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

Asbab al-Nuzul
gold’. As a consequence, Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Lo! In the creation of the heavens and the earth and
(in) the difference of night and day are tokens (of His Sovereignty) for men of understanding)”. 61
(And their Lord hath heard them…) [3:195].
Isma‘il ibn Ibrahim al-Nasrabadhi informed us> Abu ‘Amr Isma‘il ibn Najid> Ja‘far ibn Muhammad ibn
Suwar> Qutaybah ibn Sa‘id> Sufyan> ‘Amr ibn Dinar> Salamah ibn ‘Umar ibn Abi Salamah (a man from
the Banu Salamah) who said: “Umm Salamah said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Allah has not mentioned
women with regard to migration at all’, and Allah, exalted is He, revealed (And their Lord hath heard
them (and He saith): Lo! I suffer not the work of any worker, male or female, to be lost. Ye proceed one from
another)”. This was narrated by al-Hakim Abu ‘Abd Allah in his Sahih from Abu ‘Awn Muhammad ibn
Ahmad ibn Mahan> Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn Yazid> Ya‘qub ibn Humayd> Sufyan.
(Let not the vicissitude (of the success) of those who disbelieve, in the land, deceive thee…)
[3:196].
This was revealed about the idolaters of Mecca. This is because they were living in comfort and ease,
trading and enjoying themselves which led one believer to comment: “The enemies of Allah are enjoying
that which we see of goodly life while we are dying of hunger and toil”, and as a result this verse was
revealed.
(And lo! of the People of the Scripture there are some who believe in Allah…) [3:199].
Said Jabir ibn ‘Abd Allah, Anas, Ibn ‘Abbas and Qatadah: “This was revealed about the Negus. When
the latter died, Gabriel, peace be upon him, informed the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give
him peace, about his death on the same day he died. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give
him peace, said to his Companions: ‘Go out and perform the prayer of the dead on one of your brothers
who died in a different land’. They asked him: ‘Who is he’ And he told them it was the Negus. Then
the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, went out to the Baqi‘ and all that was
between Medina and the land of Abyssinia was revealed to him such that he saw the bed of the Negus.
He performed the prayer of the dead, uttering the expression Allahu akbar [Allah is the greatest] four
times, and requested forgiveness for him. He then told his Companions: ‘Request forgiveness for him!’
The hypocrites commented: ‘Look at this one, performing the prayer of the dead on a foreign Christian
Abyssinian whom he has never seen and who does not even follow his religion’. Allah, exalted is He, then
revealed this verse”. 62
Abu’l-Fadl Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Yusuf informed us> Abu ‘Amr Muhammad ibn
Ja‘far ibn Matar (by dictation)> Ja‘far ibn Muhammad ibn Sinan al-Wasiti> Abu Hani’ Muhammad ibn
Bakkar al-Bahili> al-Mu‘tamir ibn Sulayman> Humayd> Anas who reported that the Prophet of Allah,
Allah bless him and give him peace, said to his Companions: “Get up and perform the prayer of the dead
on your brother the Negus”. Some of them said to others: “He is asking us to pray on a non-believer from
Abyssinia!” And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (And lo! of the People of the Scripture there are some who
believe in Allah…). Mujahid, Ibn Jurayj and Ibn Zayd stated that this was revealed about all the believers
of the people of the Book. 63
61
Durr, :407.
62
Tabari, :218; Durr, :415-416.
63
Durr, :416.
66