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[2:278]. Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Ja‘far informed us> Abu ‘Amr ibn 
Hamdan> Abu Ya‘la> Ahmad ibn al-Akhnas> Muhammad ibn Fudayl> al-Kalbi> Abu Salih> Ibn ‘Abbas who 
said: “We heard, and Allah knows best, that this verse was revealed about the Banu ‘Amr ibn ‘Umayr ibn 
‘Awf, from Thaqif, and Banu’l-Mughirah, from Banu Makhzum, because Banu’l-Mughirah used to borrow from 
Thaqif money with usury. When Allah, exalted is He, made His Messenger conquer Mecca, He abolished all 
usurious transactions. Banu ‘Amr ibn ‘Umayr and Banu’l-Mughirah, then, went to see ‘Attab ibn Usayd who 
was in Mecca. Banu’l-Mughirah said: ‘Why are we the most wretched of all people? Usury has been cancelled 
from amongst people, but we still pay it’. The Banu ‘Amr ibn ‘Umayr said: ‘The treaty that we have stipulates 
that usury is paid to us’. ‘Attab sent a letter to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, 
regarding this matter. Then this verse and the verse after it (And if ye do not, then be warned of war 
(against you) from Allah and His messenger…) were revealed. The Banu ‘Amr knew that they would not be 
paid usury when the result involves a war from Allah and His Messenger. Allah, exalted is He, says: (And if 
ye repent, then ye have your principal (without interest)) such that you would not take more (Wrong not, 
and ye shall not be wronged) by being given less than your capital”. ‘Ata’ and ‘Ikrimah also said: “This verse 
was revealed about al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib and ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan who had lent someone dates. 
When it was time for the collection of the dates, the owner of the dates said to them: ‘If you take all of what 
is due to you what remains will not be enough for me and my dependents. Why do you not take half of what 
is due to you and I will double the interest that was initially agreed?’ They both agreed. When the term was 
due, they both asked the man to pay what was agreed. This reached the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him 

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and give him peace, and he warned them against going ahead with it. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed 
this verse. Both ‘al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib and ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan complied and took back only the 
capital they initially lent to the man. Said al-Suddi: “This verse was revealed about al-‘Abbas and Khalid ibn 
al-Walid who were partners in the pre-Islamic period. Both of them used to lend others money with usury. 
When Islam came, people owed huge sums of money to them because of usury. Allah, exalted is He, then 
revealed this verse, and the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: ‘Any usurious transaction 
agreed in the pre-Islamic period is cancelled and the first usury I cancel is that of al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-
Muttalib’ ”.  
 
[2:280]
 
 
(And if the debtor is in straitened circumstances…) [2:280]. Said al-Kalbi: “The Banu ‘Amr ibn ‘Umayr said to 
Banu’l-Mughirah: ‘Give us our capitals and we will spare you the payment of the usury on them’. The Banu’l-
Mughirah said: ‘We are now in straitened circumstances, please give us some respite until the time of the 
harvest’. Banu’l-Mughirah refused this request. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (And if the debtor is in 
straitened circumstances…)”.  
 
[2:285]
 
