Jami' at-Tirmidhi

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3086

Arabic hadith text

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، وَابْنُ أَبِي عَدِيٍّ، وَسَهْلُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، قَالُوا حَدَّثَنَا عَوْفُ بْنُ أَبِي جَمِيلَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ الْفَارِسِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ قُلْتُ لِعُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ مَا حَمَلَكُمْ أَنْ عَمَدْتُمْ، إِلَى الأَنْفَالِ وَهِيَ مِنَ الْمَثَانِي وَإِلَى بَرَاءَةَ وَهِيَ مِنَ الْمِئِينَ فَقَرَنْتُمْ بَيْنَهُمَا وَلَمْ تَكْتُبُوا بَيْنَهُمَا سَطْرَ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَوَضَعْتُمُوهُمَا فِي السَّبْعِ الطُّوَلِ مَا حَمَلَكُمْ عَلَى ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ عُثْمَانُ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِمَّا يَأْتِي عَلَيْهِ الزَّمَانُ وَهُوَ تَنْزِلُ عَلَيْهِ السُّوَرُ ذَوَاتُ الْعَدَدِ فَكَانَ إِذَا نَزَلَ عَلَيْهِ الشَّىْءُ دَعَا بَعْضَ مَنْ كَانَ يَكْتُبُ فَيَقُولُ ضَعُوا هَؤُلاَءِ الآيَاتِ فِي السُّورَةِ الَّتِي يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا كَذَا وَكَذَا وَإِذَا نَزَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ الآيَةُ فَيَقُولُ ضَعُوا هَذِهِ الآيَةَ فِي السُّورَةِ الَّتِي يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا كَذَا وَكَذَا وَكَانَتِ الأَنْفَالُ مِنْ أَوَائِلِ مَا أُنْزِلَتْ بِالْمَدِينَةِ وَكَانَتْ بَرَاءَةُ مِنْ آخِرِ الْقُرْآنِ وَكَانَتْ قِصَّتُهَا شَبِيهَةً بِقِصَّتِهَا فَظَنَنْتُ أَنَّهَا مِنْهَا فَقُبِضَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَلَمْ يُبَيِّنْ لَنَا أَنَّهَا مِنْهَا فَمِنْ أَجْلِ ذَلِكَ قَرَنْتُ بَيْنَهُمَا وَلَمْ أَكْتُبْ بَيْنَهُمَا سَطْرَ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ فَوَضَعْتُهَا فِي السَّبْعِ الطُّوَلِ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ لاَ نَعْرِفُهُ إِلاَّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ عَوْفٍ عَنْ يَزِيدَ الْفَارِسِيِّ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ‏.‏ وَيَزِيدُ الْفَارِسِيُّ قَدْ رَوَى عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ غَيْرَ حَدِيثٍ وَيُقَالُ هُوَ يَزِيدُ بْنُ هُرْمُزَ وَيَزِيدُ الرَّقَاشِيُّ هُوَ يَزِيدُ بْنُ أَبَانَ الرَّقَاشِيُّ وَلَمْ يُدْرِكِ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ إِنَّمَا رَوَى عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ وَكِلاَهُمَا مِنَ التَّابِعِينَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْبَصْرَةِ وَيَزِيدُ الْفَارِسِيُّ أَقْدَمُ مِنْ يَزِيدَ الرَّقَاشِيِّ ‏.‏

Translation

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Ibn ‘Abbas reported: ‘I asked ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan, “What led you to place Surat al-Anfal, one of the shorter surahs, together with Surat Bara’ah, one of the hundred-verse surahs, without writing the line ‘In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful’ between them, and to include them among the seven long surahs?” ‘Uthman replied: “At times, a long period would pass without revelation coming to the Messenger of Allah. Then several surahs would be revealed. When something was revealed, he would summon one of the scribes and say, ‘Place these verses in the surah that mentions such and such.’ When a single verse was revealed, he would say, ‘Place this verse in the surah that mentions such and such.’ Surat al-Anfal was among the first surahs revealed in Medina, and Surat Bara’ah was among the last parts of the Qur’an revealed. Their subject matter was similar, so I thought Bara’ah belonged with al-Anfal. The Messenger of Allah died without clarifying to us whether it belonged with it. For this reason I placed them together without writing the basmalah between them and included them among the seven long surahs.”’ Abu ‘Isa graded this hadith hasan and said it is known only through ‘Awf, from Yazid al-Farisi, from Ibn ‘Abbas. Yazid al-Farisi narrated more than one report from Ibn ‘Abbas and is said to be Yazid ibn Hurmuz. Abu ‘Isa distinguished him from Yazid al-Raqashi, who was Yazid ibn Aban al-Raqashi and did not meet Ibn ‘Abbas, narrating instead from Anas ibn Malik. Both were Basran Successors, and Yazid al-Farisi was earlier than Yazid al-Raqashi.

Notes and open questions — unreviewed
  • The report explains ‘Uthman’s decision to place al-Anfal and Bara’ah together without a basmalah between them, citing their similar subject matter and the lack of a clarification from the Prophet.

  • Abu ‘Isa’s final comments distinguish two similarly named transmitters, Yazid al-Farisi and Yazid al-Raqashi.