Tafseer of The Cow · Al-Baqara · 2:143
And thus we have made you a just community that you will be witnesses over the people and the Messenger will be a witness over you. And We did not make the qiblah which you used to face except that We might make evident who would follow the Messenger from who would turn back on his heels. And indeed, it is difficult except for those whom Allah has guided. And never would Allah have caused you to lose your faith. Indeed Allah is, to the people, Kind and Merciful.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Surah Al-Baqarah (2:143)
وكذلك جعلناكم أمة وسطا (And thus We have made you a moderate community)
He, exalted is His praise, means by His word: And thus We have made you a moderate community — just as We have guided you, O believers, by means of Muḥammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and by means of that which he brought to you from Allah, and just as We have allotted to you the special favor of success in following the prayer direction (qibla) of Ibrāhīm and his creed, and have favored you thereby above others among the adherents of the creeds — so likewise have We singled you out and favored you above others among the adherents of the religions, in that We have made you a moderate community (umma wasaṭ).
We have already expounded that "umma" means the generation of people, the grouping among them, and the like. As for "al-wasaṭ": that means in the language of the Arabs "the best, the choicest." One says concerning this: "So-and-so is the wasaṭ of lineage among his people," that is: of choice lineage, when one means thereby the loftiness of his lineage; and he is "wasaṭ" among his people and "wāsiṭ," just as one says "a sheep with dry milk (yābisat al-laban)" and "yabisat al-laban," and as He, exalted is His praise, said: فاضرب لهم طريقا في البحر يبسا (Then strike for them a dry path in the sea) (20:77). And Zuhayr ibn Abī Sulmā said concerning al-wasaṭ:
"They are the choicest (wasaṭ); mankind is content with their judgment, when one of the nights descends with its heaviest burden."
He [Abū Jaʿfar] says: I am, however, of the opinion that al-wasaṭ in this place is the "middle," in the sense of the part that lies between the two extremities, like "the middle of the house (wasaṭ al-dār)," with vowel movement on the sīn (wa-sa-ṭ), with doubling, whereby the lightening (shortening) of the sīn is not permitted. And I am of the opinion that Allah, exalted is His mention, has described them as "wasaṭ" only because of their middle position in the religion: they are not people of exaggeration therein, like the exaggeration of the Christians who exaggerated through monasticism and through what they said about ʿĪsā; nor are they people of falling short therein, like the falling short of the Jews who altered the Book of Allah, killed their prophets, uttered lies against their Lord, and disbelieved (kufr) in Him; rather they are people of the middle and of moderation therein. Therefore Allah described them thus, since the most beloved of matters to Allah is the most moderate of them.
As for the interpretation (taʾwīl): it has been transmitted with the meaning that al-wasaṭ means "just, equitable (ʿadl)," and that is the meaning of the choicest, for the choicest among people are their just ones.
Mention of those who said: al-wasaṭ means al-ʿadl (the just):
1789 — Sālim ibn Junāda and Yaʿqūb ibn Ibrāhīm related to us, both of them saying: Ḥafṣ ibn Ghiyāth related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Abū Ṣāliḥ, on the authority of Abū Saʿīd, on the authority of the Prophet ﷺ, concerning His word: And thus We have made you a moderate community , he said: "just ones (ʿudūl)."
* — Mujāhid ibn Mūsā and Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, both of them saying: Jaʿfar ibn ʿAwn related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Abū Ṣāliḥ, on the authority of Abū Saʿīd, on the authority of the Prophet ﷺ, something similar.
1790 — Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, he said: Muʾammal related to us, he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Abū Ṣāliḥ, on the authority of Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī: And thus We have made you a moderate community , he said: "just ones (ʿudūl)."
1791 — ʿAlī ibn ʿĪsā related to me, he said: Saʿīd ibn Sulaymān related to us, on the authority of Ḥafṣ ibn Ghiyāth, on the authority of Abū Ṣāliḥ, on the authority of Abū Hurayra, on the authority of the Prophet ﷺ, concerning His word: We have made you a moderate community , he said: "just ones (ʿudūl)."
1792 — Abū Kurayb related to us, he said: Ibn Yamān related to us, on the authority of Ashʿath, on the authority of Jaʿfar, on the authority of Saʿīd: And thus We have made you a moderate community , he said: just ones (ʿudūl).
