Translated by

(At-Talâq)
 
 
[65:1]
 
 
(O Prophet! When ye (men) put away women, put them away for their (legal) period…) [65:1]. Qatadah 
reported that Anas said: “The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, divorced Hafsah and 
so Allah, exalted is, revealed this verse. It was said to him: ‘Take her back, for she is one who fasts often 
and stands up in night vigil prayer’ often, and she is one of your wives in the Garden’ ”. Al-Suddi said: “This 
verse was revealed about ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar who divorced his wife while she was in her menses. The 
Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, ordered him to take her back and keep her until the 
period of her menses was over and then wait again until she was in her menses. When she became pure, he 
was free to divorce her provided that he did not sleep with her before that, for this was the waiting period 
which Allah has commanded to observe”. Mansur ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab ibn Ahmad al-Shalanji> Abu ‘Amr 
Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Hiri> Muhammad ibn Zanjawayh> ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Yahya> al-Layth ibn Sa‘d> 
Nafi‘> Ibn ‘Umar who divorced his wife one single divorce while she was still in her menses. The Messenger 
of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, commanded him to keep her until the period of her menses 
was over. He had then to wait until she was in her period, and if he was still determined to divorce, he had 
to wait until her period was over, provided that he did not sleep with her before divorcing her. This was the 
waiting period in which Allah, exalted is He, has ordered that women be divorced. This was narrated by 
Bukhari and Muslim from Qutaybah and al-Layth respectively.  
 
[65:3]
 
 
(And whosoever keepeth his duty to Allah, Allah will appoint a way out for him, And will provide for him from 
(a quarter) whence he hath no expectation) [65:3]. This verse was revealed about 'Awf ibn Malik al-Ashja'i 
whose son was imprisoned by the idolaters. He went to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him 
peace, and complained to him about his poverty, saying: “The enemy has imprisoned my son and his mother 
is very distressed, what do you advise me to do?” The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to 
him: “Be fearful of Allah and be patient. I also command you and your wife to often repeat 'there is no 
strength or might except by Allah' ”. So he went home and said to his wife: “The Messenger of Allah, Allah 
bless him and give him peace, commanded both of us to often repeat 'there is no strength or might except 
by Allah' ”. She said: “How good is that with which he has commanded us!” And they both started saying it 
straightaway. It happened that the enemy became distracted from their son and the latter led their sheep 

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away and fled. He brought these sheep to his father; they were four thousand heads. This verse was 
revealed about this incident. 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Abdan informed us> Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Nu'aym> 
Abu'l-Qasim al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Sakuni> 'Ubayd ibn Kathir al-'Amiri> 'Abbad ibn 
Ya'qub> Yahya ibn Adam> Isra'il> 'Ammar ibn Mu'awiyah> Salim ibn Abi al-Ja'd> Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah who 
said: “This verse (And whosoever keepeth his duty to Allah, Allah will appoint a way out for him, And will 
provide for him from (a quarter) whence he hath no expectation) was revealed about a man from Ashja'. 
This man was poor but had numerous children. He went to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give 
him peace, and asked him for help. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, told him: 'Fear Allah 
and be patient!' The man went back to his companions and when they asked him about what the Prophet 
had given him, he said: 'He did not give me anything; he simply said: Fear Allah and be patient'. Not long 
after this, a son of this man, who had been captured by the enemy, brought him sheep. The man went to 
the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, to ask him about what he should do with the 
sheep, and told him the full story. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to him: 
'Keep them, they are yours' ”. 
 
[65:4]
 
 
(And for such of your women as despair of menstruation…) [65:4]. Said Muqatil: “When the verse (Women 
who are divorced shall wait, keeping themselves apart…), Kallad ibn al-Nu‘man ibn Qays al-Ansari said: ‘O 
Messenger of Allah, what is the waiting period of the woman who does not menstruate and the woman who 
has not menstruated yet? And what is the waiting period of the pregnant woman?’ And so Allah, exalted is 
He, revealed this verse”. Abu Ishaq al-Muqri’ informed us> Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Hamdun> Makki 
ibn ‘Abdan> Abu’l-Azhar> Asbat ibn Muhammad> Mutarrif> Abu ‘Uthman ‘Amr ibn Salim who said: “When 
the waiting period for divorced and widowed women was mentioned in Surah al-Baqarah, Ubayy ibn Ka‘b 
said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, some women of Medina are saying: there are other women who have not been 
mentioned!’ He asked him: ‘And who are they?’ He said: ‘Those who are too young [such that they have not 
started menstruating yet], those who are too old [whose menstruation has stopped] and those who are 
pregnant’. And so this verse (And for such of your women as despair of menstruation…) was revealed”.  
  