 
(The messenger believeth in that which hath been revealed unto him from his Lord…) [2:285]. The Imam 
Abu Mansur ‘Abd al-Qahir ibn Tahir informed us> Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Ali ibn Ziyad> Muhammad 
ibn Ibrahim al-Bushanji> Umayyah ibn Bistam> Yazid ibn Zuray‘> Rawh ibn al-Qasim> al-‘Ala’> his father> 
Abu Hurayrah who said: “When Allah, exalted is He, revealed to His Messenger, Allah bless him and give him 
peace, the verse (… and whether ye make known what is in your minds or hide, Allah will bring you to 
account for it…) [2:284], the prophetic Companions found this hard to cope with. They went to the 
Messenger, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said: ‘We have been entrusted with works that we can 
not bear: the prayer, fasting, Jihad, almsgiving; and now Allah has revealed to you this verse which we are 
not able to bear’. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to them: ‘Do you want to 
say as the people of the two Scriptures said before you? — the narrator said: I think he quoted the verse 
(We hear and we rebel!) [2:93] — Say, rather, (We hear, and we obey. (Grant us) Thy forgiveness, our 
Lord. Unto Thee is the journeying)’. When they heard this, they did not answer. Allah revealed after this 
(The messenger believeth in that which hath been revealed unto him from his Lord…) the whole verse, and 
Allah abrogated it by His revelation (Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope…) [2:286] to the end of the 
verse”. This report was narrated by Muslim from Umayyah ibn Bistam. Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn 
Muhammad ibn Yahya informed us> his father> Muhammad ibn Ishaq al-Thaqafi> ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar and 
Yusuf ibn Musa> Waki‘> Sufyan> Adam ibn Sulayman who said: “I heard Sa‘id ibn Jubayr relating from Ibn 
‘Abbas who said: ‘When the verse (… and whether ye make known what is in your minds or hide, Allah will 
bring you to account for it…) was revealed, objection crept into the hearts of the prophetic Companions as it 
never did before. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to them: Say, ‘we hear and we 
obey’. Allah then revealed (Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope), up to His saying (or miss the mark) 
upon which he said: You did. He repeated this with each sentence of this verse until the end of it’ ”. This 
was narrated Muslim from Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah from Waki‘. The commentators of the Qur’an said: 
“When the verse (and whether ye make known what is in your minds or hide, Allah will bring you to account 
for it) was revealed, Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf, Mu‘adh ibn Jabal and a group from the 
Helpers all went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace. They kneeled down and then said: ‘O 
Messenger of Allah! By Allah no other revealed verse of the Qur’an is harder on us than this one. One of us 
speaks to himself with things that he does not like to remain in his heart even in exchange for the world and 
all that it contains. And now we are taken to task for the things that we speak to our own selves. By Allah, 
we are doomed’. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: ‘This is how it was 
revealed!’ They said: ‘We are ruined; we have been bound by that which we cannot possibly bear’. The 
Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: ‘Are you going to say as the Children of Israel 
said to Moses (We hear and we rebel!); say rather: We hear and we obey’. They said: ‘We hear and we 
obey’. This was extremely hard on them, and they remained in this situation for a year upon which Allah, 
exalted is He, sent down relief and repose with His saying (Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope…) 
which abrogated the verse before it. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: ‘Allah has 
pardoned my community for the things with which they speak to themselves as long as they do not act upon 

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them or speak about them to others’ ”.  
 
[3:12]
 
 
(Say (O Muhammad) unto those who disbelieve: Ye shall be overcome and gathered unto Hell…) [3:12]. Al-
Kalbi reported from Abu Salih that Ibn 'Abbas said: “When Allah defeated the idolaters on the day of Badr, 
the Jews of Medina said: 'By Allah, this is the unlettered Prophet who was announced to us by Moses and 
whose attribute and description we find in our Scriptures and about whom it is also mentioned that his 
banner will not be defeated'. They wanted to believe in and follow him. But then some of them said: 'Do not 
be hasty; let us wait until another of his encounters'. When the Battle of Uhud took place and the 
Companions of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, were defeated, they became sceptical. 
They said: 'No, by Allah, this is not him'. Their wretchedness overwhelmed them and they did not embrace 
Islam. Meanwhile, they had a treaty with the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, which 
was supposed to last up to a certain period. They dissolved that treaty and Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf set off, along 
with sixty riders, to meet the people of Mecca, Abu Sufyan and his companions. They struck a deal and 
resolved to achieve the same goal. They said: 'Our word shall be one!' When they went back to Medina, 
Allah, exalted is He, revealed the above verse about them”. Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Yasar, said: “When 
the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, defeated the Quraysh at Badr and then went 
back to Medina, he gathered the Jews and said: 'O congregation of Jews! Beware lest Allah inflicts on you 
the like of that which he has inflicted on Quraysh on the day of Badr; embrace Islam before that which has 
befallen them befalls you. You know well that I was sent as a prophet. This you find it mentioned in your 
Scripture as well as in Allah's covenant with you'. They said: 'O Muhammad! Be not deluded because you 
have defeated inexperienced people who have no knowledge of warfare. By Allah, if we were to fight, you 
will realize that we are the real thing'. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (Say (O Muhammad) unto those 
who disbelieve) i.e. the Jews (Ye shall be overcome) you shall be defeated (and gathered unto Hell) in the 
Afterlife”; this is the narration of 'Ikrimah and Sa'id ibn Jubayr from Ibn 'Abbas. 
 
