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 />
(Whoso obeyeth <strong>Al</strong>lah and the messenger…) [4:69].<br />
Said <strong>al</strong>-K<strong>al</strong>bi: “This verse was reve<strong>al</strong>ed about Thawban, the client of <strong>Al</strong>lah’s Messenger, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him<br />
and give him peace. Thawban loved the Prophet dearly such that he could not bear not seeing him for<br />
long periods. One day Thawban showed up with his complexion changed, he had lost weight and the<br />
signs of sadness were evident on his face. <strong>The</strong> Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace,<br />
said to him: ‘O Thawban, what has made your complexion change’ He said: ‘O Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, I<br />
am not suffering from any harm or pain, except that when I do not see you, I miss you and feel intense<br />
longing for you which does not cease until I meet you. <strong>The</strong>n I remember the Afterlife and I fear that I will<br />
not see you there. I know that you will be raised high up with the Prophets whereas if I enter the Garden,<br />
I will be in a rank much lower than yours, and if I do not enter the Garden, it will be certain that I will<br />
never see you’. And so <strong>Al</strong>lah, ex<strong>al</strong>ted is He, reve<strong>al</strong>ed this verse”.<br />
Isma‘il ibn Abi Nasr informed us> Ibrahim <strong>al</strong>-Nasrabadhi> ‘Abd <strong>Al</strong>lah ibn ‘Umar ibn ‘<strong>Al</strong>i <strong>al</strong>-Jawhari><br />
‘Abd <strong>Al</strong>lah ibn Mahmud <strong>al</strong>-Sa‘di> Musa ibn Yahya> ‘Ubaydah> Mansur> Muslim ibn Subayh> Masruq<br />
who reported that the Companions of the Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, said:<br />
“We should not part your company in this world, for if you were to leave us, you will be raised above us”,<br />
and so <strong>Al</strong>lah, ex<strong>al</strong>ted is He, reve<strong>al</strong>ed (Whoso obeyeth <strong>Al</strong>lah and the messenger, they are with those unto<br />
whom <strong>Al</strong>lah hath shown favour, of the prophets and the saints and the martyrs and the righteous…). 35<br />
Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim informed us> Shu‘ayb> Makki> Abu’l-Azhar> Rawh> Sa‘id><br />
Shu‘bah> Qatadah who said: “It was mentioned to us that some men said to the Prophet, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him<br />
and give him peace: ‘O Prophet of <strong>Al</strong>lah, we now see you in this world. But in the Afterlife you sh<strong>al</strong>l be<br />
raised above us because of your merit and we will not see you then’, and so <strong>Al</strong>lah, ex<strong>al</strong>ted is He, reve<strong>al</strong>ed<br />
this verse”. 36<br />
Abu Nu‘aym <strong>al</strong>-Hafiz informed, among that which he gave me authorisation to relate from him>Sulayman<br />
ibn Ahmad <strong>al</strong>-Lakhmi> Ahmad ibn ‘Amr <strong>al</strong>-Kh<strong>al</strong>l<strong>al</strong>> ‘Abd <strong>Al</strong>lah ibn ‘Imran <strong>al</strong>-‘Abidi> Fudayl ibn ‘Iyad><br />
Mansur> Ibrahim> <strong>al</strong>-Aswad> ‘A’ishah who said: “A man came to the Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless<br />
him and give him peace, and said: ‘O Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, you are more beloved to me than my own<br />
person, wife and children. Whenever I remember you when I am sitting in my house I do not rest until I<br />
come and look at you. And when I remember my eventu<strong>al</strong> death and yours, I re<strong>al</strong>ise that when you enter<br />
the Garden you will be raised with the Prophets, while, even if I do enter it, I fear that I will not see you’.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, did not answer him until Gabriel, peace be<br />
upon him, came down with this verse (Whoso obeyeth <strong>Al</strong>lah and the messenger, they are with those unto<br />
whom <strong>Al</strong>lah hath shown favour, of the prophets and the saints and the martyrs and the righteous…)”. 37<br />
(Hast thou not seen those unto whom it was said: Withhold your hands…) [4:77].<br />
Said <strong>al</strong>-K<strong>al</strong>bi: “This verse was reve<strong>al</strong>ed about some Companions of the Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah<br />
bless him and give him peace, among whom were ‘Abd <strong>al</strong>-Rahman ibn ‘Awf, <strong>al</strong>-Miqdad ibn <strong>al</strong>-Aswad,<br />
Qudamah ibn Maz‘un and Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas. <strong>The</strong>se Companions were subjected to a lot of harm from<br />
the idolaters. <strong>The</strong>y used to say: ‘O Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>al</strong>low us to fight them’, but his answer was <strong>al</strong>ways:<br />
‘Keep your hands off them, for I have not been commanded to fight them’. When the Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah,<br />
<strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, migrated to Medina and <strong>Al</strong>lah, ex<strong>al</strong>ted is He, commanded them to<br />
fight the idolaters, some of them disliked fighting and found it very hard. And so <strong>Al</strong>lah, ex<strong>al</strong>ted is He,<br />
reve<strong>al</strong>ed this verse”.<br />
Sa‘id ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad <strong>al</strong>-‘Adl informed us> Abu ‘Amr Hamdan> <strong>al</strong>-Hasan ibn Sufyan> Muhammad<br />
ibn ‘<strong>Al</strong>i> his father> <strong>al</strong>-Husayn ibn Waqid> ‘Amr ibn Dinar> ‘Ikrimah> Ibn ‘Abbas who related<br />
that ‘Abd <strong>al</strong>-Rahman ibn ‘Awf and some of his fellow companions went to the Prophet, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him<br />
35<br />
Durr, :589; Tabari, :163.<br />
36<br />
Tabari, :163-164; Durr, :588.<br />
37<br />
Durr, :589.<br />
79
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