1793 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, on the authority of ʿĪsā, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the word of Allah, mighty and exalted is He: And thus We have made you a moderate community , he said: just ones (ʿudūl).
* — Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Ḥudhayfa related to us, he said: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, something similar.
1794 — Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: a moderate community , he said: just ones (ʿudūl).
1795 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, he said: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: a moderate community , he said: just ones (ʿudūl).
1796 — Al-Muthannā related to us, he said: Isḥāq related to us, he said: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, concerning His word: a moderate community , he said: just ones (ʿudūl).
1797 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: And thus We have made you a moderate community , he says: He has made you a just community (umma ʿudūl).
1798 — Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Suwayd ibn Naṣr related to us, he said: Ibn al-Mubārak informed us, on the authority of Rāshid ibn Saʿd, he said: Ibn al-ʿAmm al-Maʿāfirī informed us, on the authority of Ḥabbān ibn Abī Jabala, with his chain of transmission (isnād) back to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: And thus We have made you a moderate community , he said: "al-wasaṭ: the just (al-ʿadl)."
1799 — Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ, Mujāhid, and ʿAbd Allāh ibn Kathīr: a moderate community , they said: just ones (ʿudūl). Mujāhid said: just ones (ʿudūl).
1800 — Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said: And thus We have made you a moderate community , he said: they are a middle position (wasaṭ) between the Prophet ﷺ and the other communities.
لتكونوا شهداء على الناس ويكون الرسول عليكم شهيدا (that you might be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger might be a witness over you)
The exposition of the interpretation of His, the Exalted's, word: that you might be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger might be a witness over you . "al-shuhadāʾ" is the plural of "shahīd" (witness). The meaning of it is: and thus We have made you a moderate, just community, [that you might be] witnesses for My prophets and messengers concerning their communities, regarding the conveyance [of the message]: that they indeed conveyed what they were commanded to convey of My messages to their communities; and that My messenger Muḥammad ﷺ might be a witness over you concerning your belief in him and in that which he brought to you from Me.
As:
1801 — Abū al-Sāʾib related to me, he said: Ḥafṣ related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Abū Ṣāliḥ, on the authority of Abū Saʿīd, he said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Nūḥ, peace be upon him, will be summoned on the Day of Resurrection, and it will be said to him: did you convey that with which you were sent? He will say: yes. Then it will be said to his people: did he convey it to you? Then the [people] will say: no warner came to us. Then it will be said to him [Nūḥ]: who knows that? Then he will say: Muḥammad and his community. And that is His word: And thus We have made you a moderate community, that you might be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger might be a witness over you ."
1802 — Mujāhid ibn Mūsā related to us, he said: Jaʿfar ibn ʿAwn related to us, he said: al-Aʿmash related to us, on the authority of Abū Ṣāliḥ, on the authority of Abū Saʿīd, on the authority of the Prophet ﷺ, something similar, except that he added to it: "Then they [the community of Muḥammad] will be summoned and will bear witness that he indeed conveyed [the message]."
1803 — Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, he said: Muʾammal related to us, he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Abū Ṣāliḥ, on the authority of Abū Saʿīd: And thus We have made you a moderate community, that you might be witnesses over mankind that the messengers indeed conveyed, and the Messenger might be a witness over you concerning what you have performed or done.
1804 — Abū Kurayb related to us, he said: Ibn Fuḍayl related to us, on the authority of Abū Mālik al-Ashjaʿī, on the authority of al-Mughīra ibn ʿUyayna ibn al-Nahhās, that a contract-slave (mukātab) of theirs related to them, on the authority of Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh, that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Indeed, I and my community will stand on the Day of Resurrection upon an elevation, overlooking the creatures; there is not a single one of the communities but it would wish that it belonged to this community, O community! And there is no prophet who was denied by his people, but we are his witnesses on the Day of Resurrection that he indeed conveyed the messages of his Lord and gave them sincere counsel." He said: "and the Messenger might be a witness over you."
