'Abd al Rahman b. Abzi commanded me that I should ask Ibn 'Abbas about these two verses:" He who slays a believer intentionally his requital shall be Hell where he would abide for ever" (iv. 92). So, I asked him and he said: Nothing has abrogated it. And as for this verse:" And they who call not upon another god with Allah and slay not the soul which Allah has forbidden, except in the cause of justice" (xxv. 68), he (Ibn Abbas) said: This has been revealed in regard to the polytheists."

This verse was revealed in Mecca:" And they who call not upon another god with Allah and slay not the soul which Allah has forbidden except in the cause of justice" up to the word Muhdana (abased). Thereupon the polytheists said: Islam is of no avail to us for we have made peer with Allah and we killed the soul which Allah had forbidden to do and we committed debauchery, and it was (on this occasion) that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, revealed this verse:" Except him who repents and believes and does good deeds" up to the end Ibn 'Abbis says: He who enters the fold of Islam and understands its command and then kills the soul there is no repentance for him.

I said to Ibn Abbas: Will the repentance of that person be accepted who kills a believer intentionally? He said: No. I recited to him this verse of Sura al-Furqan (xix.):" And those who call not upon another god with Allah and slay not the soul which Allah has forbidden except in the cause of justice" to the end of the verse. He said: This is a Meccan verse which has been abrogated by a verse revealed at Medina:" He who slays a believer intentionally, for him is the requital of Hell-Fire where he would abide for ever," and in the narration of Ibn Hisham (the words are): I recited to him this verse of Sura al-Furqan:" Except one who made repentance."

Ibn Abbas said to me: Do you know-and in the words of Harun (another narrator): Are you aware of-the last Sura which was revealed in the Qur'an as a whole? I said: Yes," When came the help from Allah and the victory" (cx.). Thereupon, he said: You have told the truth. And in the narration of Abu Shaiba (the words are): Do you know the Sura? And he did not mention the words" the last one".

This hadith has been reported on the authority of Abu 'Umais through the same chain of transmitters but with a slight variation of wording.

As-Salam-o-'Alaikum. They caught hold of him and killed him and took possession of his flock. Then this verse was revealed:" He who meets you and extends you salutations, don't say: You are not a Muslim" (iv. 94). Ibn 'Abbas, however, recited the word as-Salam instead of" as-Salam".

When the Ansar performed the Pilgrimage, they did not enter their houses but from behind. A person from the Ansar came and he began to enter from his door but it was said to him (why he was doing something in contravention to the common practice of coming to the houses from behind). Then this verse was revealed." Piety is not that you come to the doors from behind" (ii. 189).

Since our acceptance of Islam and the revelation of this verse in which Allah has shown annoyance to us:" Has not the time yet come for the believers that their hearts should be humble for the remembrance of Allah?" (lvii. 16), there was a gap of four years.

During the pre-Islamic days women circumambulated the Ka'ba nakedly, and said: Who would provide cloth to cover the one who is circumambulating the Ka'ba so that she would cover her private parts? And then she would say: Today will be exposed the whole or the part and what is exposed I shall not make it lawful. It was in this connection that the verse was revealed:" Adorn yourself at every place of worship" (vii. 31).

Go and fetch something for us by committing prostitution. It was in this connection that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, revealed this verse:" And compel not your slave-girls to prostitution when they desire to keep chaste in order to seek the frail goods of this world's life, and whoever compels them, then surely after their compulsion Allah is Forgiving, Merciful" (xxiv. 33).

" And compel not your slave-girls to prostitute" up to the words:" Allah is Forgiving, Merciful."

" Those to whom they call upon, themselves seek the means or access to their Lord as to whoever of them becomes nearest" (xvii. 57) that it related to a party of Jinn who were being worshipped and they embraced Islam but those who worshipped them kept on worshipping them (though the Jinn whom the misguided people worshipped had become Muslims). It was then that this verse was revealed.

" Those whom they call upon, themselves seek the means of access to their Lord," that it related to a group of people who worshipped a party amongst the Jinn. The group from amongst the Jinn embraced Islam, but the people kept worshipping them as they did before, and it was (on this occasion) that the verse was revealed:" Those whom they call upon, themselves seek the means of access to their Lord." This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Sulaiman with the same chain of transmitters.

" Those whom they call upon, themselves seek the means of access to their Lord," that that verse was revealed in connection with a party of Arabs who used to worship a group amnogst the jinn; the jinn embraced Islam but the people kept worshipping them without being conscious of it. Then this verse was revealed:" Those whom they call upon, themselves seek the means of access to their Lord."

I said to Ibn 'Abbas about Sura Tauba, whereupon he said: As for Sura Tauba, it is meant to humiliate (the non-believers and the hypocrites). There is constantly revealed in it (the pronoun) minhum (of them) and minhom (of them, i. e. such is the condition of some of them) till they (the Muslims) thought that none would be left unmentioned out of them who would not be blamed (for one fault or the other). I again said: What about Sura Anfal? He said: It pertains to the Battle of Badr. I again asked him about Sura al-Hashr. He said: It was revealed in connection with (the tribe) of Banu Nadir.

Now coming to the point. Behold I when the command pertaining to the prohibition of wine was revealed, it was prepared from five things: from wheat, barley, date, grape, honey; and wine is that which clouds the intellect; and O people, I wish Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) could have explained to us in (more) detail the laws pertaining to the inheritance of the grandfather, about one who dies leaving no issue, and some of the problems pertaining to interest.

I heard 'Umar b. Khattab delivering sermon on the pulpit ol Allah's messenger (ﷺ) and saying': Now, coming to the point, O people, there was revealed (the command pertaining to the prohibition of wine) and it was prepared (at that time) out of five things: grape, date, honey, wheat, barley, and wine is that which clouds the intellect, and, O people, I wish Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had explained to us in greater detail three things: the inheritance of the grandfather, of one who dies without leaving any issue, and some of the problems of interest.

This hadith has been transmitted on the same authority but with a slight variation of wording.

" These two adversaries who dispute about their Lord" (xxii. 19) was revealed in connection with those who on the Day of Badr came out (of rows to fight against the non-believers and they were) Hamza, 'Ali, 'Ubaida b. Harith (from the side of the Muslims) and 'Utba and Shaiba, both of them the sons of Rabi'a and Walid b. 'Utba (from the side of the non-believers of Mecca).

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Abu Dharr through another chain of transmitters.