(At-Tahrîm)
 
 
[66:1]
 
 
(O Prophet! Why bannest thou that which Allah hath made lawful for thee…) [66:1]. Muhammad ibn Mansur 
al-Tusi informed us> 'Ali ibn 'Umar ibn Mahdi> al-Husayn ibn Isma'il al-Mahamili> 'Abd Allah ibn Shabib> 
Ishaq ibn Muhammad> 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar> Abu'l-Nadr, the client of 'Umar ibn 'Abd Allah> 'Ali ibn 'Abbas> 
Ibn 'Abbas> 'Umar who said: “The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, entered the 
house of Hafsah along with the mother of his son, Mariyah. When Hafsah found him with her [in an intimate 
moment], she said: 'Why did you bring her in my house? You did this to me, to the exception of all your 
wives, only because I am too insignificant to you'. He said to her: 'Do not mention this to 'A'ishah; she is 
forbidden for me [i.e. Mariyah] if I ever touch her'. Hafsah said: 'How could she be forbidden for you when 
she is your slave girl?' He swore to her that he will not touch her and then said: 'Do not mention this 
incident to anyone'. But she went ahead and informed 'A'ishah. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him 
peace, decided not to go to his wives for a month. He stayed away from them twenty nine days when Allah, 
glorious and exalted is He, revealed (O Prophet! Why bannest thou that which Allah hath made lawful for 
thee, seeking to please thy wives?)”. Abu Ibrahim Isma'il ibn Ibrahim al-Wa'iz informed us> Bishr ibn Ahmad 
ibn Bishr> Ja'far ibn al-Hasan al-Firyabi> Minjab ibn al-Harith> 'Ali ibn Mushir> Hisham ibn 'Urwah> his 
father> 'A'ishah who said: “The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, used to like sweet 
and honey. It was also his habit to go to his wives after finishing the 'Asr prayer. In one occasion he went to 
Hafsah bint 'Umar and stayed with her more than he usually did. When I found out about this, I enquired 
about the reason and I was told that a woman from her clan gifted her with a pot of honey which she 
offered to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace. I said to myself: by Allah I will spoil it for him. I 
said to Sawdah bint Zam'ah: 'When he comes to your apartment and draws closer to you, say: O Messenger 
of Allah, did you eat Maghafir?' When he says: 'Hafsah fed me some honey', say: 'The bees which produced 
it must have eaten the 'Urfut'. I will say the same thing, and you, Safiyyah, should say the same'. Sawdah 
said: 'By Allah, the moment he stood at the door I was about to begin what she commanded me to do'. 

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When he drew closer to her she said: 'O Messenger of Allah, did you eat Maghafir?' 'No!' he replied. She 
said: 'Then, what is this smell on you?' He said: 'Hafsah fed me some honey!' she said: “The bees which 
produced it must have eaten the 'Urfut'. When he came to me, I said the same thing. And when he went to 
Safiyyah she also repeated the same thing. When it was Hafsah's turn and the Prophet went to her, she said 
to him: 'O Messenger of Allah, shall I feed you some of that honey?' He said: 'I do not feel like it!' Sawdah 
said: 'Glory be to Allah, we have deprived him [of honey]'. But I said to her: 'Be quiet!' ” This was narrated 
by Bukhari from Farwah ibn Abi al-Maghra', and also by Muslim from Suwayd ibn Sa'id ; and both Farwah 
and Suwayd related it from 'Ali ibn Mushir. Abu 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Hamid informed us> Zahir ibn 
Ahmad> al-Husayn ibn Muhammad ibn Mus'ab> Yahya ibn Hakim> Abu Dawud> 'Amir al-Khazzaz> Ibn Abi 
Mulaykah who related that Sawdah bint Zam'ah had relatives from her mother's side in the Yemen who used 
to gift her honey. Among all the wives of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, Hafsah and 
'A'ishah were very close to each other. One of them said to the other: “Do you not see this? He goes to her 
when it is not her turn just to have some of that honey. So when he comes to you hold your nose, and when 
he asks you about the reason, say: I smell something in you that I do not know what it is. When he comes 
to me, I shall say the same thing”. When the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, went to her she 
held her nose. He asked her: “What's wrong?” She said: “I smell something in you and I think it is the smell 
of Maghafir”. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, used to put on him good perfume 
whenever he found it. When he went to his other wife and she said the same thing. He said: “So-and-so said 
the same thing to me; this must be something that I ate at the house of Sawdah, and, by Allah, I will never 
eat it again!” Ibn Abi Mulaykah reported that Ibn 'Abbas said: “The verse (O Prophet! Why bannest thou that 
which Allah hath made lawful for thee, seeking to please thy wives?) was revealed about this [the incident 
reported above]”.  
 