[3:18]
 
 
(Allah (Himself) is Witness that there is no Allah save Him…) [3:18]. Said al-Kalbi: “When the Messenger of 
Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, appeared in Medina, two rabbis from Syria, came to see him. 
When they saw Medina, one of them said to his companion: ‘How similar is this city to the city from which 
will emerge the Prophet of the end of times’. When they entered in on the Prophet, Allah bless him and give 
him peace, they recognized him by his attributes and description. They asked: ‘Are you Muhammad?’ ‘Yes!’ 
He answered. ‘And you are also Ahmad?’ He said: ‘I am!’ They said: ‘We will ask you about witnessing; we 
shall believe in you if you do inform us about it’. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him 
peace, said: ‘Do ask me!’ They said: ‘Tell us about the greatest witness in Allah’s Scripture’. Allah, exalted is 
He, revealed to His Prophet (Allah (Himself) is Witness that there is no Allah save Him. And the angels and 
the men of learning (too are witness)…). The two men embraced Islam and believed in the Messenger of 
Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace”.  
 
[3:23]
 
 
(Hast thou not seen how those who have received a portion of the Scripture…) [3:23]. There is a difference 
of opinion about this verse’s occasion of revelation. Al-Suddi said: “When the Prophet, Allah bless him and 
give him peace, called the Jews to embrace Islam, al-Nu‘man ibn Awfa said to him: ‘Come, O Muhammad, 
and let the rabbis judge between us’. He said: ‘Let the Scripture of Allah be judge between us’. They said: 
‘No! Let the rabbis judge’. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse”. On the other hand, Sa‘id ibn 
Jubayr and ‘Ikrimah reported that Ibn ‘Abbas said: “The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him 
peace, entered in on a group of Jews in a Jewish place of study and called them to Allah. Nu‘aym ibn ‘Amr 
and al-Harith ibn Zayd said to him: ‘O Muhammad, which religion are you on?’ He said: ‘The religion of 
Abraham’. They said: ‘But Abraham was a Jew’. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, 
said: ‘In that case, let us go to the Torah and let it judge between us’. They refused. And Allah, exalted is 
He, revealed this verse”. Said al-Kalbi: “This was revealed about those who committed fornication in Khaybar 
and the Jews who asked the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, about the legal punishment of 
fornication”. The elaboration on this will come in Surah al-Ma’idah, Allah, exalted is He, willing”. 

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[3:26]
 