1805 — ʿIṣām ibn Rawwād ibn al-Jarrāḥ al-ʿAsqalānī related to me, he said: my father related to us, he said: al-Awzāʿī related to us, on the authority of Yaḥyā ibn Abī Kathīr, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Faḍl, on the authority of Abū Hurayra, he said: I went out with the Prophet ﷺ at a funeral. When he had performed the prayer over the dead person, the people said: what an excellent man! Thereupon the Prophet ﷺ said: "It has become established (wajabat)." Then I went out with him at another funeral. When they had performed the prayer over the dead person, the people said: what a wicked man! Thereupon the Prophet ﷺ said: "It has become established (wajabat)." Then Ubayy ibn Kaʿb rose up to him and said: O Messenger of Allah, what is your statement "wajabat"? He said: "The word of Allah, mighty and exalted is He: that you might be witnesses over mankind ."
* — ʿAlī ibn Sahl al-Ramlī related to me, he said: al-Walīd ibn Muslim related to us, he said: Abū ʿAmr related to me, on the authority of Yaḥyā, he said: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī al-Faḍl al-Madīnī related to me, he said: Abū Hurayra related to me, he said: a funeral was brought to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and the people said: what an excellent man — and then he mentioned something similar to the narration of ʿIṣām on the authority of his father.
1806 — Abū Kurayb related to us, he said: Zayd ibn Ḥubāb related to us, he said: ʿIkrima ibn ʿAmmār related to us, he said: Iyās ibn Salama ibn al-Akwaʿ related to me, on the authority of his father, he said: We were with the Prophet ﷺ, and a funeral was carried past him concerning which good praise was spoken, whereupon he said: "It has become established (wajabat)." And another funeral was carried past him concerning which less than that was spoken, whereupon he said: "It has become established (wajabat)." They said: O Messenger of Allah, what has become established? He said: "The angels are the witnesses of Allah in the heaven, and you are the witnesses of Allah on the earth; and that concerning which you bear witness has become established." Then he recited: وقل اعملوا فسيرى الله عملكم ورسوله والمؤمنون (And say: act, for Allah will see your action, and His Messenger and the believers) (9:105), the [whole] verse.
1807 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: that you might be witnesses over mankind — you will be witnesses for Muḥammad, peace and blessings be upon him, against the communities: the Jews, the Christians, and the Magians (al-majūs).
* — Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, he said: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, something similar.
1808 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: ʿĀṣim related to us, on the authority of ʿĪsā, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, he said: The Prophet ﷺ will come on the Day of Resurrection with His permission, without anyone being with him, and then the community of Muḥammad ﷺ will bear witness for him that he indeed conveyed [the message] to them.
* — Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, he said: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of his father, that he heard ʿUbayd ibn ʿUmayr [say], something similar.
* — Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to us, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, he said: Ibn Abī Najīḥ related to me, on the authority of his father, he said: The Prophet ﷺ will come on the Day of Resurrection — and he mentioned something similar, but he did not mention ʿUbayd ibn ʿUmayr along with it.
1809 — Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: that you might be witnesses over mankind — that is, that their messengers indeed conveyed the message of their Lord to their people; and the Messenger might be a witness over you — that he indeed conveyed the messages of his Lord to his community.
1810 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, he said: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Zayd ibn Aslam: that the people of Nūḥ will say on the Day of Resurrection: Nūḥ did not convey [the message] to us. Then Nūḥ, peace be upon him, will be summoned and asked: did you convey it to them? He will say: yes. Then it will be said: who are your witnesses? He will say: Aḥmad ﷺ and his community. Then you will be summoned and questioned, and you will say: yes, he indeed conveyed it to them. Then the people of Nūḥ, peace be upon him, will say: how can you bear witness against us when you did not live in our time? They [the community of Muḥammad] will say: the Prophet of Allah ﷺ came and informed us that he indeed conveyed it to you, and it was revealed to him that he indeed conveyed it to you, and we held him to be truthful. He said: Then Nūḥ, peace be upon him, will be held truthful and they [his people] will be charged with lying. He said: that you might be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger might be a witness over you .
* — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, he said: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda: that you might be witnesses over mankind — that this community might be witnesses over mankind that the messengers indeed conveyed it to them; and that the Messenger might be a witness over this community, that he indeed conveyed that with which he was sent.
