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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Chapter 4: Surah <strong>al</strong>-Nisa’<br />
possess…) [4:24].<br />
Muhammad ibn ‘Abd <strong>al</strong>-Rahman <strong>al</strong>-Bunani informed us> Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Hamdan> Abu<br />
Ya‘la> ‘Amr <strong>al</strong>-Naqid> Abu Ahmad <strong>al</strong>-Zubayri> Sufyan> ‘Uthman <strong>al</strong>-Batti> Abu’l-Kh<strong>al</strong>il> Abu Sa‘id <strong>al</strong>-<br />
Khudri who said: “We had captured fem<strong>al</strong>e prisoners of war on the day of Awtas and because they were<br />
<strong>al</strong>ready married we disliked having any physic<strong>al</strong> relationship with them. <strong>The</strong>n we asked the Prophet,<br />
<strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, about them. And the verse (And <strong>al</strong>l married women (are forbidden<br />
unto you) save those (captives) whom your right hands possess) was then reve<strong>al</strong>ed, as a result of which we<br />
consider it lawful to have a physic<strong>al</strong> relationship with them”. 11<br />
Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn <strong>al</strong>-Harith informed us> ‘Abd <strong>Al</strong>lah ibn Muhammad ibn Ja‘far><br />
Abu Yahya> Sahl ibn ‘Uthman> ‘Abd <strong>al</strong>-Rahim> Ash‘ath ibn Sawwar> ‘Uthman <strong>al</strong>-Batti> Abu’l-Kh<strong>al</strong>il><br />
Abu Sa‘id who said: “When the Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, captured the<br />
people of Awtas as prisoners of war we said: ‘O Prophet of <strong>Al</strong>lah! How can we possibly have physic<strong>al</strong> relationships<br />
with women whose lineage and husband we know very well’ And so this verse was reve<strong>al</strong>ed<br />
(And <strong>al</strong>l married women (are forbidden unto you) save those (captives) whom your right hands possess)”. 12<br />
Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ibrahim <strong>al</strong>-Farisi informed us> Muhammad ibn ‘Isa ibn ‘Amrawayh> Ibrahim<br />
ibn Muhammad ibn Sufyan> Muslim ibn <strong>al</strong>-Hajjaj> ‘Ubayd <strong>Al</strong>lah ibn ‘Umar <strong>al</strong>-Qawariri> Yazid ibn<br />
Zuray‘> Sa‘id ibn Abi ‘Arubah> Qatadah> Abu S<strong>al</strong>ih Abu Kh<strong>al</strong>il> Abu ‘<strong>Al</strong>qamah <strong>al</strong>-Hashimi> Abu Sa‘id<br />
<strong>al</strong>-Khudri who reported that on the day of Hunayn the Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him<br />
peace, sent an army to Awtas. This army met the enemy in a battle, defeated them and captured many<br />
fem<strong>al</strong>e prisoners from them. But some of the Companions of the Messenger, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give<br />
him peace, were uncomfortable about having physic<strong>al</strong> relations with these prisoners because they had<br />
husbands who were idolaters, and so <strong>Al</strong>lah, ex<strong>al</strong>ted is He, reve<strong>al</strong>ed about this (And <strong>al</strong>l married women<br />
(are forbidden unto you) save those (captives) whom your right hands possess). 13<br />
(And covet not the thing in which <strong>Al</strong>lah hath made some of you excel others…) [4:32]<br />
Isma‘il ibn Abi <strong>al</strong>-Qasim <strong>al</strong>-Sufi informed us> Isma‘il ibn Najid> Ja‘far ibn Muhammad ibn Sawwar><br />
Qutaybah> Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah> Ibn Abi Najih> Mujahid who reported that Umm S<strong>al</strong>amah asked: “O<br />
Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah! [how is it that] the men go out in military conquests and we do not; and how come<br />
we have h<strong>al</strong>f of the inheritance”. And so <strong>Al</strong>lah, ex<strong>al</strong>ted is He, reve<strong>al</strong>ed this verse (And covet not the thing<br />
in which <strong>Al</strong>lah hath made some of you excel others). 14<br />
Muhammad ibn ‘Abd <strong>al</strong>-‘Aziz informed us> Muhammad ibn <strong>al</strong>-Husayn> Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn<br />
Yazid> Ishaq ibn Ibrahim> ‘Attab ibn Bashir> Khusayf> ‘Ikrimah who reported that the women asked<br />
about Jihad, saying: “We wish that <strong>Al</strong>lah had prescribed military conquest for us so that we acquire the<br />
same reward that men do”, and so <strong>Al</strong>lah, ex<strong>al</strong>ted is He, reve<strong>al</strong>ed this verse (And covet not the thing in<br />
which <strong>Al</strong>lah hath made some of you excel others). 15<br />
Said Qatadah and <strong>al</strong>-Sudd: “When the words of <strong>Al</strong>lah (… unto the m<strong>al</strong>e the equiv<strong>al</strong>ent of the share of two<br />
fem<strong>al</strong>es…) [4:176], the men said: ‘We hope that we sh<strong>al</strong>l be preferred over women through our rewards<br />
in the Afterlife just as we were preferred over them in the division of estate so that our reward is double<br />
the reward of women’. <strong>The</strong> women, on the other hand, said: ‘We hope that our onus will be h<strong>al</strong>f that of<br />
men in the Afterlife just as our share of estate is h<strong>al</strong>f that of men in this world’. And so <strong>Al</strong>lah, ex<strong>al</strong>ted is<br />
He, reve<strong>al</strong>ed (And covet not the thing in which <strong>Al</strong>lah hath made some of you excel others)”. 16<br />
11<br />
Tabari, :2.<br />
12<br />
Tabari, :2.<br />
13<br />
Tabari, :2; Durr, :478-479.<br />
14<br />
Durr, :507; Tabari, :47.<br />
15<br />
Durr, :507.<br />
16<br />
Tabari, :47-48; Durr, :508.<br />
71
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