 
(Say: O Allah! Owner of Sovereignty!) [3:26]. Ibn 'Abbas and Anas ibn Malik said: “When the Messenger of 
Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, conquered Mecca and promised his nation the kingdoms of Persia 
and Byzantium, the hypocrites and Jews said: 'How far fetched! How far fetched! How on earth can 
Muhammad conquer the kingdoms of Persia and Byzantium? They are too mighty and strong for that. Are 
Mecca and Medina not enough for Muhammad that he covets the kingdoms of Persia and Byzantium?' And 
so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse”. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Marwazi informed in his epistle> 
Abu'l-Fadl Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Haddadi> Muhammad ibn Yahya> Ishaq ibn Ibrahim> Rawh ibn 
'Ubadah> Sa'id> Qatadah who said: “It was mentioned to us that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him 
and give him peace, requested Allah to grant his nation the kingdoms of Persia and Byzantium, and so Allah, 
exalted is He, revealed (Say: O Allah! Owner of Sovereignty!)”. The master Abu Ishaq al-Tha'alibi informed 
us> 'Abd Allah ibn Hamid al-Wazzan> Muhammad ibn Ja'far al-Matiri> Hammad ibn al-Hasan> Muhammad 
ibn Khalid ibn 'Athmah> Kathir ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr ibn 'Awf> his father> his father who said: “On the 
day of the Confederates, the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, drew lines indicating 
where the Ditch was to be dug and he assigned ten men for every forty cubits. 'Amd ibn 'Awf said: 'Myself, 
Salman [al-Farisi], Hudhayfah [ibn al-Yaman] al-Nu'man ibn Muqarrin al-Muzani and six men of the Helpers 
were assigned to dig forty cubits. We dug until we reached beneath Dhu Nab whereupon we came upon a 
rock of flint which broke our steel and proved extremely hard to break. And so we told Salman to go up and 
inform the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, about this rock and to consult him about 
either to go round it or command us something else about it, for we did not like going beyond the line he 
drew. So Salman went up to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, who had on him a 
Turkish collar. He said: 'O Messenger of Allah! We came across a white rock of flint inside the ditch which 
has broken our steel and proved very hard to break, for we did everything we could to break it but in vain. 
Please tell us what to do, for we do not like going beyond the line you drew'. The Messenger of Allah, Allah 
bless him and give him peace, went down to the ditch along with Salman while the remaining nine people 
remained at the verge of it. He took the axe from Salman and struck the rock with one mighty blow which 
split it into two, and a light shone from its two sides, such that it was like lighting a lamp in a dark room. 
The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, pronounced the Takbir which is usually 
pronounced after a conquest and the Muslims did the same. Then he struck it again with a blow and a light 
shone from its two sides, such that it was like lighting a lamp in a dark room. The Messenger of Allah, Allah 
bless him and give him peace, pronounced the Takbir which is usually pronounced after a conquest and the 
Muslims did the same. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, struck it a third time 
upon which the rock broke into pieces and a light shone, such that it was like lighting a lamp in a dark room. 
The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, pronounced the Takbir which is usually 
pronounced after a conquest and the Muslims did the same. He then held the hand of Salman and climbed 
up. Salman said: 'May my mother and father be your ransom, O Messenger of Allah, I saw something which 
I had never seen before'. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, turned to the people 
present and said: 'Did you see that which Salman is talking about?' They said: 'Yes, O Messenger of Allah!' 
He said: 'I struck the first time and the light which you saw shone and through it I could see the palaces of 
al-Hirah and the cities of Chosroes resembling the teeth of dogs. Gabriel, peace be upon him, informed me 
then that my nation will conquer them. Then I struck a second time and in that light I could see the red 
palaces of the land of Byzantium resembling the teeth of dogs. Gabriel, peace be upon him, informed me 
then that my nation will conquer them. Then I struck the rock with my third blow and the light which you 
saw shone and I saw the palaces of San'a' resembling the teeth of dogs. Gabriel, peace be upon him, 
informed me then that my nation will conquer them. So receive the good news'. The Muslims were happy to 
hear the good news. They said: 'Praise be to Allah, it is a true promise; he has promised us victory after 
digging the Trench'. But the hypocrites said: 'Are you not amazed that he is raising your hope for nothing 
and is promising you something which is clearly untrue. He informs you that he can see from Yathrib the 
palaces of al-Hira and the cities of Chosroes and that you will conquer them. All this while you are digging 
this ditch because of fear and are unable to show yourselves'. Allah then revealed in the Qur'an (And when 
the hypocrites, and those in whose hearts is a disease, were saying: Allah and His messenger promised us 
naught but delusion) [33:12], and Allah, exalted is He, revealed about this incident: (Say: O Allah! Owner of 
Sovereignty!)”. 
 

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[3:28]
 
