Chapters on Tafsir

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

‘Abdullah said: I was concealed behind the coverings of the Ka‘bah when three men came. They had large bellies and little understanding in their hearts. One was Qurashi and his two brothers-in-law were from Thaqif, or one was Thaqafi and his two brothers-in-law were Qurashis. They spoke words I could not understand. One said, ‘Do you think Allah hears what we are saying?’ Another said, ‘If we raise our voices, He hears us; if we do not raise them, He does not hear us.’ The third said, ‘If He hears any of it, He hears all of it.’ ‘Abdullah said: I mentioned this to the Prophet, and Allah revealed: ‘You did not think that your hearing, your sight, and your skins would testify against you …’ up to ‘you have become among the losers’ (Qur’an 41:22–23). Abu ‘Isa said: This is a hasan hadith. Mahmud ibn Ghaylan also related a similar report from Waki‘, from Sufyan, from al-A‘mash, from ‘Umarah ibn ‘Umayr, from Wahb ibn Rabi‘ah, from ‘Abdullah.

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

Anas ibn Malik reported that the Messenger of Allah recited, ‘Indeed, those who say, “Our Lord is Allah,” and then remain steadfast …’ (Qur’an 41:30). He said, ‘People have said this, but most of them later disbelieved. Whoever dies holding to it is among those who remained steadfast.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This is a gharib hadith; we know it only through this route. I heard Abu Zur‘ah say that ‘Affan narrated a hadith from ‘Amr ibn ‘Ali concerning this verse. Reports from the Prophet, Abu Bakr, and ‘Umar also explain the meaning of ‘they remained steadfast.’

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

Tawus said: Ibn ‘Abbas was asked about the verse, ‘Say: “I ask of you no reward for it except affection for my near kin”’ (Qur’an 42:23). Sa‘id ibn Jubayr said, ‘It means affection for the family of Muhammad.’ Ibn ‘Abbas replied, ‘Do you know that there was no clan of Quraysh in which the Messenger of Allah did not have relatives?’ He said, ‘It means that you should maintain the ties of kinship between me and you.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This is a hasan sahih hadith. It is also reported through other routes from Ibn ‘Abbas.

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

A shaykh from Banu Murrah said: I arrived in Kufah and heard about Bilal ibn Abi Burdah. I said, ‘There is a lesson to be learned from him,’ and went to see him. He was confined in the house he had built. His whole appearance had changed from punishment and beatings, and he was among rags. I said, ‘Praise be to Allah, Bilal! I once saw you pass us by, holding your nose though there was no dust. Today you are in this state.’ He asked, ‘Which people are you from?’ I said, ‘Banu Murrah ibn ‘Abbad.’ He said, ‘Shall I tell you a hadith that may benefit you? My father, Abu Burdah, narrated to me from his father Abu Musa that the Messenger of Allah said: “No calamity, great or small, befalls a servant except because of a sin; yet what Allah pardons is far greater.”’ He recited: ‘Whatever misfortune befalls you is because of what your hands have earned, and He pardons much’ (Qur’an 42:30). Abu ‘Isa said: This is a gharib hadith. We know it only through this route.

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

Abu Umamah reported that the Messenger of Allah said: ‘No people go astray after having been guided without being given a propensity for disputation.’ Then the Messenger of Allah recited this verse: ‘They cite it to you only for the sake of argument. Indeed, they are a contentious people’ (Qur’an 43:58). Abu ‘Isa said: This is a hasan sahih hadith, known only through the report of Hajjaj ibn Dinar. Hajjaj is trustworthy and his hadith are acceptable. Abu Ghalib’s name is Hazawwar.

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

Masruq said: A man came to ‘Abdullah and said, ‘A storyteller says that smoke will emerge from the earth, seize the hearing of the disbelievers, and affect the believers like a cold.’ ‘Abdullah became angry. He had been reclining, but sat up and said, ‘When one of you is asked about something he knows, let him say what he knows.’ Mansur’s wording is: ‘Let him report it.’ ‘When he is asked about something he does not know, let him say, “Allah knows best.” It is part of a man’s knowledge, when asked about something he does not know, to say, “Allah knows best.” Allah Most High said to His Prophet: “Say, ‘I ask no reward of you for this, and I am not one of those who pretend’”’ (Qur’an 38:86). When the Messenger of Allah saw Quraysh persisting in opposition to him, he said, ‘O Allah, help me against them with seven years like the seven years of Joseph.’ A drought struck them and depleted everything, until they ate hides and carrion—one of the two transmitters said, ‘bones.’ A kind of smoke seemed to emerge from the earth. Abu Sufyan came to him and said, ‘Your people are perishing; pray to Allah for them.’ This is the meaning of Allah’s words: ‘On the day when the sky brings a visible smoke that envelops the people; this is a painful torment’ (Qur’an 44:10–11). Mansur’s version says: ‘This is the meaning of “Our Lord, remove the torment from us; indeed, we will believe”’ (44:12). ‘Will the torment of the Hereafter then be removed from them? The mighty onslaught, al-Lizam, and the smoke have already passed.’ One of the two transmitters said, ‘the moon’; the other said, ‘the Romans.’ Abu ‘Isa said: Al-Lizam means the day of Badr. This is a hasan sahih hadith.

