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Occasions or circumstances of revelation (in Arabic -''asbāb'' ''al-nuzūl'') names the historical context in which
Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
ic verses were revealed from the perspective of traditional Islam. Though of some use in reconstructing the Qur'an's historicity, ''asbāb'' is by nature an exegetical rather than a historiographical genre, and as such usually associates the verses it explicates with general situations rather than specific events. The study of asbāb al-nuzūl is part of the study of Tafsir (interpretation of the Qur'an).


Etymology

''Asbāb'' أَسْبَابْ is the plural of the Arabic word ''sabab'' سَبَبْ, which means "cause", "reason", or "occasion", and ''nuzūl'' نُزُولْ is the
verbal noun Historically, grammarians have described a verbal noun or gerundial noun as a verb form that functions as a noun. An example of a verbal noun in English is 'sacking' as in the sentence "The ''sacking'' of the city was an epochal event" (wherein ...
of the verb root ''nzl'' ن ز ل, literally meaning "to descend" or "to send down", and thus (metaphorically) "to reveal", referring God (
Allah Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...
) sending down a revelation to his prophets. The reasons for revelation found in the hadiths are divided into types: 1: The answer that the Prophet Muhammad should give to a question that was asked to him 2: Comment on events that occurred. 3: The first type is the category of people, as there are verses that only speak to non-muslims and some verses only speak to muslims.


Origin

Modern scholarship has long posited an origin for the ''sabab al-nuzūl'' based largely on its function within exegesis. William Montgomery Watt, for example, stressed the narratological significance of these types of reports: "The Quranic allusions had to be elaborated into complete stories and the background filled in if the main ideas were to be impressed on the minds of simple men." John Wansbrough, on the other hand, noted their juridical function, particularly with regard to establishing a chronology of revelation for the purposes of such mechanisms as '' naskh''. Rippin in turn rejected this, arguing that the ''sababs primary function is in ''
haggadic Aggadah (, or ; ; 'tales', 'legend', 'lore') is the non-legalistic exegesis which appears in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, particularly the Talmud and Midrash. In general, Aggadah is a compendium of rabbinic texts that incorporat ...
''/''qissaic'' exegesis, and that this in turn hints at its origin: One thing common to all these theories is the assumption that the ''sabab'' is built around the Qur'ānic verse(s) embedded in it. In his extensive survey of early Muslim traditions regarding Muhammad, Rubin upends this consensus (while preserving Rippin's speculation about the ultimately ''qassaic''/story-teller origins of these reports) by arguing that most ''asbāb'' originally started as prophetic biographical material into which Qur'anic verses were only later inserted: Rubin bases that conclusion partly upon the very stereotyped way in which "linking words" are used to introduce Qur'anic verse into a report. Mostly, though, he relies upon the existence of multiple parallel non-Qur'anic forms of the narrative for most ''asbāb''. By assuming that a report's link to scripture would not be removed once established, the non-Qur'anic (and thus non-exegetic) version of the report is in fact the original one. Rippin takes issue with this last assumption, though, by arguing that the evidence does not preclude the creation of parallel ''sīra'' narratives even after the circulation of a supposedly "authoritative" Qur'anic one.


Outline and function

The Quran was revealed over a period of nearly twenty three years. Muslim scholars agree that the revelations of the Quran can be divided into two broad types: One type includes passages of the Quran which were revealed in response to specific events, incidents or questions put forward to Muhammad. The second type includes passages of the Quran which were not direct responses to any historical or social development in the life of the Muslim community. A thorough understanding of the first type of passages, therefore, depend on knowing the circumstances of the events which occasioned them. Such knowledge is an important tool for explaining the meanings of this type of Quranic verses. One function of the ''sabab'' report is theological. As Rippin notes: The occasion of revelation's primary function, though, is exegetical, and by enumerating its various uses within Qur'anic interpretation we visit nearly all the problems of concern for classical Muslim exegetes. These problems span the
hermeneutic Hermeneutics () is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. As necessary, hermeneutics may include the art of understanding and communication. ...
al spectrum, from the most basic units of
linguistic meaning Semantics is the study of linguistic meaning. It examines what meaning is, how words get their meaning, and how the meaning of a complex expression depends on its parts. Part of this process involves the distinction between sense and referenc ...
to such technical intellectual disciplines as
law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...
and
philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
and all points in between. A major underlying difficulty encountered at all levels is the Qur'an's lack of structure. This extends beyond the question of temporal ordering to one of basic unity of thought and expression: The various levels of interpretation along with their typical problems are listed below in order of increasing hermeneutical complexity: * '' Lexical'': What is the meaning of a particular word? * Sunnahs in reciting specific verses? * ''Intra-Versal/ Sentential'': Who or what is the
referent A referent ( ) is a person or thing to which a name – a linguistic expression or other symbol – refers. For example, in the sentence ''Mary saw me'', the referent of the word ''Mary'' is the particular person called Mary who is being spoken o ...
of a particular pronoun? * ''Inter-Versal/ Pericopal'': What is the relation between verses? Do they constitute a single meaning/unit of thought, or are they distinct? * '' Narratological ("Qissaic")'': What is the story being told? Why do the characters in it react in the way they do? * ''Historical/ Ethnological'': What events or personages are being described? What cultural practices are being reported and how do they relate the '' jāhilī'' scene? * ''
Legal Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a Socia ...
("
Hukm ''Ahkam'' (, plural of , ) is an Islamic term with several meanings. In the Quran, the word ''hukm'' is variously used to mean arbitration, judgement, authority, or God's will. In the early Islamic period, the Kharijites gave it political conno ...
ic")'': What are the legal implications of a particular verse and how do these relate to the remaining corpus of Islamic holy law? Is the ruling limited in scope to the circumstances or even unique instant in which it was revealed, or does it define a general principle with broad applicability? A detailed examination of the function of ''asbāb'' at several of these levels follows. Unless otherwise noted examples all come from Rippin's ''The function of asbāb al-nuzūl in Qur'ānic exegesis'' (''BSOAS 51''). Quotations from the Qur'an are taken from the Abdullah Yusuf `Ali translation.


