What Is Meant by Revelatory Circumstances (Asbab Al-Nuzul)?
Answered by Shaykh Anas al-Musa
Question
What is meant by “revelatory circumstances” (asbab al-nuzul) and what are the benefits of knowing them?
Answer
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger sent as a mercy to the worlds, our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, and his Family and Companions.
Revelatory Circumstances (Asbab Al-Nuzul)
The term “revelatory circumstances” (asbab al-nuzul) refers to the events or circumstances that prompted the revelation of a specific verse or verses of the Quran, addressing or clarifying a ruling during the time of the event.
Example
An example of the revelatory circumstances is:
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) fell ill and did not get up (for prayer) for two or three nights. Then a woman (wife of Abu Lahab) came to him and said: ‘O Muhammad! I think that your Satan has forsaken you, for I have not seen him with you for two or three nights!’ Upon this, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, revealed:
“By the morning sunlight, and the night when it falls still! Your Lord (O Prophet) has not abandoned you, nor has He become hateful (of you).” [Quran, 93:1-3] [Bukhari]
Specific Issue
In our definition, the phrase “during the time of the event” refers to the circumstances in which the Quran was revealed, addressing that specific cause. However, when the Quran recounts past events, such as the stories of ‘Ad and Thamud, or the building of the Ka‘ba, these do not fall under the category of “revelatory circumstances” because they are accounts of those nations and events, and the Quran was not revealed due to them. Rather, these are verses revealed without a specific cause, just as the arrival of the Abyssinians to destroy the Ka‘ba was not a revelatory circumstance for the revelation of Surat al-Fil.
It should be noted that not all of the Quran was revealed due to specific circumstances; some of it was revealed because of a cause, while other parts were revealed without a specific cause.
Benefits
As for the benefits of knowing the revelatory circumstances, they include:
1. Understanding the context in which the verse should be interpreted and removing any ambiguity in its meaning. This means that knowing the revelatory circumstance is fundamental to interpreting the verse, and therefore, exegetes rely on it to comprehend the meanings of the Quran.
Ibn Daqiq al-‘Id said: “Explaining the revelatory circumstance is a strong method for understanding the meanings of the Quran.”
Wahidi said: “It is not possible to interpret the verse without knowing its story and the context of its revelation.”
2. Understanding the wisdom behind the legislation and recognizing the objectives of the Sacred Law and how the legal rulings were revealed in a manner that was appropriate to the circumstances, addressing the events, and fulfilling the needs of those responsible for following them.
For example, whoever reads the revelatory circumstances for the gradual prohibition of alcohol, one verse after another, understands the necessity of prohibiting alcohol. [See: Zarkashi, al-Burhan, Suyuti, al-Itqan, ‘Itr, ‘Ulum al-Quran]
Summary
The revelatory circumstances demonstrate that the Quran was not revealed merely to seek blessings through its recitation—although it contains the greatest of blessings—but rather as a guide for life, regulating transactions such as sales, marriages, divorces, judgments, and inheritance, as well as acts of worship like purification, prayer, and fasting, among others. It was not intended solely for individuals, but also covers marital relations and international relations.
May Allah bless the Prophet Muhammad and give him peace, and his Family and Companions.
[Shaykh] Anas al-Musa
Shaykh Anas al-Musa, born in Hama, Syria, in 1974, is an erudite scholar of notable repute. He graduated from the Engineering Institute in Damascus, where he specialized in General Construction, and Al-Azhar University, Faculty of Usul al-Din, where he specialized in Hadith.
He studied under prominent scholars in Damascus, including Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri and Shaykh Adib al-Kallas, among others. Shaykh Anas has memorized the Quran and is proficient in the ten Mutawatir recitations, having studied under Shaykh Bakri al-Tarabishi and Shaykh Mowfaq ‘Ayun. He also graduated from the Iraqi Hadith School.
He has taught numerous Islamic subjects at Shari‘a institutes in Syria and Turkey. Shaykh Anas has served as an Imam and preacher for over 15 years and is a teacher of the Quran in its various readings and narrations.
Currently, he works as a teacher at SeekersGuidance and is responsible for academic guidance there. He has completed his Master’s degree in Hadith and is now pursuing his Ph.D. in the same field. Shaykh Anas al-Musa is married and resides in Istanbul.
