Translated by

(Al-Qamar)
 
 
[54:1]
 
 
(The hour drew nigh and the moon was rent in twain) [54:1]. Abu Hakim ‘Aqil ibn Muhammad al-Jurjani 
informed us (through verbal authorisation)> Abu’l-Faraj al-Qadi> Muhammad ibn Jarir> al-Husayn ibn Abi 
Yahya al-Maqdisi> Yahya ibn Hammad> Abu ‘Awanah> al-Mughirah> Abu’l-Duha> Masruq> ‘Abd Allah who 
said: “The moon was split at the time of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, so the 
Quraysh said: ‘This is an act of sorcery from the son of Abu Kabshah; he has cast a spell on you. Ask, 
therefore, the travellers whether they saw the moon split’. They asked some travellers and they confirmed it. 
Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (The hour drew nigh and the moon was rent in twain. And if they behold 
a portent they turn away and say: Prolonged illusion) [54:1-2]”.  
 
[54:47-49]
 
 
(Lo! the guilty are in error and madness… Lo! We have created every thing by measure) [54:47-49]. Abu’l-
Qasim ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad al-Sarraj informed us (by dictation)> Abu Muhammad ‘Abd Allah ibn 
Muhammad ibn Musa al-Ka‘bi> Hamdan ibn Salih al-Ashajj> ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Abi Rawwad> 

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Sufyan al-Thawri> Ziyad ibn Isma‘il al-Makhzumi> Muhammad ibn ‘Abbad ibn Ja‘far> Abu Hurayrah who 
said: “The Quraysh came to dispute the question of Destiny. Allah, exalted is He, therefore revealed (Lo! the 
guilty are in error and madness… Lo! We have created every thing by measure)”. This was narrated by 
Muslim from Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah> Waki‘> Sufyan. By Allah, I bear witness that Abu’l-Harith 
Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Rahim al-Hafiz informed us in Jurjan; he said: “By Allah, I bear witness that Abu 
Nu‘aym Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Bazzaz informed us; he said: ‘By Allah, I bear witness that I 
heard ‘Ali ibn Jandal saying: ‘By Allah, I bear witness that I heard Abu’l-Hasan Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn 
Ubayy in Khurasan say: ‘By Allah, I bear witness that I heard ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Saqr al-Hafiz say: ‘By Allah, I 
bear witness that I heard ‘Ufayr ibn Ma‘dan say: ‘by Allah, I bear witness that I heard Salim ibn ‘Amir say: 
‘By Allah, I bear witness that I heard Abu Umamah al-Bahili say: ‘By Allah, I bear witness that I heard the 
Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, say: ‘This verse was revealed about the deniers of 
Destiny (al-Qadariyyah): (Lo! the guilty are in error and madness… Lo! We have created every thing by 
measure). Abu Bakr ibn al-Harith related to us> ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Asfahani> Jarir ibn Harun> ‘Ali 
al-Tanafisi> ‘Ubayd Allah ibn Musa> Bahr al-Saqa’> A Shaykh from Quraysh> ‘Ata’ who said: “The bishop of 
Najran came to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said: ‘O Muhammad, you 
claim that sins are created by measure and that the seas and heaven are also created by measure. If it is 
true that the seas and heaven are created by measure, sins nevertheless cannot be’. The Messenger of 
Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: ‘You are Allah’s adversaries!’ And then Allah, exalted is He, 
revealed (Lo! the guilty are in error and madness) up to His words (Lo! We have created every thing by 
measure)”. Abu Bakr informed us> ‘Abd Allah> ‘Amr ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Hasan> Ahmad ibn al-Khalil> ‘Abd 
Allah ibn Raja’ al-Azdi> ‘Amr ibn ‘Ala’, the brother of Abu ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ala’> Khalid ibn Salamah al-Qurashi> 
Sa‘id ibn ‘Amr ibn Ja‘dah al-Makhzumi> Ibn Abi Zurarah al-Ansari> his father who related that the 
Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, read this verse (Lo! the guilty are in error and 
madness) and then said: “This verse was revealed about some future people from amongst this community 
who will deny the Destiny of Allah, exalted is He”. Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Hiri informed us> Muhammad ibn 
Ya‘qub al-Ma‘qili> Abu ‘Utbah Ahmad ibn al-Faraj> Baqiyyah> Ibn Thawban> Bakir ibn Usayd> his father 
who said: “I was with Muhammad ibn Ka‘b when he said: ‘If you ever see me talk about Destiny, then tie 
me up for I am then a madman. By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, these verses have not been revealed 
except about madmen’. Then he recited (Lo! the guilty are in error and madness… Lo! We have created 
every thing by measure)”.  
 