Lexical/sentential

A demonstration of the two lowest-level functions of the ''sabab'' may be seen in the exegesis of verse 2:44 : A ''sabab'' put forward by both al-Wāhidī (''Kitāb'' 22) and al-Suyūtī (''Lubāb'' 19) claim this verse was revealed about those Jews of
Medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...
who urged their converted relations to obey Muhammed's example even while they hypocritically refused to do so themselves (such Jewish hypocrisy being a common Qur'ānic
polemic Polemic ( , ) is contentious rhetoric intended to support a specific position by forthright claims and to undermine the opposing position. The practice of such argumentation is called polemics, which are seen in arguments on controversial to ...
al motif). The ''sabab'' thus fixes the meaning of the pronoun "ye", and also provides a gloss for the word "right conduct" (''birr'') as the
Sunnah is the body of traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time supposedly saw, followed, and passed on to the next generations. Diff ...
of Muhammed.


Sunnahs in reciting specific verses

The Sunnahs that are prescribed to be done or said when you read certain verses found in many Surahs of the Quran, such as '''' Sujud Tilawa'''' Defining the prostration of recitation ('' tilawa'') as a movement of prostration resulting from the reason that it is a ''
mustahabb ''Mustahabb'' () is an Islamic term referring to an action or thing that is recommended and favoured. ''Mustahabb'' actions are those whose ruling ('' ahkam'') in Islamic law falls between '' mubah'' (neutral; neither encouraged nor discouraged ...
'' when the recitation reaches one of the verses of prostration. this ''Sujud'' occurs during the ''Tilawa'' recitation of the
Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
, including
Salah ''Salah'' (, also spelled ''salat'') is the practice of formal worship in Islam, consisting of a series of ritual prayers performed at prescribed times daily. These prayers, which consist of units known as ''rak'ah'', include a specific s ...
prayers in
Salah al jama'ah Salat al-jama‘ah (Congregational Prayer) or prayer in Wiktionary:congregation, congregation (''Jamia, jama'ah'') is considered to have more social and spiritual benefit than praying by oneself. When praying in congregation, the people stand ...
. There are fifteen places where
Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
believe that when
Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
recited a certain verse ('' ayah'') he prostrated to
God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
. There are also words or supplications that you say after reading certain verses


Pericopal

One theory of Qur'anic verse arrangement proposes a thematic/topical ordering of the verses ( ayat). This, combined with the Qur'an's allusive literary style (e.g. "the Qur'ānic 'they' which is frequently left ambiguous in the text") makes establishing pericopal boundaries difficult, however. Does one verse continue the unit of meaning begun by preceding verses, or does it initiate a new one? ''Sabab''-material was used to both erect and pull down such boundaries, as their use with respect to verses 2:114-2:115 illustrate: One report "suggests this verse .2:115is a continuation of Q.2:114 which concerns the destruction of
mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...
s and thus that this verse, 115, intends that the destruction of mosques does not mean that one can no longer face a ''
qibla The qibla () is the direction towards the Kaaba in the Great Mosque of Mecca, Sacred Mosque in Mecca, which is used by Muslims in various religious contexts, particularly the direction of prayer for the salah. In Islam, the Kaaba is believed to ...
''". Most ''sabab''-material, however, locate Q.2:115 in the context of prayers not delivered in the direction of the ''qibla'' under various extenuating circumstances, thus dividing it from Q.2:114 .


