The comprehension in the statement of reasons 3/1

Authored by Salim bin Eid Al-Hilali Muhammad Musa Al-Nasr Part of the introduction In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful All praise be to Allah, we praise Him, seek His help, and ask for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of ourselves and from our bad deeds. Whom Allah guides, there is no misleader for him; and whom He misguides, there is no guide for him. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, with no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. As for what follows: Knowing the reasons for the revelation of the verses of the Qur'an is among the most noble sciences and the most honorable goals because it helps in understanding their meanings. For this reason, some verses were difficult for some of the companions and those before them until the reason for their revelation became clear to them, such as Allah’s saying: "And do not throw yourselves into destruction" [Al-Baqarah: 195]. Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari clarified the reason for its revelation, so they understood its interpretation and it became clear to them. Sheikh Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said: Knowing the reason for revelation helps in understanding the verse, for knowledge of the cause leads to knowledge of the effect. This does not mean that a person should seek a reason for every verse, for the Qur'an’s revelation was not limited to incidents, events, questions, or inquiries. Rather, the Qur'an was revealed initially with beliefs of faith, obligations of Islam, and the Shariah of Allah — the Almighty — in the life of the individual and the community. Al-Ja'bari said: The Qur'an was revealed in two parts: one part was revealed initially, and another part was revealed after an incident or question. Therefore, the reason for revelation is what was revealed concerning it at the time of its occurrence, such as an incident or question. Al-Suyuti said: What is clarified regarding the reason for revelation is that it was revealed during the occurrence of the event, to exclude what Al-Wahidi mentioned in his Tafsir about the story of the arrival of the Abyssinians; that is not a reason for revelation at all, but rather it is from the category of informing about past events, such as the story of the people of Nuh, 'Ad, Thamud, the building of the Kaaba, and similar. Likewise, he mentioned in the verse: "And Allah took Ibrahim as a friend" [An-Nisa: 125], the reason for him taking Ibrahim as a friend. This is not a reason for the revelation of the Qur'an, as is clear. What is relied upon in knowing the reason for revelation: Scholars rely on authentic narration from the Messenger of Allah, صلى الله عليه وسلم, or from the companions. If a companion explicitly reports such a reason, it is not based on opinion but has the ruling of a raised (muttar) narration, as indicated by Al-Hakim, Ibn Al-Salah, and other imams of Hadith — may Allah have mercy on them. Al-Suyuti said: "It has been established in the sciences of Hadith that the reason for revelation has the ruling of a raised Hadith; only the authentic, connected, and chain-supported narration is accepted, neither weak nor disconnected." The righteous predecessors, may Allah have mercy on them, were cautious about speaking about the Qur'an, its interpretation, or the reasons for revelation without knowledge or certainty, fearing falling into the warning of the Messenger, صلى الله عليه وسلم: "Whoever lies about me intentionally, let him take his seat in the Fire." Muhammad bin Sireen said: I asked Ubaidah about a verse from the Qur'an; he said: "Fear Allah and speak uprightly." Those who knew why the Qur'an was revealed have gone. Al-Wahidi said: "It is not permissible to speak about the reasons for revelation except through narration and hearing from those who witnessed the descent and knew the reasons, and sought knowledge and found it in their pursuit." Benefits of knowing the reasons for revelation: 1. To understand the wisdom behind legislating the ruling. 2. To specify the ruling with it for those who believe that the benefit is in the specific cause. 3. That the wording may be general, and evidence may indicate its restriction; knowing the cause limits the restriction to what is outside its form, for entering the form of the cause is definitive, and excluding it through effort is forbidden. 4. To understand the meaning and remove ambiguity. 5. To prevent the misconception of exclusivity. 6. To know the name of the person for whom the verse was revealed and to clarify the ambiguous in it. 7. To reinforce the revelation, facilitate memorization and understanding, and confirm the ruling in the mind of the one who understands its cause. Examples of understanding the wisdom behind legislating the ruling, and the benefit of that for both believers and non-believers.