Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi

Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi — Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi

(Lo! Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet�) [33:56]. Abu Sa'id informed us> Ibn Abi 'Amr al-Naysaburi> al-Hasan ibn Ahmad al-Makhladi> al-Mu'ammil ibn al-Hasan ibn 'Isa> Muhammad ibn Yahya> Abu Hudhayfah> Sufyan> al-Zubayr ibn 'Adiyy> 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla> Ka'b ibn 'Ujrah who said: �It was said to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace: 'We know how to salute you, but how do we invoke blessings on you?' And so this verse was revealed (Lo! Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation)�. 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Hamdan al-'Adl informed us> Abu'l-'Abbas Ahmad ibn 'Isa al-Washsha'> Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Suli> al-Riyashi> al-Asma'i who said: �I heard al-Mahdi say from the pulpit of [the grand mosque of] al-Basrah: 'Allah has commanded you with something that He Himself has started first when He said (Lo! Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation). Through this, Allah has preferred the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, over all other messengers and singled you out from all other communities. Do, therefore, meet Allah's bounty with gratitude' �. I heard master Abu 'Uthman al-Hafiz say that he heard Imam Sahl ibn Muhammad ibn Sulayman say: �The honour that Allah, exalted is He, bestowed upon our Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, by His saying (Lo! Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet) is more far-reaching and more complete than the honour bestowed upon Adam, peace be upon him, when the angels were ordered to prostrate to him. This is because it is not conceivable that Allah be with the angels upon the bestowal of that honour. However, Allah, exalted is He, has informed that He Himself showers blessings on the Prophet, and then He informed that the angels do shower blessings upon him. Therefore, an honour which ensues from Him is much far-reaching than an honour which ensues from the angels only and which is inconceivable that Allah be with them upon its bestowal�. What Sahl has said is taken from the saying of al-Mahdi. He might have come across it, adopted some of it and explained it further. He also compared it with the honour bestowed upon Adam and showed that it is more far-reaching and complete than it. It is also mentioned in the rigorously authenticated collections of prophetic sayings the following: Abu Bakr ibn Ibrahim al-Farisi informed us> Muhammad ibn 'Isa ibn 'Amrawayh> Ibrahim ibn Sufyan> Muslim> Qutaybah and 'Ali ibn Hajar> Isma'il ibn Ja'far> al-'Ala'> his father> Abu Hurayrah who reported that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: �Whoever invokes blessings on me once, Allah will invoke blessings upon him ten times�.

Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi — Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi

(And those who malign believing men and believing women undeservedly�) [33:58]. 'Ata' reported that Ibn 'Abbas said: �Once, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be well pleased with him, saw a girl from the Helpers with her beauty uncovered. He disliked seeing her beauty and hit her. She complained to her family about him and, as a result, they went out to him in order to hurt him. Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse about this incident�. Muqatil said: �This verse was revealed about 'Ali ibn Abi Talib who used to be harmed and maligned by a group of hypocrites�. Al-Dahhak and al-Suddi said: �This verse was revealed about those adulterers who used to roam the streets of Medina and follow the women who come out at night to relieve themselves. When they saw a woman, they approached her and winked at her. If the woman did not say anything, they followed her; but if she rebuked them, they left her alone. Actually, these adulterers were only after slave girls. But at that time, freewomen were not distinguishable from slave-girls. All women used to go out wearing a chemise and a headscarf. The women complained to their husbands who mentioned the matter to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse�. The proof for the soundness of the above opinion is the saying of Allah, exalted is He (O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them�) [33:59]. Sa'id ibn Muhammad al-Mu'adhdhin informed us> Abu 'Ali al-Faqih> Ahmad ibn al-Husayn ibn al-Junayd> Ziyad ibn Ayyub> Hushaym> Husayn> Abu Malik who said: �The believing women were in the habit of going out at night to relieve themselves, but the hypocrites used to approach and malign them. This verse was revealed about this�. Said al-Suddi: �The houses of Medina used to be narrow. [For this reason,] women used to wait until nightfall in order to go out to relieve themselves. The corrupt of Medina also used to go out at night. Whenever they saw a woman with a cover, they said: 'This is a freewoman', and they left her alone. But whenever they saw a woman without cover, they said: 'This is a slave', and tempted her to commit adultery. Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse about this matter�.