Narratological

The function of ''asbāb'' is most straightforward at the narratological level, where the context given identifies the characters of a story, their motivations, and ambient circumstances which influence their behavior. An extensive example of this is the ''sabab'' attributed to Ibn Ishāq (al-Wāhidī, ''Kitāb'' 22) for verses Q.2:258 and Q.2:260, detailing Ibrahim's encounter with
Nimrod Nimrod is a Hebrew Bible, biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Genesis and Books of Chronicles, the Books of Chronicles. The son of Cush (Bible), Cush and therefore the great-grandson of Noah, Nimrod was described as a king in the land of Sh ...
. Because the ''sabab'' does not explain why the verses were revealed, only the story within it, though, this report would qualify as an instance of ''akhbār'' according to the ''sabab'' identification criteria later established by al-Suyūtī.


Historical/ethnological

For Muslims the definition of the '' jāhiliyyah'' scene (i.e. Arabia's pre-Islamic age of "ignorance") was an important concern, but complicated by their religion's competing claims to be both a stark break with this past as well as a continuation of practices begun by "Islam" in its pre-Qur'anic, ur-religion manifestations, as in worship at the
Kaaba The Kaaba (), also spelled Kaba, Kabah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaba al-Musharrafa (), is a stone building at the center of Islam's most important mosque and Holiest sites in Islam, holiest site, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Sa ...
. Many "ethnological" ''asbāb'' exist for this purpose, with those put forward for Q.2:158 particularly illustrative of their function at this level of interpretation: The verse concerns the ritual practice of circumambulating between the hills of Safa and Marwa; the two ''asbāb'' cited by al-Wāhidī both describe the controversy regarding this ritual (Q.2:158's occasion of revelation) by reference to the '' jāhilī'' scene. The first ''sabab'' states that the
pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...
Arabs practiced this (ur-Islamically sanctioned) ritual, but that they so adulterated it with
idolatry Idolatry is the worship of an idol as though it were a deity. In Abrahamic religions (namely Judaism, Samaritanism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith) idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than the Abrahamic ...
that the first Muslims pressed to abandon it until Q.2:158 was revealed. The second ''sabab'' provides conflicting ethnological data, stating that the practice was instituted by Muhammed in opposition to the pagans' sacrifices to their idols.Rippin, ''Muslims: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices'', , pp. 10-11 These ''asbāb'' have no legal incidence; they function merely to settle a matter of curiosity as well as to contrast the Islamic dispensation with what came before, obviously to the benefit of the former. This imperative, plus the fact that much of the material is contradictory make such ''asbāb'' useful only for reconstructing the development of Islamic ideology and identity, rather than the pre-Islamic Arabian past.


Legal

Legal exegesis is the most hermeneutically complex level of interpretation for several reasons. One is that every ruling must be considered with respect to the corpus of Islamic holy law. If the ruling contradicts some other one, does it abrogate/mitigate its foil, or is it itself abrogated/mitigated? The foil may not always be a particular verse or pericope, but a principle synthesized from multiple rulings. The second, even more basic, complexity resides in determining which verses have legal content. A seemingly proscriptive verse may be made merely polemical by interpretation, while a seemingly non-proscriptive verse may have actual legal import. Lastly there is the issue of juridical inflation/deflation (the latter termed '' takhsīs'') where the scope/applicability of the ruling may be radically increased or decreased by exegesis. The ''asbāb'' surrounding Q.2:115 have already shown how legal consequences may be injected into a seemingly non-''hukmic'' verse. The ''asbāb'' for Q.2:79 demonstrate the opposite: Here the reports agree the verse is directed against the Jews, and so a proscription with seemingly broad applicability is almost completely deflated into a polemical filip about Jewish alteration of holy scripture ('' tahrīf''). Lastly, as an example of juridical inflation, is Q.2:104: The ''asbāb'' put forward by the exegetes cannot establish the meaning of the probably-transliterated word ''rā'inā'', but they generally identify it as some sort of curse or mock which the Jews tricked the Muslims into incorporating into their own greetings. In any case: As these examples amply demonstrate, supporting exegetical literature (e.g. hadith, ''sabab''-material) are often decisive in fixing the legal meaning of a particular Qur'anic verse/pericope. Appealing to the raw, unmediated text of the Qur'an as proof of consensus within traditional Islamic law for or against some practice is thus almost always a futile exercise.


