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

Asbab al-Nuzul
(Or would ye question your messenger…) [2:108].
Said Ibn ‘Abbas: “This verse was revealed about ‘Abd Allah ibn Abi Umayyah and a group of people from
the Quraysh who had said to the Prophet: ‘O Muhammad! Turn al-Safa into gold, expand for us the land
of Mecca and make rivers gush out throughout it — if you do this, we will believe in you!’ Allah, exalted
is He, revealed this verse as a response to them”.
The commentators of the Qur’an also said: “The Jews and other idolaters put their requests to the Messenger
of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace; some said: ‘Bring us an entire book from heaven
as did Moses bring the Torah’; some — ‘Abd Allah ibn Umayyah al-Makhzumi — said: ‘Bring us a book
from heaven which reads: This is from the Lord of the Worlds to Ibn Abi Umayyah: know that I have sent
Muhammad to mankind’; others said: ‘We shall not believe in you until you bring the angels as guarantors’.
Hence, Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse”.
(Many of the people of the Scripture long to make you disbelievers after your belief…) [2:109].
Said Ibn ‘Abbas: “This verse was revealed about a group of Jews who said to the Muslims after the Battle
of Uhud: ‘Could you not see what has happened to you If you were truly following the truth, you would
not have been defeated. Revert, therefore, to our religion; it is far better for you’ ”.
Al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Farisi informed us>Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Fadl> Ahmad ibn
Muhammad ibn al-Hasan> Muhammad ibn Yahya> Abu’l-Yaman> Shu‘ayb> al-Zuhri> ‘Abd al-Rahman
ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Ka‘b ibn Malik> his father who reported that Ka‘b al-Ashraf the Jew was a poet who
used his poetry to satirize the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and incite the disbelievers
of Quraysh against him. The idolaters and Jews of Medina also used to seriously harm the Messenger
of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and his Companions upon their arrival to Medina. Allah,
exalted is He, commanded his Prophet to endure all that and to forgive them. And it is about them that
was revealed (Many of the people of the Scripture long to make you disbelievers after your belief…) up to
His saying (Forgive and be indulgent (toward them) until Allah give command…). 22
(And the Jews say the Christians follow nothing (true)…) [2:113].
This was revealed about the Jews of Medina and the Christians of Najran. When the delegation of Najran 23
came to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, the Jewish rabbis came to see them.
They had a debate with each other and the debate got so heated up that they shouted at each other. The
Jews said: “You are not following the true religion”, and declared their disbelief in Jesus and the Gospel.
In response, the Christians said: “You are not following the true religion”, and declared their disbelief in
Moses and the Torah. Allah therefore revealed this verse. 24
(And who doth greater wrong than he who forbiddeth the approach to the sanctuaries of Allah lest
His name should be mentioned therein…) [2:114].
This was revealed about Titus the Roman and his Christian army. When the latter invaded the Children
of Israel, they killed their soldiers, enslaved their women and children, burned the Torah, sacked
Jerusalem and then threw carrions in it. This is the opinion of Ibn ‘Abbas according to the narration of
al-Kalbi.
22
Durr, :261.
23
For more details about this major urban centre in ancient times, see Irfan Shahid’s article in Encyclopaedia of Islam, second
edition (hereafter ei 2 ). On the visit of the delegation of Najran to the Prophet (pbuh) see, Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah
[hereafter Sirah], Dar al-Jil, Beirut (4 volumes), 1987, vol. :158-159.
24
Ayoub, pp. 141-142; Qurtubi, :76; Durr, :263.
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