[56:13-14]
 
 
(A multitude of those of old, And a multitude of those of later time) [56:13-14]. ‘Urwah ibn Ruwaym said: 
“When Allah, exalted is He, revealed (A multitude of those of old, And a few of those of later time) [56:13-
14], ‘Umar [ibn al-Khattab] wept and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, we believed in you and accepted your 
message and despite this only a few of us will be saved’. Allah, exalted is He, revealed (A multitude of those 
of old, And a multitude of those of later time). The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, 
then summoned ‘Umar and said: ‘O ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, Allah has revealed something about what you said 
and made it (A multitude of those of old, And a multitude of those of later time)’. ‘Umar exclaimed: ‘We are 
pleased with our Lord and believe in our Prophet. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him 
peace, then said: ‘From Adam to us a multitude of people, and from me to the Day of Judgement a 
multitude which will only be completed by black herdsmen who say, there is no deity except Allah’ ”. 
 
[56:28]
 
 
(Among thornless lote-trees) [56:28]. Abu’l-‘Aliyah and al-Dahhak said: “Once, Muslims looked at Wajj, a 
fertile valley in Ta’if, and admired its lote-trees. They said: ‘If only we had something like this!’ Allah, exalted 
is He, revealed this verse in response”.  
 
[56:39-40]
 
 
(A multitude of those of old, And a multitude of those of later time) [56: 39-40]. ‘Urwah ibn Ruwaym said: 
“When Allah, exalted is He, revealed (A multitude of those of old, And a few of those of later time) [56:13-
14], ‘Umar [ibn al-Khattab] wept and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, we believed in you and accepted your 
message and despite this only a few of us will be saved’. Allah, exalted is He, revealed (A multitude of those 

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of old, And a multitude of those of later time). The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, 
then summoned ‘Umar and said: ‘O ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, Allah has revealed something about what you said 
and made it (A multitude of those of old, And a multitude of those of later time)’. ‘Umar exclaimed: ‘We are 
pleased with our Lord and believe in our Prophet. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him 
peace, then said: ‘From Adam to us a multitude of people, and from me to the Day of Judgement a 
multitude which will only be completed by black herdsmen who say, there is no deity except Allah’ ”.  
 
[56:82]
 
 
(And make denial thereof your livelihood?) [56:82]. Sa'id ibn Muhammad al-Mu'adhdhin informed us> 
Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Hamdun> Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Hafiz> Hamdan al-Sulami> al-Nadr ibn 
Muhammad> 'Ikrimah ibn 'Ammar> Abu Zumayl> Ibn 'Abbas who said: “People were once blessed with rain 
at the time of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and so the Messenger of Allah, 
Allah bless him and give him peace, said: 'Some people have woken up this morning as grateful people while 
others have woken up as disbelievers. The former said: This is a blessing sent by Allah, exalted is He, while 
the latter said: the prediction based on such-and-such a star has been fulfilled'. The following verse was 
then revealed (Nay, I swear by the places of the stars) [56:75] up to His words (And make denial thereof 
your livelihood?)”. This is narrated by Muslim from 'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-'Azim from al-Nadr ibn Muhammad. It 
was also reported that once the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, travelled and after traversing a 
distance camped at a certain place. People were very thirsty but they had no water to drink. They 
mentioned this to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and he said: “What if I made a prayer 
and you were given rain, would you say that we were given rain thanks to such-and-such a star?” They said: 
“O Messenger of Allah, this is not the time of stars”. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, 
prayed two units of prayer and made supplications to Allah, glorified and blessed is He. The wind erupted 
and clouds appeared. Rain then poured down so much so that streams of water run down the valleys. 
People filled their water containers. But then the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, 
passed by a man who was using a goblet to ladle water. The man was saying: “We were given rain thanks 
to such-and-such a star”, and failed to say: “This is the sustenance of Allah, glorified is He”. Allah, glory be 
to Him, revealed (And make denial thereof your livelihood?). Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn 'Umar al-Zahid 
informed us> Abu 'Amr Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Jizi> al-Hasan ibn Sufyan> Harmalah ibn Yahya and 'Amr 
ibn Sawwad al-Sarkhi> 'Abd Allah ibn Wahb> Yunus ibn Yazid> Ibn Shihab> 'Ubayd Allah ibn 'Ubayd Allah 
ibn 'Utbah> Abu Hurayrah who reported that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, 
said: “Have you not heard what your Lord has said? He said: 'I have not blessed My slaves with any bounty 
except that some of them were ungrateful. They say: The stars did this and we were given it thanks to the 
stars!' ” This was narrated by Muslim from Harmalah and 'Amr ibn Sawwad.  
 