History of Asbab al-Nuzul works

The earliest and the most important work in this genre is undoubtedly Kitab asbab al-Nuzul ("Book of occasions of revelation") by Ali ibn Ahmad al-Wahidi (d. 1075 CE). Al-Wahidi mentions occasions of about 570 verses out of 6236 verses of the Quran. Wahidi's work is not only the first attempt to collect all the material regarding the occasions of revelation in one single volume, but it is also the standard upon which all subsequent works were based. al-Wahidi was born in the city of
Nishapur Nishapur or Neyshabur (, also ) is a city in the Central District (Nishapur County), Central District of Nishapur County, Razavi Khorasan province, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Ni ...
and he died there at an advanced age. He was a poet, philologist, grammarian and Quranic commentator. In fact, He was considered a great commentator of the Quran of his time. His main teacher was the famous Quranic commentator al-Thalabi (d. 1036 CE) and Wahidi seems to have enjoyed the support of the Seljuq vizier
Nizam al-Mulk Abū ʿAlī Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī Ṭūsī () (1018 – 1092), better known by his honorific title of Niẓām al-Mulk (), was a Persian Sunni scholar, jurist, political philosopher and vizier of the Seljuk Empire. Rising from a low position w ...
. Another important work is by
al-Suyuti Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (; 1445–1505), or al-Suyuti, was an Egyptians, Egyptian Sunni Muslims, Muslim polymath of Persians, Persian descent. Considered the mujtahid and mujaddid of the Islamic 10th century, he was a leading Hadith studies, muh ...
(d. 1505 CE) which is a slight improvement of al-Wahidi's book. Suyuti wrote his book about four centuries after al-Wahidi. It contains more occasions of revelation compared to Wahidi's work. His work covers 102 chapters (
sura A ''surah'' (; ; ) is an Arabic word meaning 'chapter' in the Quran. There are 114 ''suwar'' in the Quran, each divided into verses (). The ''suwar'' are of unequal length; the shortest ''surah'' ( al-Kawthar) has only three verses, while the ...
) of the Quran while Wahidi's work covers 83 suras. The name of his book is Lubab al-Nuqul fi Asbab al-Nuzul (meaning "The best of narrations concerning the circumstances of revelation"). No ''asbāb'' works from earlier than the 11th century are known, and it is unlikely that this genre of exegetical literature existed before then. Though there is a section titled ''Nuzūl al-Qur'ān'' in Ibn al-Nadīm's 10th-century bibliographical catalog '' Kitāb al-Fihrist'' (including one ''Nuzūl al-Qur'ān'' attributed to the semi-legendary Ibn 'Abbās as transmitted through 'Ikrima), there is no evidence to believe that most of these works ever existed, or that their ambiguous titles signify texts within the ''asbāb al-nuzūl'' genre. In Rippin's detailed examination of pre-18th-century exegetical literature, other works include as follows: * ''Asbāb al-nuzūl wa qisas al-furqāniyya '' by Muhammad ibn As'ad al-'Irāqī (died 1171). Contains ''sabab'' reports mixed with ''qisas al- anbiyā'' (stories of the prophets) material. The former seem independent of al-Wāhidī's compilation and are ''isnad''-less. Exists in two manuscripts copies, one at the Chester Beatty Library (Manuscript 5199). * A manuscript (Berlin
Staatsbibliothek This is a list of the State Library, state libraries ( for each of the States of Germany, Länder of the Federal Republic of Germany. These libraries hold the Legal deposit, right for legal deposit for the publications in their respective state. ...
, Catalog no. 3578). ascribed to al-Ja'barī, probably pseudepigraphicaly. Consists of ''sabab'' and '' naskh'' material interspersed, with the former containing very abbreviated ''isnads'' where only the first authority is listed. According to its final page this manuscript was written in 1309. Though al-Wāhidī may thus be considered the father of this genre (a view consistent with his rather self-serving depiction of ''asbāb al-nuzūl'' as the key to all exegesis), al-Suyūtī made significant contributions to it as well, introducing such refinements as limiting reports to only those contemporaneous with the revelation itself (reports related to events described by the verse were reclassified as ''akhbār'') and developing a ''sabab'' selection criterion different from al-Wāhidī's rather mechanistic one of scanning for a select few "marker" introductory phrases. ''Sabab''-material did not originate with the ''asbāb al-nuzūl'' genre. The chief innovation of the genre was organizational (i.e. the collection of ''asbāb''-material within one text) and to a lesser degree methodological, and so while no work prior to al-Wāhidī's ''Kitāb'' may be properly called an instance of ''asbāb al-nuzūl'', material of equivalent function exists in the earliest ''hadith'' and ''tafsir''. This distinction will be maintained here by the use of the term ''sabab''-material for an occasion of revelation which does not necessarily come from a work of ''asbāb al-nuzūl'', and ''sabab'' only for one that does. The reasons for ''asbāb''s status as a secondary genre are implicit in this bibliographical overview. Its late emergence (well into the classical period) plus its reliance on earlier ''tafsir'' works even for its raw material prevented ''asbāb al-nuzūl''s emergence as a major, independent approach to Qur'anic interpretation.


See also

*
Tafsir Tafsir ( ; ) refers to an exegesis, or commentary, of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' (; plural: ). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, interpretation, context or commentary for clear understanding ...
* Naskh *


References


Further reading

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Asbab Al-Nuzul Asbab al-nuzul Quranic exegesis