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

Anas ibn Malik reported that the Messenger of Allah said: ‘Every believer has two doors: a door through which his deeds ascend and a door through which his provision descends. When he dies, the two doors weep for him.’ This is the meaning of Allah’s words: ‘Neither heaven nor earth wept for them, nor were they given respite’ (Qur’an 44:29). Abu ‘Isa said: This is a gharib hadith. We know it as a Prophetic report only through this route. Musa ibn ‘Ubaydah and Yazid ibn Aban al-Raqashi are both considered weak in hadith.

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

When ‘Uthman was under threat, ‘Abdullah ibn Salam came to him. ‘Uthman asked, ‘What brought you here?’ He said, ‘I came to support you.’ ‘Uthman replied, ‘Go out to the people and turn them away from me. Your being outside is better for me than your being inside.’ ‘Abdullah ibn Salam went out to the people and said, ‘People, in the Days of Ignorance my name was so-and-so; the Messenger of Allah named me ‘Abdullah. Verses from Allah’s Book were revealed concerning me: “A witness from the Children of Israel testifies to something similar and believes, while you act arrogantly. Allah does not guide wrongdoing people”’ (Qur’an 46:10); and, ‘Allah is sufficient as a witness between me and you, as is whoever has knowledge of the Book’ (13:43). ‘Allah has kept a sword sheathed against you, and the angels have settled among you in this city where your Prophet received revelation. Fear Allah concerning this man. If you kill him, you will drive away the angels who are your neighbors and unsheathe Allah’s sword against yourselves; it will not be sheathed again until the Day of Resurrection.’ They replied, ‘Kill the Jew, and kill ‘Uthman.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This is a hasan gharib hadith. Shu‘ayb ibn Safwan also narrated it from ‘Abd al-Malik ibn ‘Umayr, from Ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Salam, from his grandfather ‘Abdullah ibn Salam.

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

‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: When the Prophet saw a rain-bearing cloud, he would pace back and forth. When it rained, he would feel relieved. I asked him about it, and he said, ‘I do not know; perhaps it is as Allah Most High said: “When they saw it as a cloud moving toward their valleys, they said, ‘This is a cloud that will bring us rain’”’ (Qur’an 46:24). Abu ‘Isa said: This is a hasan hadith.

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

‘Alqamah said: I asked Ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, ‘Did anyone among you accompany the Prophet on the Night of the Jinn?’ He replied, ‘None of us accompanied him. One night in Makkah, we could not find him. We thought he had been assassinated or carried off, and wondered what had happened to him. We spent the worst night a people could spend. At daybreak—or just before dawn—we saw him coming from the direction of Hira.’ They told him what they had feared. He said, ‘A caller from the jinn came to me, so I went to them and recited to them.’ He then went and showed them their tracks and the traces of their fires. Al-Sha‘bi said: They asked him for provisions; they were jinn from al-Jazirah. He said, ‘Any bone on which Allah’s name was not mentioned, when it comes into your hands, will have more meat than it had; and every dropping of dung is fodder for your mounts.’ The Messenger of Allah said, ‘Do not clean yourselves after relieving yourselves with either of these, for they are provisions for your brothers among the jinn.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This is a hasan sahih hadith.

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

Abu Hurayrah reported the verse, ‘Seek forgiveness for your sin and for the believing men and women’ (Qur’an 47:19), and that the Prophet said, ‘I ask Allah for forgiveness seventy times a day.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This is a hasan sahih hadith. Another report from Abu Hurayrah says that the Prophet said, ‘I ask Allah for forgiveness a hundred times a day.’ This wording is also transmitted through other routes from the Prophet, including the report of Muhammad ibn ‘Amr from Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurayrah.

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

Abu Hurayrah said: One day the Messenger of Allah recited this verse: ‘If you turn away, He will replace you with another people; then they will not be like you’ (Qur’an 47:38). They asked, ‘Who will replace us?’ The Messenger of Allah patted Salman’s shoulder and said, ‘This one and his people; this one and his people.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This is a gharib hadith, and there is criticism of its chain. ‘Abdullah ibn Ja‘far also narrated it from al-‘Ala’ ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman.