[66:4]
 
 
(If ye twain turn unto Allah repentant, (ye have cause to do so) for your hearts desired (the ban)…) [66:4]. 
Abu Mansur al-Mansuri informed us> Abu’l-Hasan al-Daraqutni> al-Husayn ibn Isma‘il> ‘Abd Allah ibn 
Shabib> Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz> his father> al-Zuhri> ‘Ubayd Allah ibn ‘Abd Allah> Ibn 
‘Abbas who said: “Hafsah found the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, with Umm 
Ibrahim when it was ‘A’ishah’s turn. She said to him: ‘I will definitely inform her!’ The Messenger of Allah, 
Allah bless him and give him peace, said: ‘She is forbidden for me if I touch her again’. Hafsah went ahead 
and informed ‘A’ishah. Allah informed His Messenger of this and he let Hafsah know some of the things she 
said. She asked him: ‘Who informed you of this?’ He said: ‘(The Knower, the Aware hath told me) [66:3]’. 
The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, stayed away from his wives for a month and 
then Allah, glorious and exalted is He, revealed: (If ye twain turn unto Allah repentant, (ye have cause to do 
so) for your hearts desired (the ban)…)”.  
 
[67:13]
 
 
(And keep your opinion secret or proclaim it…) [67:13]. Said Ibn ‘Abbas: “This was revealed about the 
idolaters who used to slander the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. Gabriel, peace be 
upon him, informed him about what they said about him and the things with which they slandered him. 
Some of them used to say to others: ‘Lower your voices lest Muhammad’s Allah hears you’ ”.  
 
[68:4]
 
 
(And lo! thou art of a tremendous nature) [68:4]. Abu Bakr al-Harithi informed us> ‘Abd Allah ibn 
Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Hayyan> Ahmad ibn Ja‘far> ibn Nasr al-Jamal> Jarir ibn Yahya> Husayn ibn 
‘Ulwan al-Kufi> Hisham ibn ‘Urwah> his father> ‘A’ishah who said: “No one had a better character than the 
Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. Never did anyone among his Companions, or 
household, call him except that he said: ‘I am at your service!’ this is why Allah, glorious and majestic is He, 
revealed (And lo! thou art of a tremendous nature)”.  
 
[68:51]
 
 
(And lo! those who disbelieve would fain disconcert thee…) [68:51]. This verse was revealed when the 

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disbelievers wanted to give the evil eye to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. Some 
people from the Quraysh looked once at him and said: “We have never seen anyone like him or like his 
proofs”. The Banu Asad were renowned for their evil eye. A fat camel or cow would pass by one of them 
and, after giving it the evil eye, he would say to his slave-girl: “O girl, take a large basket and a silver coin 
and bring us some of the meat of this!” The camel or cow would fall dead straight after that and would then 
be hamstrung. Said al-Kalbi: “There was a man from the Arabs who used to abstain from food for two or 
three days and then raise part of his tent, upon the passing by of cattle, and say: ‘There are no grazing 
camels or sheep today better than these’, and the cattle would not proceed far before some of them would 
fall dead. The disbelievers requested this man to give the evil eye to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him 
and give him peace, but Allah, exalted is He, protected His Prophet and revealed this verse”.  
 
[69:12]
 
 
(…and that remembering ears (that heard the story) might remember) [69:12]. Abu Bakr al-Tamimi 
informed us> ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Ja‘far> al-Walid ibn Abban> al-‘Abbas al-Duri> Bishr ibn Adam> 
‘Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr> Salih ibn Haytham> Buraydah who reported that the Messenger of Allah, Allah 
bless him and give him peace, said to ‘Ali: “Allah has commanded me to draw you closer to me and not 
exclude you and that I teach you so that you understand; and Allah has taken it upon Himself that you 
understand”, and then this verse was revealed (and that remembering ears (that heard the story) might 
remember). 
  
