‘Ali who related that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless
1
Cf. Durr, :532-533.
2
Durr, :534-535.