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

Chapter 2: Surah al-Baqarah
(Those unto whom We have given the Scripture, who read it with the right reading…) [2:121].
Said Ibn ‘Abbas, according to the report of ‘Ata’ and al-Kalbi: “This was revealed about those who came
by ship from Abyssinia with Ja‘far ibn Abi Talib. They were forty men from Abyssinia and Syria”.
And al-Dahhak said: “This was revealed about those Jews who believed”, while Qatadah and ‘Ikrima said:
“This was revealed about the Companions of Muhammad, Allah bless him and give him peace”.
(Or were ye present when death came to Jacob…) [2:133].
This was revealed about the Jews when they said: “Do you not know that when Jacob was about to die he
advised his sons to follow Judaism”
(And they say: Be Jews or Christians, then ye will be rightly guided…) [2:135].
Said Ibn ‘Abbas: “This was revealed about the Jewish leaders of Medina: Ka‘b ibn al-Ashraf, Malik ibn al-
Sayf, Wahb ibn Yahudha, Yasir ibn Akhtab, and also about the Christians of Najran. This is because when
they argued with the Muslims regarding religion, each one claimed to have a better right to the religion
of Allah, exalted is He, than anyone else. The Jews said: ‘Our Prophet Moses is the best of prophets, and
our Scripture is the best of Scriptures and our religion is the best of religions’. They disbelieved in Jesus,
the Gospel, Muhammad and the Qur’an. The Christians on the other hand said: ‘Our Prophet Jesus is
the best of prophets, and our Scripture, the Gospel, is the best of Scriptures and our religion is the best
of religions’. They disbelieved in Muhammad and the Qur’an. Both the Jews and Christians said to the
believers: ‘Follow our religion, for there is no other true religion except ours’. And they invited the believers
to follow their religion”.
((We take our) colour from Allah, and who is better than Allah at colouring…) [2:138].
Said Ibn ‘Abbas: “When a child was born into the Christians, they used to baptize him on the seventh
day by dipping him in holy water in order to purify him. They claimed that this baptism takes the place
of circumcision. Upon doing this, they used to say: ‘Now the child has become a true Christian’, and so
Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse”.
(The foolish of the people will say…) [2:142].
This was revealed about the change of the qiblah.
Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Ja‘far informed us> Zahir ibn Ahmad> al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn
Mus‘ab> Yahya ibn Hakim> ‘Abd Allah ibn Raja’> Isra’il> Abu Ishaq> al-Bara’ who said: “When the Messenger
of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, went to Medina, he prayed toward the direction of
Jerusalem for sixteen or seventeen months. But Allah’s Messenger, Allah bless him and give him peace,
liked to be directed in prayer toward the Ka‘bah. Allah, exalted is He, revealed (We have seen the turning
of thy face to heaven) up to the end of the verse [2:144]”. The foolish among people, who are none
other than the Jews, said: (What hath turned them from the qiblah which they formerly observed) Allah,
exalted is He, said: (Unto Allah belong the East and the West) up to the end of the verse. This is narrated
by Bukhari from the report of ‘Abd Allah ibn Raja’.
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