[57:10]
 
 
(Those who spent and fought before the victory are not upon a level (with the rest of you)…) [57:10]. 
Muhammad ibn Fudayl reported that al-Kalbi related that this verse was revealed about Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, 
may Allah be well pleased with him. This is evidenced by the report which was related to us from 
Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abdihi ibn Yahya> Abu'l-Hasan Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah al-
Saliti> 'Uthman ibn Sulayman al-Baghdadi> Ya'qub ibn Ibrahim al-Makhzumi> 'Amr ibn Hafs al-Shaybani> 
al-'Ala' ibn 'Amr> Abu Ishaq al-Fazari> Sufyan al-Thawri> Adam ibn 'Ali> Ibn 'Umar who said: “As the 
Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, was sitting with Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, who was wearing a cloak 
which he gathered round his chest with pins, Gabriel, peace be upon him, came down, conveyed Allah's 
greetings of peace to him and said: 'O Muhammad, why is Abu Bakr wearing a cloak which he gathers round 
his chest with pins?' He said: 'O Gabriel, he has spent all his wealth before the conquest [of Mecca]!' He 
said: 'In that case, convey to him Allah's greetings of peace, glorified and exalted is He, and tell him that 
your Lord asks you: are you pleased with Me in your state of poverty or are you indignant?' The Prophet, 
Allah bless him and give him peace, addressed Abu Bakr: 'O Abu Bakr, Gabriel is here to convey the 
greetings of peace of Allah, glorified and exalted is He, and He is asking you: are you pleased with Him in 
your state of poverty or are you indignant?' Upon hearing this, Abu Bakr wept and said: 'How can I be 
indignant with my Lord? I am pleased with my Lord! I am pleased with my Lord!' ” 
 
[57:16]
 

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(Is not the time ripe for the hearts of those who believe to submit to Allah’s reminder…) [57:16]. Al-Kalbi 
and Muqatil said: “This verse was revealed about the hypocrites, one year after Emigration. This is because 
one day they asked Salman al-Farisi: ‘Tell us about what is in the Torah for it contains wonders’, and so this 
verse was revealed”. Others said that this verse was revealed about the believers. ‘Abd al-Qahir ibn Tahir 
informed us> Abu ‘Amr ibn Matar> Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Firyabi> Ishaq ibn Rahwayh> ‘Amr ibn 
Muhammad al-Qurashi> Khallad ibn Muslim al-Saffar> ‘Amr ibn Qays al-Mula’i> ‘Amr ibn Murrah> Mus‘ab 
ibn Sa‘d> Sa‘d who said: “The Qur’an was revealed to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him 
peace, and he recited it to them for a while. Then they said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, if only you narrate to us 
[the events of old]’, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (We narrate unto thee (O Muhammad) the best of 
narratives in that We have inspired in thee this Qur’an) [12:3]. He recited these to them for a while until 
they said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, if only you recite to us statements’. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed 
(Allah hath (now) revealed the fairest of statements…) [39:23]. They were commanded all that through the 
Qur’an”. Khallad said: “Another narrator added: They also asked him: ‘O Messenger of Allah, if only you 
reminded us’. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Is not the time ripe for the hearts of those who believe 
to submit to Allah’s reminder…)”.  
  