1811 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, he said: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Zayd ibn Aslam: that the [other] communities will say on the Day of Resurrection: by Allah, this community nearly were all of them prophets! — because of what they see that Allah has given them.
1812 — Al-Muthannā related to us, he said: Suwayd ibn Naṣr related to us, he said: Ibn al-Mubārak related to us, on the authority of Rāshid ibn Saʿd, he said: Ibn Anʿam al-Maʿāfirī informed me, on the authority of Ḥabbān ibn Abī Jabala, with his chain of transmission (isnād) back to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he said: "When Allah gathers His servants on the Day of Resurrection, the first to be summoned will be Isrāfīl, and his Lord will say to him: what did you do with My covenant, did you convey My covenant? He will say: yes, my Lord, I conveyed it to Jibrīl, peace be upon them both. Then Jibrīl will be summoned and it will be said to him: did you convey My covenant to Isrāfīl? He will say: yes, my Lord, he conveyed it to me. Then Isrāfīl will be released, and it will be said to Jibrīl: did you convey My covenant? He will say: yes, I conveyed it to the messengers. Then the messengers will be summoned and it will be said to them: did Jibrīl convey My covenant to you? They will say: yes, our Lord. Then Jibrīl will be released. Then it will be said to the messengers: what did you do with My covenant? They will say: we conveyed it to our communities. Then the communities will be summoned and it will be said: did the messengers convey My covenant to you? And among them is the denier and among them is the one who holds [it] true. Then the messengers will say: we have witnesses against them who bear witness that we indeed conveyed it, besides Your testimony. He will say: who bears witness for you? They will say: the community of Muḥammad. Then the community of Muḥammad ﷺ will be summoned, and He will say: do you bear witness that these My messengers conveyed My covenant to those to whom they were sent? They will say: yes, our Lord, we bear witness that they indeed conveyed it. Then those communities will say: how can one bear witness against us who did not live with us? Then the Lord, blessed and exalted is He, will say to them [the community of Muḥammad]: how can you bear witness against those whom you did not live with? They will say: our Lord, You sent to us a messenger, and You sent down to us Your covenant and Your Book, and You recounted to us that they indeed conveyed it; so we bore witness on the basis of what You entrusted to us. Then the Lord will say: they speak the truth. And that is His word: And thus We have made you a moderate community , and al-wasaṭ: the just (al-ʿadl). that you might be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger might be a witness over you ." Ibn Anʿam said: It was reported to me that on that day the community of Muḥammad ﷺ will bear witness, except for the one in whose heart there is a rancor against his brother.
1813 — Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Isḥāq related to us, [he said:] Abū Zuhayr related to us, on the authority of Juwaybir, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, concerning His word: that you might be witnesses over mankind — he means thereby those who were steadfast upon the guidance; they are the ones who will be witnesses over mankind on the Day of Resurrection, on account of their denial of the messengers of Allah and their disbelief in the signs of Allah.
1814 — It was related to me on the authority of ʿAmmār, he said: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, concerning His word: that you might be witnesses over mankind — he says: that you might be witnesses over the communities that have passed away before you, concerning what their messengers brought to them and concerning how they denied them; and so they will say on the Day of Resurrection, full of astonishment: that a community which did not live in our time believed in what our messengers brought, while we denied what they brought! And they will be utterly astonished. His word: and the Messenger might be a witness over you — He means thereby: on account of their belief in him and in what was sent down to him.
1815 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: that you might be witnesses over mankind — that is: that they bore witness over the generations, concerning that which Allah, mighty and exalted is He, has appointed for them.
1816 — Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, he said: Ibn Jurayj said: I said to ʿAṭāʾ: what is His word: that you might be witnesses over mankind ? He said: the community of Muḥammad bore witness against whoever abandoned the truth when belief and guidance came to him, among those who were before us. That is what ʿAbd Allāh ibn Kathīr said. He said: and ʿAṭāʾ said: witnesses against whoever abandoned the truth, among all who abandoned it of mankind together — that has reached the community of Muḥammad ﷺ in their Book: and the Messenger might be a witness over you — that they indeed believed in the truth when it came to them and held it true.