 
(Let not the believers take disbelievers for their friends in preference to believers…) [3:28]. Said Ibn 'Abbas: 
“A group of Jews including al-Hajjaj ibn 'Amr, Kahmas ibn Abi al-Huqayq and Qays ibn Zayd used to keep 
close company with a group of Helpers to try to make them renounce their religion. And so a group of 
people comprising Rifa'ah ibn al-Mundhir, 'Abd Allah ibn Jubayr and Sa'id ibn Khaythamah said to this group 
of Helpers: 'Stay away from these Jews and beware of keeping their company lest they drive you away from 
your religion'. The group of Helpers refused to stop seeing them or keep their company, and so Allah, 
exalted is He, revealed this verse”. And al-Kalbi said: “This verse was revealed about the hypocrites: 'Abd 
Allah ibn Ubayy and his companions. They allied themselves with the Jews and the idolaters, supplying them 
with information, hoping that they would have the upper hand over the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him 
and give him peace. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse, warning the believers against acting 
like them”. Juwaybir reported from al-Dahhak that Ibn 'Abbas said: “This verse was revealed about 'Ubadah 
ibn al-Samit who was among those who took part in Badr and a trusted man. He had allies from among the 
Jews. And when the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, marched to the Battle of the 
Confederates, 'Ubadah said: 'O Prophet of Allah! I have with me five hundred men from the Jews, and I am 
of the opinion to take them with me to impress the enemy. Because of this, Allah, exalted is He, revealed 
(Let not the believers take disbelievers for their friends in preference to believers)' ”. 
 
[3:31]
 
 
(Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah…) [3:31]. Said al-Hasan ibn Jurayj: “Some people had 
claimed at the time of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, that they loved Allah. 
They said: 'O Muhammad! Verily, we love our Lord', and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse”. 
Juwaybir also reported that al-Dahhak related that Ibn 'Abbas said: “The Prophet, Allah bless him and give 
him peace, saw the Quraysh in the Sacred Mosque prostrating to their idols which they erected therein, with 
eggs of ostriches hanging from them and earrings dangling from their ears. And so he said to them: 'O 
Quraysh! You have contravened the religion of your fathers Abraham and Ishmael, both of whom were 
Muslims'. They responded: 'O Muhammad! We worship them out of love for Allah and so that they bring us 
closer to Him'. Upon which Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah) 
and you worship your idols to bring you closer to Him, as you claim, then (follow me; Allah will love you…) 
for I am His Messenger to you, His proof against you, and I am more worthy of reverence than your idols”. 
Al-Kalbi also related from Abu Salih that Ibn 'Abbas said: “When the Jews said: 'We are the children of Allah 
and His beloved', Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse. Then the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and 
give him peace, read it to the Jews but they refused to accept it”. Muhammad ibn Ishaq reported that 
Muhammad ibn Ja'far ibn al-Zubayr said: “This was revealed about the Christians of Najran, for they had 
said: 'We venerate and worship Christ out of love and veneration for Allah'. And so Allah, exalted is He, 
revealed this verse as a response”. 
 
[3:59]
 
 
(Lo! the likeness of Jesus with Allah is as the likeness of Adam…) [3:59]. The commentators of the Qur'an 
said: “The delegation of Najran said to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace: 'Why do 
you insult Jesus?' He said: 'What did I say about him?' They said: 'You say that he is a servant'. He said: 
'Indeed, he is the servant and messenger of Allah, as well as His word which He cast into the Virgin Mary'. 
They became angry and said: 'Have you ever seen a human being who was born without a father? If you 
are truthful, show us such a person'. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse”. Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn 
Muhammad al-Harithi informed us> 'Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Ja'far> Sahl Abu Yahya al-Razi> Sahl ibn 
'Uthman> Yahya> Waki'> Mubarak> al-Hasan who said: “Two monks from Najran came to see the Prophet, 
Allah bless him and give him peace, and he invited them to surrender to Allah. One of them said: 'We have 
surrendered to Allah before you'. He said: 'You lie! Three things prevent you from surrendering to Allah: 
your worship of the cross, eating pork and your claim that Allah has a son'. They said: 'Then who is the 
father of Jesus?' The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, was not in the habit of giving hasty 
answers but waited for Allah's answer instead. Then Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse (Lo! the 
likeness of Jesus with Allah is as the likeness of Adam…)”.  
 

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[3:61]
 
 
(… say (unto him): Come! We will summon our sons and your sons…) [3:61]. Abu Sa‘d informed us> ‘Abd 
al-Rahman ibn Muhammad al-Zimjari> Ahmad ibn Ja‘far ibn Malik> ‘Abd Allah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal> his 
father> Husayn> Hammad ibn Salamah> Yunus> al-Hasan who said: “The two monks of Najran came to