(Al-Mujâdilah)
 
 
[58:1]
 
 
(Allah hath heard the saying of her that disputeth with thee (Muhammad) concerning her husband…) [58:1]. 
Abu Sa‘d Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Ghazi informed us> Abu ‘Amr Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Hiri> 
Ahmad ibn ‘Ali al-Muthanna> Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah> Muhammad ibn Abi ‘Ubaydah> his father> al-
A‘mash> Tamim ibn Salamah> ‘Urwah who reported that ‘A’ishah said: “Glory be to Him Whose hearing 
encompass all things; I could hear the speech of Khawlah bint Tha‘labah, even though not in full, while she 
was complaining about her husband to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. She 
said: ‘He has worn out my youth and I let him physically enjoy me but when I grew older and could no 
longer bear children, he put me away, saying that I am as his mother. O Allah, I complain to you’. She did 
not move from her position until Gabriel came down with these verses (Allah hath heard the saying of her 
that disputeth with thee (Muhammad) concerning her husband, and complaineth unto Allah…)”. This was 
narrated by al-Hakim Abu ‘Abd Allah in his Sahih> Muhammad al-Muzani> Mutayr> Abu Kurayb> 
Muhammad ibn Abi ‘Ubaydah. Abu Bakr ibn al-Harith informed us> Abu’l-Shaykh al-Hafiz al-Asfahani> 
‘Abdan ibn Ahmad> Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Sa‘id> Yahya ibn ‘Isa al-Ramli> al-A‘mash> 
Tamim ibn Salamah> ‘Urwah> ‘A’ishah who said: “Praise be to Allah Who can hear all sounds! The woman 
disputant came and spoke with the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, while I was at 
one side of the room and I did not understand what she was saying. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed 
(Allah hath heard the saying of her that disputeth with thee (Muhammad) concerning her husband…)”.  
 
[58:2]
 
 
(Such of you as put away your wives (by saying they are as their mothers)…) [58:2]. Abu Mansur 
Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Mansuri informed us> 'Ali ibn 'Umar al-Hafiz> Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ziyad 
al-Naysaburi> Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath> Muhammad ibn Bakkar> Sa'id ibn Bashir that he asked 
Qatadah about putting away one's wife declaring her to be as one's mother, and he informed him that Anas 
ibn Malik said: “Aws ibn al-Samit put away his wife, Khuwaylah bint Tha'labah, declaring her as his mother 
and the latter went to complain to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. She said: 'He 
put me away, declaring me to be as his mother, when I grew old and my strength failed'. And so Allah, 
exalted is He, revealed the verse of putting one's wife away, declaring her to be as one's mother. The 
Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to Aws: 'You have to free one slave'. He said: 'I 
cannot afford it!' The Prophet said: 'Then you have to fast two consecutive months'. Aws said: 'If I fail to eat 
twice a day, my sight suffers'. The Prophet said: 'Then you have to feed sixty needy people'. Aws said: 'I 
cannot do it unless you help me'. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, helped him 
with fifteen measures (sa') [of dates] and Allah enabled him to gather what was necessary to feed sixty 
needy people, and Allah is merciful - they were of the opinion that Aws already had with him fifteen 
measures, in order to feed sixty needy people”. 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Hamid al-'Adl informed us> 

