Al-W¥^idÏ's Asb¥b al-Nuz‰l - The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies ...
Al-W¥^idÏ's Asb¥b al-Nuz‰l - The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies ...
Al-W¥^idÏ's Asb¥b al-Nuz‰l - The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies ...
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Asbab <strong>al</strong>-Nuzul<br />
is He, reve<strong>al</strong>ed (Lo! those who purchase a sm<strong>al</strong>l gain at the cost of <strong>Al</strong>lah’s covenant and their oaths)’ ”. This<br />
was narrated by Bukhari from Hajjaj ibn Minh<strong>al</strong> from Abu ‘Awanah; and it was <strong>al</strong>so narrated by Muslim<br />
from Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah from Waki‘ and <strong>al</strong>so from Ibn Numayr from Abu Mu‘awiyah; and <strong>al</strong>l<br />
these narrators reported from <strong>al</strong>-A‘mash.<br />
Abu ‘Abd <strong>al</strong>-Rahman <strong>al</strong>-Shadhyakhi informed us> Muhammad ibn ‘Abd <strong>Al</strong>lah ibn Muhammad ibn Zakariyya><br />
Muhammad ibn ‘Abd <strong>al</strong>-Rahman <strong>al</strong>-Faqih> Muhammad ibn Yahya> ‘Abd <strong>al</strong>-Razzaq> Sufyan><br />
Mansur and <strong>al</strong>-A‘mash> Abu Wa’il> ‘Abd <strong>Al</strong>lah who reported that the Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless<br />
him and give him peace, said: “No man makes a f<strong>al</strong>se oath to seize a property which does not belong to<br />
him except that <strong>Al</strong>lah will be angry with him when he meets Him. <strong>Al</strong>lah, ex<strong>al</strong>ted is He, then reve<strong>al</strong>ed (Lo!<br />
those who purchase a sm<strong>al</strong>l gain at the cost of <strong>Al</strong>lah’s covenant and their oaths…)”. 21<br />
He said: “<strong>The</strong>n <strong>al</strong>-Ash‘ath came while ‘Abd <strong>Al</strong>lah was in the process of relating to them the narration,<br />
and said: ‘This was reve<strong>al</strong>ed about me and another man with whom I had a dispute regarding a well. <strong>The</strong><br />
Prophet, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, asked me: ‘Do you have proof [that this well is yours]’ I<br />
replied that I did not. He said: ‘<strong>The</strong>n let the man swear for you’. I said: ‘Let him swear’. And then the verse<br />
(Lo! those who purchase a sm<strong>al</strong>l gain at the cost of <strong>Al</strong>lah’s covenant and their oaths) was reve<strong>al</strong>ed’ ”.<br />
‘Amr ibn Abu ‘Amr <strong>al</strong>-Muzakki informed us> Muhammad ibn <strong>al</strong>-Makki> Muhammad ibn Yusuf> Muhammad<br />
ibn Isma‘il Bukhari> ‘<strong>Al</strong>i ibn ‘Abd <strong>Al</strong>lah> Hushaym> <strong>al</strong>-‘Awwam ibn Hawshab> Ibrahim ibn<br />
‘Abd <strong>al</strong>-Rahman> ‘Abd <strong>Al</strong>lah ibn Abi Awfa who reported that a man was selling a merchandise in the<br />
market place and swore that he was selling it for a price lower than the price with which he bought it, just<br />
to make one Muslim man buy it from him. As a result of which, <strong>Al</strong>lah, ex<strong>al</strong>ted is He, reve<strong>al</strong>ed (Lo! those<br />
who purchase a sm<strong>al</strong>l gain at the cost of <strong>Al</strong>lah’s covenant and their oaths…). 22<br />
Said <strong>al</strong>-K<strong>al</strong>bi: “Due to scarcity of foodstuff, some poor Jewish scholars went to seek help from Ka‘b ibn<br />
<strong>al</strong>-Ashraf in Medina. Ka‘b asked them: Is there anything in your Scripture which indicates that this man<br />
is <strong>Al</strong>lah’s Messenger’ <strong>The</strong>y said: ‘Yes! Do you not find the same’ He said: ‘No, I don’t!’ <strong>The</strong>y said: ‘Well,<br />
we bear witness that he is <strong>Al</strong>lah’s servant and Messenger’. Ka‘b said: ‘<strong>Al</strong>lah has deprived you of much<br />
good, you came to me and I re<strong>al</strong>ly wanted to be good to you and to clothe your dependents. But <strong>Al</strong>lah<br />
has deprived you and deprived your dependents’. <strong>The</strong>y said: ‘We only thought that he is the man. Give us<br />
some respite until we meet him’. <strong>The</strong>y went and wrote down a description which was different than that<br />
of the Prophet [<strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, as was in their Scripture]. After which they met the<br />
Prophet of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, spoke with him and asked him some questions.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y went back to Ka‘b and said: ‘We had thought that he was <strong>Al</strong>lah’s Messenger but when we met him<br />
we re<strong>al</strong>ised that he does not fit the description that we had and found that his description is different’.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y got out the new description which they wrote down and showed it to Ka‘b. Ka‘b was very happy<br />
with them. He fed them and spent on them. Because of this <strong>Al</strong>lah, ex<strong>al</strong>ted is He, reve<strong>al</strong>ed this verse”.<br />
Said ‘Ikrimah: “This verse was reve<strong>al</strong>ed about Rafi‘ and Kinanah ibn Abu’l-Huqayq as well as Huyayy ibn<br />
Akhtab, and other Jewish chiefs. <strong>The</strong>y had conce<strong>al</strong>ed <strong>Al</strong>lah’s covenant with them in the Torah regarding<br />
Muhammad, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, which they had changed with their own hands and<br />
wrote instead something different in order not to miss the gains and earning they procured from their<br />
followers”. 23<br />
(It is not (possible) for any human being unto whom <strong>Al</strong>lah had given the Scripture…) [3:79].<br />
<strong>Al</strong>-Dahhak and Muqatil said: “This was reve<strong>al</strong>ed about the Christians of Najran due to their worship of<br />
Jesus. His saying (…for any human being…) refers to Jesus and (…had given the Scripture…) refers to<br />
the Gospel”.<br />
21<br />
Tabari, :322.<br />
22<br />
Durr, :246-247.<br />
23<br />
Durr, :245-246; Tabari, :321.<br />
52
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