1817 — Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word: that you might be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger might be a witness over you , he said: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is a witness over his community, and they are witnesses over the [other] communities, and they are among the witnesses concerning whom Allah, mighty and exalted is He, said: ويوم يقوم الأشهاد (and on the Day when the witnesses arise) (40:51) — the four angels who record our deeds for us and against us. And he recited His word: وجاءت كل نفس معها سائق وشهيد (and every soul comes, with it a driver and a witness) (50:21) and he said: this is on the Day of Resurrection. He said: and the prophets are witnesses over their communities. He said: and the community of Muḥammad ﷺ are witnesses over the [other] communities, [he said: and the "aṭwār": the bodies and the skins].
وما جعلنا القبلة التي كنت عليها إلا لنعلم من يتبع الرسول ممن ينقلب على عقبيه (And We did not appoint the prayer direction upon which you were except that We might distinguish who follows the Messenger from who turns back on his heels)
The exposition of the interpretation of His, the Exalted's, word: And We did not appoint the prayer direction upon which you were except that We might distinguish who follows the Messenger from who turns back on his heels . He, exalted is His praise, means by His word: And We did not appoint the prayer direction upon which you were — and We did not bring about your turning away from the prayer direction (qibla) toward which you used to face, O Muḥammad, and your turning from it, except that We might distinguish who follows you from who does not follow you, namely who turns back on his heels. And the prayer direction upon which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was, which Allah meant by His word: the prayer direction upon which you were , is the prayer direction toward which you used to face before He turned you toward the Kaʿba.
As:
1818 — Mūsā ibn Hārūn related to me, he said: ʿAmr related to us, he said: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: the prayer direction upon which you were — by it Jerusalem (Bayt al-Maqdis) is meant.
1819 — Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, he said: I said to ʿAṭāʾ: the prayer direction upon which you were ? He said: the prayer direction: Jerusalem (Bayt al-Maqdis).
The mention of the turning away from it was omitted only because the indication of the already-mentioned portion of the statement toward the intended meaning sufficed, as in all the rest that we have previously mentioned in comparable cases. And we have said that this is its meaning only because the trial that Allah imposed on the companions of His Messenger regarding the prayer direction occurred — according to what the narrations concordantly report — at the change (taḥwīl) from Jerusalem to the Kaʿba, until — according to what is transmitted — men became apostate (irtadda) who had converted to Islam and followed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and many of the hypocrites (munāfiqīn) revealed their hypocrisy (nifāq) on account of this and said: what is the matter with Muḥammad that he turns us one time this way and another time that way? And the Muslims said concerning their deceased Muslim brothers, who had prayed in the direction of Jerusalem: our deeds and their deeds have become null and lost. And the polytheists (mushrikīn) said: Muḥammad ﷺ is in confusion regarding his religion. So that was a trial (fitna) for the people and a purification for the believers. Therefore He, exalted is His praise, said: And We did not appoint the prayer direction upon which you were except that We might distinguish who follows the Messenger from who turns back on his heels , that is: and We did not bring about your turning away from the prayer direction upon which you were and your change to another [direction] except — as He, exalted is His praise, said: وما جعلنا الرؤيا التي أريناك إلا فتنة للناس (And We did not make the vision that We showed you except a trial for the people) (17:60), in the meaning: and We did not make your report of the vision that We showed you [except a trial] — for had he not informed the people of what was shown to him, there would have been in it no trial for anyone; and likewise: had there occurred, with the first prayer direction, which was in the direction of Jerusalem, no turning away from it toward the Kaʿba, there would have been in it no trial or test for anyone.
Mention of the narrations that have been transmitted concerning this, in the meaning of what we have said:
1820 — Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, on the authority of Saʿīd, on the authority of Qatāda, he said: The prayer direction contained trial and purification. The Anṣār prayed in the direction of Jerusalem for two years before the coming of the Prophet of Allah ﷺ, and the Prophet of Allah ﷺ prayed, after his coming to Medina as an emigrant (muhājir), seventeen months in the direction of Jerusalem; then Allah turned him after that toward the Kaʿba, the Sacred House. Thereupon some people said concerning that: ما ولاهم عن قبلتهم التي كانوا عليها (what has turned them away from their prayer direction upon which they were) — the man has surely yearned for his birthplace! Allah, mighty and exalted is He, said: قل لله المشرق والمغرب يهدي من يشاء إلى صراط مستقيم (Say: to Allah belong the east and the west; He guides whom He wills to a straight path). When the prayer direction was turned toward the Sacred House, some people said: what about our deeds that we performed in our first prayer direction? Thereupon Allah, mighty and exalted is He, sent down: وما كان الله ليضيع إيمانكم (And Allah would not let your faith be lost). And Allah tries the servants with what He wills of His command, one command after another, that He might distinguish who obeys Him from who disobeys Him. And all of that is accepted, if it occurs in faith in Allah, sincerity toward Him, and submission to His decree.