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Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Zakariyya> Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rahman al-Daghuli> 
Abu'l-Hasan Ahmad ibn Siyar> 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Yahya ibn Yusuf> Abu'l-Asbagh al-Harrani> Muhammad ibn 
Maslamah> Muhammad ibn Ishaq> Ma'mar ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Hanzalah> Yusuf ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Salam 
who said: “Khuwaylah bint Tha'labah, the wife of Aws ibn al-Samit, the brother of 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit, 
related to me, saying: 'He [Aws] came in one day and said something to me in an irritated tone. I answered 
him back and he got angry. He said: 'You are to me as my mother'. He then went out to the gathering place 
of his people. When he came back he wanted to seduce me but I refused. He wanted to force himself on me 
but I was able to push him back as can a woman usually do with a weak man. I said: 'Nay, by Him in Whose 
Hand is Khuwaylah's soul, you will not touch me until Allah, exalted is He, issues His ruling concerning us'. I 
then went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, to complain about what I have been through. 
But he said: 'He is your husband and cousin; fear Allah and treat him well'. However, I did not leave until 
the Qur'an was revealed (Allah hath heard the saying of her that disputeth with thee (Muhammad) 
concerning her husband) up to His words (Lo! Allah is Hearer, Knower). When he got to the expiation, he 
said: 'Tell him to free a slave'. I said: 'O Prophet of Allah, by Allah he does not have any slave to free'. He 
said: 'Tell him to fast two consecutive months'. I said: 'O Prophet of Allah, by Allah he is an old man and 
unable to fast'. He said: 'Then let him feed sixty needy people'. I said: 'O Prophet of Allah, by Allah he does 
not have what to feed them with'. He said: 'In that case, we will help him with a 'Arq of dates [30 measures 
(Sa') of dates]'. I said: 'And I will help him with another 'Arq'. He said: 'Good of you; let him spend it in 
charity' ”. 
 
[58:8]
 
 
(Hast thou not observed those who were forbidden conspiracy…) [58:8]. Ibn 'Abbas and Mujahid said that 
this verse was revealed about the Jews and the hypocrites. This is because the latter used to talk secretly 
amongst themselves to the exclusion of the believers and then look at the believers and wink at each other. 
When the believers saw their secret communications, they said: “We think that they are doing this because 
they received news about our relatives and brothers who went out in military expeditions. They have been 
killed, wounded or defeated”. But when these secret conversations continued, they complained to the 
Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and he commanded them not to speak in secret to 
the exclusion of the believers. They did not heed his command and went back to secret conversations 
among themselves. Allah, exalted is He, therefore revealed this verse. (And when they come unto thee they 
greet thee with a greeting wherewith Allah greeteth thee not…) [58:8]. Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn 'Umar al-
Khashshsab informed us> Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn 'Abd Allah al-Asfahani> Muhammad ibn Ishaq al-Sarraj> 
Qutaybah ibn Sa'id> Jarir> al-A'mash> Abu'l-Duha> Masruq> 'A'ishah who said: “Some Jews came to the 
Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said 'Al-Sam to you, O Abu'l-Qasim!' And so I replied: 'Al-
Sam to you too, and may Allah take you away!' The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, 
said: 'Stop, O 'A'ishah! For Allah, exalted is He, does not like indecency nor the uttering of indecent words'. I 
said: 'O Messenger of Allah, did you not hear what they said?' He said: 'Do you not see that I have sent back 
to them what they said. I said: the same to you'. This verse was revealed about this (And when they come 
unto thee they greet thee with a greeting wherewith Allah greeteth thee not)”. Abu Sa'id Muhammad ibn 
'Abd al-Rahman al-Ghazi informed us> Abu 'Amr Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Hiri> Ahmad ibn 'Ali al-
Muthanna> Zuhayr ibn Muhammad> Yunus ibn Muhammad> Shayban> Qatadah> Anas who said: “A 
Jewish man came to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said: 'Al-Sam be with you!' The 
people who were present responded to him with the greetings of peace. The Prophet, Allah bless him and 
give him peace, said to them: 'Do you know what this man said?' They said: 'O Prophet of Allah, Allah and 
His Messenger know best, [but we think he said: al-Salam [peace be with you]'. He said: 'No, rather he said 
such-and-such a thing. So drive it away from me'. They drove it away from him. He then asked the Jewish 
man: 'Did you say: al-Sam be with you?' He said: 'Yes, I did'. Upon which the Prophet of Allah, Allah bless 
him and give him peace, then said: 'When one of the people of the Book greets you, say to him in response: 
And the same to you'. Then the words of Allah, Allah exalted is He, revealed (And when they come unto 
thee they greet thee with a greeting wherewith Allah greeteth thee not)”. 
 
