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Part 1

We also find that in Sahih Al-Bukhari we learn that another companion, Owaimer Al-Ajlani, also accused his wife, and he came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said the same thing to him, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Oh Owaimer, Allah has revealed verses regarding you", and he recited this verse to him.

So this shows us that these two incidents occurred in a similar time frame, and so one verse came down catering to both of these situations.

More than One Cause of Revelation

It’s also possible, and this is an interesting phenomenon, that the verse has come down more than once; the verse has come down for different causes of revelation that occurred at different timings. For example, Allah Almighty says in Chapter Al-Tawbah, verse 113:

“It’s not possible for the Prophet and the believers that they seek forgiveness for those who are pagans.”

Now it is reported that this verse came down for a number of different reasons.

One reason is reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) wanted to seek forgiveness for his own mother, and so Allah revealed this verse.

Another incident tells us that the Prophet (peace be upon him) wanted to seek forgiveness for his uncle Abu Talib, and so Allah Almighty wanted to reveal this verse, and these two incidents are in different time frames. So we can say that it is possible that the same verse came down more than once at different timings, because the same verse will give the message to the Prophet (peace be upon him) to remind him that the answer to his question is already present in the Quran.

It is also possible that the opposite occurs. That one cause of revelation is the cause of revelation of many different verses. So one incident occurs and in response to it, a number of verses come down. And one example is a very beautiful one, and it is one that our sisters always love to hear, and it’s one in which Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), the wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him), said “O Messenger of Allah, I see that Allah always mentions men in the Quran, and He never mentions women.” So in response to this, Allah Almighty revealed a number of verses over a period of time.

The first of them is Chapter Al-Nisa’a, verse 32, and Allah Almighty says:

“Men will have a reward for what they have done and earned, and women will have a reward for what they have done and earned”.

Also, Allah revealed verse number 35 of Chapter Al-Ahzab. This verse number 35 is one of the most comprehensive verses with regard to gender equity in Islam, the spirituality of men and women is the same. Allah Almighty says:

“Believing men and women, pious mean and women, righteous men and women, charity-giving men and women, fasting men and women, patient men and women…” and going to the end of the verse, for all of these men and women Allah says Allah has prepared a great reward for them.

And lastly Allah revealed verse 195 of Chapter Aal-`Imran, in which Allah Almighty says:

“Never will I allow the work of any of you to go unrewarded, whether they are male or female. You are together members of one another.”

So the question of Umm Salamah was the cause of revelation of all of these verses.

Another phenomenon of this chapter of the causes of revelation is that we can also compile the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and how each of them was the cause of verses being revealed. And the most famous example is that of Umar ibn Al-Khattab. He was always proud that three verses were revealed about him, and he mentions this particular incident and that particular incident and he was always proud.

Like him was Saad ibn Abi-Waqas who said “Four verses came down of the Quran because things that I did”. So obviously the companions were very proud about the fact that certain verses of the Quran came down, and they have every right to be proud, and this is one chapter also of the causes of revelation.

Generality of Wording

The question arises if the cause of revelation of a verse is known, then should the verse be restricted only to that person? Or is it relevant to all of mankind? In other words, is the ruling restricted to the specific circumstances of revelation, or can it be applied to the generality of the wording of the verse?

The response to this is that there is unanimous consensus amongst the scholars of Islam that the ruling of a verse is dependent upon the generality of its wording, and not the specificity of its reason for revelation. Let me repeat that, because this is a fundamental principle of understanding the Quran:

The ruling of a verse is dependent on the generality of its wording and not the specificity of its reason for revelation.

I’ll just give you one example. In chapter 59, verse 7, Allah says:

“Whatever the Prophet (peace be upon him) gives you take it, and whatever he forbids you abstain from it”.

This verse was revealed with regards to war booty. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was dividing the treasures of the war that are captured, he gives some and he prohibits others. And so Allah is revealing this verse in regard to the booty of war. But the verse doesn’t say that. The verse says whatever the Prophet (peace be upon him) gives you take, and whatever he withholds from you don’t take.

So the scholars of Islam have unanimously understood this verse to be at its face value, not just for the war booty. Anything he tells you do it, and anything he tells you to abstain from, abstain from it. This is a manifestation of the rule that the ruling is taken from the generality of its wording and not the specificity of its cause of revelation.

This brings us to the conclusion of the concept of the causes of revelation.

We will continue to talk about the sciences of the Quran in our future episodes.

I hope to see you then.

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