(Al-Ma‘ârij)
 
 
[70:1]
 
 
(A questioner questioned concerning the doom about to fall) [70:1]. This verse was revealed about al-Nadr 
ibn al-Harith when he said [as reported in the Qur’an] (O Allah! if this be indeed the truth from Thee, then 
rain down stones on us or bring on us some painful doom!) [8:32], and so he prayed against himself and 
asked for chastisement. He got what he asked for at the Battle of Badr when he was killed in captivity. And 
the verse (A questioner questioned concerning the doom about to fall) was revealed about him.  
 
[70:38-39]
 
 
(Doth every man among them hope to enter the Garden of Delight? Nay…) [70:38-39]. The commentators 
of the Qur’an said: “The idolaters used to gather round the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, to 
listen to him but did not benefit from him. Instead, they gave him the lie and mocked him. They said: ‘If 
these were to enter Paradise, we shall certainly enter it before them, and we will have more wealth therein 
than they will ever have’. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse”.  
  
(Al-Muddaththir)
 
 
[74:1-4]
 
 
(O thou enveloped in thy cloak…) [74:1-4]. Abu Ishaq Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Muqri’ informed us> ‘Abd al-
Malik ibn al-Walid> his father> al-Awza‘i> Yahya ibn Abi Kathir> Abu Salamah> Jabir who related that the 
Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to them: “I stayed in Hira’ for a month and 
when my stay came to an end, I came down. As I was in the middle of the valley, I was called. I looked in 
front and behind me, to my right and to my left, but could not see anyone. I was called once again. I raised 
my head, and I saw on a throne in midair [i.e. Gabriel peace be upon him]. I said: ‘Wrap me up, wrap me 
up!’ And they threw water over me. Allah, glorified and majestic is He, then revealed (O thou enveloped in 
thy cloak, Arise and warn! Thy Lord magnify, Thy raiment purify)”. Narrated by Muslim> Zuhayr ibn Harb> 
al-Walid ibn Muslim> al-Awza‘i.  
 
[74:11-24]
 
 
(Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely…) [74:11-24]. Abu’l-Qasim al-Hudhami informed us> 

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Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Nu‘aym Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Saghani> Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Dabari> ‘Abd al-
Razzaq> Ma‘mar> Ayyub al-Sikhtiyyani> ‘Ikrimah> Ibn ‘Abbas who related that al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah 
went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who read the Qur’an to him and it seemed as if his 
heart softened to it. Abu Jahl heard of this. He went to him and said: “O uncle, your clan want to collect 
money to give it to you, for you went to Muhammad exposing yourself to his message”. He said: “The 
Quraysh know well that I am among its wealthiest”. Abu Jahl said: “Then say something about him which 
will let your people know that you condemn and dislike him”. He said: “But what shall I say? By Allah, there 
is not a man among you who is more knowledgeable about poetry and its composition than me. By Allah, 
what he says does not resemble any poetry. By Allah, the speech which he utters is sweet and graceful, 
fruitful at the top, copious at the bottom; it has the upper hand and nothing has the upper hand over it. But 
let me think about what I shall say about it. Then he said [as reported by the Qur’an] (This is naught else 
than magic from of old) [74:24], which he simply learnt from others”. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed 
(Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely…), and the other verses which follows it. Mujahid said: 
“Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah was in the habit of visiting the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and 
Abu Bakr so much so that the Quraysh thought he was going to embrace Islam. Abu Jahl then said to him: 
‘The Quraysh claim that you visit Muhammad and Ibn Abi Quhafah to share food with them’. Al-Walid said to 
the Quraysh: ‘You are people of noble lineages and sound minds, but you claim that Muhammad is mad. 
Have you ever seen him seized by a bout of madness?’ They said: ‘No!’ He said: ‘And you claim that he is a 
soothsayer; have you ever seen him soothsaying?’ They said: ‘No!’ He said: ‘You claim that he is a poet; 
have you ever heard him utter poetry?’ They said: ‘No!’ He said: ‘You claim that he is a liar; have you ever 
caught him lying?’ They said: ‘No!’ The Quraysh said to al-Walid: ‘What is he, then?’ He thought for a while, 
looked and frowned and then said: ‘He is nothing but a sorcerer’, hence Allah’s saying (For lo! he did 
consider; then he planned…) [74:12] up to His saying (This is naught else than magic from of old)”.  
 