[58:11]
 
 
(O ye who believe! when it is said unto you, Make room! in assemblies, then make room; Allah will make 
way for you (hereafter)…) [58:11]. Said Muqatil: “The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, was at 

149
 
al-Suffah. The place was not spacious and it was a Friday. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give 
him peace, had the habit of honouring those who had taken part in the Battle of Badr from among the 
Emigrants and the Helpers. Some of those who had participated in Badr came to the gathering and found 
that people were already there before them. They stood, therefore, facing toward the Prophet, Allah bless 
him and give him peace, waiting for people to make room for them. But no one made room for them. The 
Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was pained to see this and so he said to those 
around him who did not take part in Badr: ‘So-and-so get up, and you get up’, and he moved as many 
people as the number of those who were standing among the Companions who participated in the Battle of 
Badr. Those who were asked to vacate their seats were not pleased and the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless 
him and give him peace, saw their displeasure on their faces. Then, the hypocrites said to the Muslims: ‘Did 
you not claim that your man deals fairly with people? By Allah, he has not been fair with these people. He 
removed people who wanted to be close to their Prophet from places in which they were already sitting and 
seated in their stead people who came late!’ Allah, exalted is He, therefore revealed this verse”.  
 
[58:12-13]
 
 
(O ye who believe! When ye hold conference with the messenger…) [58:12-13]. Muqatil ibn Hayyan said: 
“This was revealed about the rich. This is because they used to go to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give 
him peace, and converse with him at length. In this fashion, they always beat the poor to the assemblies to 
the extent that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, disliked their prolonged sitting 
and conference. Allah, glorified and exalted is He, therefore revealed this verse and commanded that alms 
be given upon each conference with the Prophet. As for those who had straitened means, they did not have 
anything to give for alms, while those who were well off were niggardly. The Companions of the Prophet, 
Allah bless him and give him peace, found this tough and so a dispensation was revealed”. ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, 
may Allah be well pleased with him, said: “There is one verse in the Book of Allah that no one has applied 
before me nor is there anyone who has applied it after me. [It is] (O ye who believe! When ye hold 
conference with the messenger…). I had a piece of gold which I exchanged for silver pieces and whenever I 
conferred with the Messenger I spent one silver piece in charity until I spent them all. Then the verse was 
abrogated with another verse (Fear ye to offer alms before your conference? ... and they will fancy that they 
have some standing. Lo! is it not they who are the liars?) [58:13]”.  
 
[58:14-18]
 
 
(Hast thou not seen those who take for friends a folk with whom Allah is wroth?… and they will fancy that 
they have some standing. Lo! is it not they who are the liars?) [58:14-18]. Al-Suddi and Muqatil said: “This 
was revealed about ‘Abd Allah ibn Nabtal, the hypocrite who used to keep the company of the Prophet, Allah 
bless him and give him peace, and then report what he heard from him to the Jews. As the Messenger of 
Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was sitting one day in one of his rooms he said: ‘Now shall enter 
on you a man who has the heart of a tyrant and who looks through the eyes of the devil’. At that point ‘Abd 
Allah ibn Nabtal who was blue of complexion came in. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him 
peace, said to him: ‘Why do you, and your friends, insult me?’ He swore by Allah that he did not, but the 
Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said that he did. The man went and brought his 
friends who then swore by Allah that they did not insult him. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed these 
verses”. Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Yahya informed us> Muhammad ibn Ja‘far ibn Matar> 
Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Firyabi> Abu Ja‘far al-Nufayli> Zuhayr ibn Mu‘awiyah> Simak ibn Harb> Sa‘id ibn 
Jubayr> Ibn ‘Abbas who related to him that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was 
sitting under the shade of one of his rooms with a group of Muslims from whom the shade was slowly 
receding. He said to them: “A man will come to you and look at you with the eyes of the devil. When he 
comes do not speak with him!” A man of blue complexion then came. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless 
him and give him peace, called him and addressed him: “Why do you and so-and-so and so-and-so (he 
named a group of people) insult me?” The man left and brought all those named and they swore by Allah 
and apologized. Allah, exalted is He, revealed (On the day when Allah will raise them all together, then will 
they swear unto Him as they (now) swear unto you, and they will fancy that they have some standing. Lo! is 
it not they who are the liars?). This was narrated by al-Hakim in his Sahih> al-Asamm> Ibn ‘Affan> ‘Amr al-
‘Anqari> Isra’il> Simak.  
 