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

Abu Hurayrah said: Some of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, who are the people Allah mentioned who will replace us if we turn away, and will not be like us?’ Salman was sitting beside the Messenger of Allah. The Messenger of Allah patted Salman’s thigh and said, ‘This man and his companions. By the One in whose hand is my soul, if faith were attached to the Pleiades, men from Persia would reach it.’ Abu ‘Isa said: ‘Abdullah ibn Ja‘far ibn Najih is the father of ‘Ali ibn al-Madini. ‘Ali ibn Hujr narrated many reports from ‘Abdullah ibn Ja‘far; ‘Ali related this hadith to us from Isma‘il ibn Ja‘far, from ‘Abdullah ibn Ja‘far. Bishr ibn Mu‘adh also related a similar report from ‘Abdullah ibn Ja‘far, from al-‘Ala’, but with the wording ‘if faith were hanging from the Pleiades.’

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

‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said: We were with the Messenger of Allah on one of his journeys. I spoke to him, but he remained silent. I spoke again, and he remained silent. I spoke a third time, and he remained silent. I urged my mount forward, moved away, and said to myself, ‘May your mother grieve for you, son of al-Khattab! You have pressed the Messenger of Allah three times, and each time he has not answered you. You deserve to have Qur’an revealed about you!’ Before long, I heard someone calling me. I came to the Messenger of Allah, and he said, ‘Son of al-Khattab, a surah was revealed to me tonight that I would not exchange for everything upon which the sun rises: “Indeed, We have granted you a clear victory”’ (Qur’an 48:1). Abu ‘Isa said: This is a hasan sahih gharib hadith. Some transmitters narrated it from Malik as a mursal report.

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

Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: When the Prophet was returning from al-Hudaybiyyah, the verse ‘So that Allah may forgive you your past and future sins’ (Qur’an 48:2) was revealed to him. The Prophet said, ‘A verse has been revealed to me that is dearer to me than everything on earth.’ He recited it to them. They said, ‘Congratulations, Messenger of Allah! Allah has made clear what He will do for you; what will He do for us?’ Then the verse was revealed: ‘So that He may admit the believing men and believing women into gardens beneath which rivers flow’ up to ‘a great triumph’ (48:5). This is a hasan sahih hadith. A similar report is also transmitted from Mujammi‘ ibn Jariyah.

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

Anas reported that eighty men descended from Mount al-Tan‘im upon the Messenger of Allah and his Companions at the time of the dawn prayer, intending to kill him. They were seized, and the Messenger of Allah set them free. Then Allah revealed: ‘He is the One who withheld their hands from you and your hands from them’ (Qur’an 48:24). Abu ‘Isa said: This is a hasan sahih hadith.

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

Al-Tufayl ibn Ubayy ibn Ka‘b reported from his father, from the Prophet, concerning Allah’s words, ‘And He made them adhere to the word of piety’ (Qur’an 48:26). He said: ‘There is no god but Allah.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This is a gharib hadith. We know it as a report raised to the Prophet only through the report of al-Hasan ibn Qaza‘ah. He added: I asked Abu Zur‘ah about this hadith, and he knew it as a Prophetic report only through this route.

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

‘Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr reported that al-Aqra‘ ibn Habis came to the Prophet. Abu Bakr said, ‘Messenger of Allah, appoint him over his people.’ ‘Umar said, ‘Do not appoint him, Messenger of Allah.’ They spoke in the Prophet’s presence until their voices rose. Abu Bakr said to ‘Umar, ‘You only wanted to oppose me.’ ‘Umar replied, ‘I did not want to oppose you.’ Then this verse was revealed: ‘O you who believe, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet’ (Qur’an 49:2). After that, whenever ‘Umar spoke in the Prophet’s presence, he lowered his voice so much that the Prophet had to ask him to repeat himself. The narrator said: Ibn al-Zubayr did not mention his grandfather, meaning Abu Bakr. Abu ‘Isa said: This is a hasan gharib hadith. Some transmitters reported it from Ibn Abi Mulaykah as mursal, without mentioning ‘Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr in the chain.

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

Al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib commented on Allah’s words, ‘Indeed, most of those who call you from behind the private chambers lack understanding’ (Qur’an 49:4). He said: A man stood and said, ‘Messenger of Allah, my praise is an adornment, and my criticism is a blemish.’ The Prophet replied, ‘That is for Allah, the Exalted.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This is a hasan gharib hadith.

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

Abu Jubayrah ibn al-Dahhak said: A man among us might have two or three names, and he would be called by one of them that he perhaps disliked. Then this verse was revealed: ‘Do not insult one another with nicknames’ (Qur’an 49:11). Abu ‘Isa said: This is a hasan sahih hadith. Abu Jubayrah was the brother of Thabit ibn al-Dahhak ibn Khalifah and was an Ansari. Abu Zayd was Sa‘id ibn al-Rabi‘, the wool merchant, a trustworthy man from Basrah. Abu Salamah, Yahya ibn Khalaf, also narrated a similar report from Bishr ibn al-Mufaddal, from Dawud ibn Abi Hind, from al-Sha‘bi, from Abu Jubayrah ibn al-Dahhak; Abu ‘Isa again graded it hasan sahih.