[75:3]
 
 
(Thinketh man that We shall not assemble his bones?) [75:3]. This verse was revealed about ‘Adiyy ibn 
Rabi‘ah. The latter went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said: “Tell me about the 
Day of Arising, when is it going to be? How is it going to be?” The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him 
peace, answered his questions. Then ‘Adiyy said: “If I were to see that Day with my own eyes, I would not 
accept what you say, O Muhammad, as true nor would I believe in you. Can Allah really assemble these 
bones?” And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse.  
 
[76:8]
 
 
And feed with food the needy wretch, the orphan and the prisoner, for love of Him) [76:8]. ‘Ata’ reported 
that Ibn ‘Abbas said: “It happened that ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib hired himself one night to water some palm-trees in 
exchange for some barley. The following morning, he collected his barley and grinded a third of it out of 
which they made something to eat, called al-Khazirah. When it was cooked, a poor man came begging from 
them, and so they gave him the food they had prepared. They then prepared a third of the remaining barley 
and when it was cooked, an orphan came begging from them, and they gave him the food. They then went 
and prepared what was left of that barley, but when the food was cooked, a prisoner from among the 
idolaters came to them and they fed him that food and spent the rest of the day without eating anything. 
This verse was revealed about this incident”.  
  
(‘Abasa)
 
 
[80:1-2]
 
 
(He frowned and turned away. Because the blind man came unto him) [80:1-2]. This refers to Ibn Umm 
Maktum. The latter went to see the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, while the latter was 
meeting 'Utbah ibn Rabi'ah, Abu Jahl ibn Hisham, 'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib, and Ubayy and Umayyah the 
sons of Khalaf. He was calling them to Allah, hoping that they might embrace Islam. Ibn Umm Maktum 
stood up and said: “O Messenger of Allah, teach me of that which Allah has taught you”. He kept on 
requesting him and repeating his request, not knowing that he was busy and dealing with someone else. 
Signs of annoyance appeared on the face of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, 

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because of being repeatedly interrupted. He said in himself: “These chiefs will say: his followers consist of 
only the blind, lowly people and slaves!” The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, 
frowned and turned away from him, and faced toward the people he was addressing. Allah, exalted is He, 
then revealed these verses. After this, the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, used to 
honour him, and would say, whenever he saw him: “Welcome to the one about whom my Lord has rebuked 
me!” Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rahman al-Musahifi informed us> Abu 'Amr Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn 
Hamdan> Abu Ya'la> Sa'id ibn Yahya ibn Sa'id> his father> Hisham ibn 'Urwah> 'A'ishah who said: “(He 
frowned and turned away) was revealed about Ibn Umm Maktum, the blind. The latter went to the Prophet, 
Allah bless him and give him peace, and kept saying: 'O Messenger of Allah, guide me', while there were 
with the Messenger of Allah the leaders of the idolaters. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, 
kept avoiding him and turning to the others. It is about this that (He frowned and turned away) was 
revealed”. This was revealed by al-Hakim in his Sahih from 'Ali ibn 'Isa al-Hiri> al-'Utabi> Sa'd ibn Yahya. 
 
[80:37]
 
 
(Every man that day will have concern enough to make him heedless (of others)) [80:37]. Abu Sa‘id ibn Abi 
‘Amr informed us> al-Hasan ibn Ahmad al-Shaybani> ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Muslim> Abu Ja‘far 
Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Sinan> Ibrahim ibn Harasah> ‘A’idh ibn Shurayh al-Kindi> Anas ibn Malik who 
reported that ‘A’ishah asked the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace: “Will we be mustered naked?” 
He said: “Yes!” She said: “Shame!” And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Every man that day will have 
concern enough to make him heedless (of others)).  
 
[81:29]
 
 
(ye will not, unless (it be) that Allah willeth, the Lord of Creation) [81:29]. Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn 
Ibrahim al-Tha‘labi informed us> Abu Bakr ibn ‘Abdus> Abu Hamid ibn Hilal> Ahmad ibn Yusuf al-Sulami> 
Abu Mushir> Sa‘id ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz> Sulayman ibn Musa who said: “When Allah, Glorified and Majestic is He, 
revealed (Unto whomsoever of you willeth to walk straight) [81:28], Abu Jahl commented ‘It is up to us; if 
we wish we walk straight, and if we do not wish, we will not walk straight’. And so Allah, exalted is He, 
revealed (ye will not, unless (it be) that Allah willeth, the Lord of Creation)”.