150
 
[58:22]
 
 
(Thou wilt not find folk who believe in Allah and the Last Day loving those who oppose Allah and His 
messenger…) [58:22]. Said Ibn Jurayj: “It was related to me that Abu Quhafah insulted the Prophet, Allah 
bless him and give him peace, and as a result Abu Bakr [his son] struck him with such force that he fell to 
the ground. Abu Bakr mentioned this to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who exclaimed: 
‘Did you really do it?’ Abu Bakr said: ‘Yes!’ ‘In that case do not do it again!’ said the Prophet, Allah bless him 
and give him peace. Abu Bakr said: ‘By Allah, if a sword were at my reach I would have killed him!’ And so 
Allah, glorified and exalted is He, revealed this verse”. It is also related that Ibn Mas‘ud said: “This verse was 
revealed about Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah who killed his father ‘Abd Allah at the Battle of Uhud”. It was also 
revealed about Abu Bakr who challenged his own son for a duel at the battle of Badr. He said: “O Messenger 
of Allah, let me be among the first group [of martyrs]”. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give 
him peace, said to him: “Preserve yourself for us, O Abu Bakr! Do you not know that you are to me like my 
hearing and sight?” The verse was also revealed about Mus‘ab ibn ‘Umayr who killed his brother ‘Umayr ibn 
‘Umayr at the battle of Uhud. And it was also revealed about ‘Umar [ibn al-Khattab] who killed his maternal 
uncle al-‘As ibn Hisham ibn al-Mughirah at the battle of Badr. And it was also revealed about ‘Ali, Hamzah 
and ‘Ubaydah who killed ‘Utbah ibn Rabi‘ah, Shaybah ibn Rabi‘ah and al-Walid ibn ‘Utbah respectively at the 
battle of Badr. Hence His words (even though they be their fathers or their sons or their brethren or their 
clan).  
 
[58:22]
 
 
(Thou wilt not find folk who believe in Allah and the Last Day loving those who oppose Allah and His 
messenger…) [58:22]. Said Ibn Jurayj: “It was related to me that Abu Quhafah insulted the Prophet, Allah 
bless him and give him peace, and as a result Abu Bakr [his son] struck him with such force that he fell to 
the ground. Abu Bakr mentioned this to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who exclaimed: 
'Did you really do it?' Abu Bakr said: 'Yes!' 'In that case do not do it again!' said the Prophet, Allah bless him 
and give him peace. Abu Bakr said: 'By Allah, if a sword were at my reach I would have killed him!' And so 
Allah, glorified and exalted is He, revealed this verse”. It is also related that Ibn Mas'ud said: “This verse was 
revealed about Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah who killed his father 'Abd Allah at the Battle of Uhud”. It was also 
revealed about Abu Bakr who challenged his own son for a duel at the Battle of Badr. He said: “O Messenger 
of Allah, let me be among the first group [of martyrs]”. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give 
him peace, said to him: “Preserve yourself for us, O Abu Bakr! Do you not know that you are to me like my 
hearing and sight?” The verse was also revealed about Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr who killed his brother 'Umayr ibn 
'Umayr at the Battle of Uhud. And it was also revealed about 'Umar [ibn al-Khattab] who killed his maternal 
uncle al-'As ibn Hisham ibn al-Mughirah at the Battle of Badr. And it was also revealed about 'Ali, Hamzah 
and 'Ubaydah who killed 'Utbah ibn Rabi'ah, Shaybah ibn Rabi'ah and al-Walid ibn 'Utbah respectively at the 
Battle of Badr. Hence His words (even though they be their fathers or their sons or their brethren or their 
clan).