1821 — Mūsā related to me, he said: ʿAmr related to us, he said: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, he said: The Prophet ﷺ used to pray in the direction of Jerusalem, and the Kaʿba abrogated that (nasakha). When he turned toward the Sacred Mosque (al-Masjid al-Ḥarām), the people became divided concerning that and became various groupings. The hypocrites (munāfiqūn) said: what is the matter with them that they were directed for a time toward one prayer direction and then abandoned it and turned toward another? And the Muslims said: would that we had knowledge concerning our brothers who died while praying in the direction of Jerusalem — has Allah accepted it from us and from them or not? And the Jews said: Muḥammad has yearned for the city of his father and his birthplace; and had he persevered steadfastly upon our prayer direction, we would have hoped that he was our companion for whom we await. And the polytheists among the people of Mecca said: Muḥammad's religion has confused him, and he has turned with his prayer direction toward you and recognized that you were better guided than he, and soon he will enter into your religion. Thereupon Allah, exalted is His praise, sent down concerning the hypocrites: سيقول السفهاء من الناس ما ولاهم عن قبلتهم التي كانوا عليها (the foolish among the people will say: what has turned them away from their prayer direction upon which they were) up to His word: وإن كانت لكبيرة إلا على الذين هدى الله (and indeed, it was truly grave, except for those whom Allah has guided). And concerning the others He sent down the verses after it.
1822 — Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, he said: I said to ʿAṭāʾ: that We might distinguish who follows the Messenger from who turns back on his heels ? Thereupon ʿAṭāʾ said: He tries them that He might distinguish who submits to His command. Ibn Jurayj said: It has reached me that people who had converted to Islam turned back and said: one time this way and another time that way.
If someone says to us: did Allah then not know who follows the Messenger from who turns back on his heels, except after the following of the follower and the turning back on the heels of the one who turns back, so that He said: We did only that which We did, the change of the prayer direction, that We might distinguish who follows the Messenger of Allah ﷺ from who turns back on his heels? — then it is answered: Allah, exalted is His praise, is the One who has knowledge of all things before their existence, and His word: And We did not appoint the prayer direction upon which you were except that We might distinguish who follows the Messenger from who turns back on his heels does not report that He knew that only after its existence. If he says: what then is its meaning? — then it is said to him: as for its meaning according to us, it is: and We did not appoint the prayer direction upon which you were except that My messenger, My party, and My protected ones might distinguish who follows the Messenger from who turns back on his heels. So He, exalted is His praise, said: that We might distinguish , and its meaning is: that My messenger and My protected ones might distinguish, since the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his protected ones belong to His party, and it was the custom of the Arabs to ascribe to the leader that which the followers of the leader did, and likewise that which was done to them; as in their statement: ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb conquered the black-land of Iraq (sawād al-ʿIrāq) and collected the land-tax (kharāj) of it, while in reality his companions did that, as a result of an impetus that came from him. And as in that which has been transmitted concerning the Prophet ﷺ in a comparable case, namely that he said: "Allah, exalted is His praise, says: I fell ill and My servant did not visit Me, and I asked him for a loan and he did not lend to Me, and he reviled Me while it did not befit him to revile Me."
1823 — Abū Kurayb related to us, he said: Khālid related to us, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar, on the authority of al-ʿAlāʾ ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Abū Hurayra, he said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Allah said: "I asked My servant for a loan and he did not lend to Me, and he reviled Me while it did not befit him to revile Me. He says: woe to time! — while I am Time, I am Time."
* — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, on the authority of al-ʿAlāʾ ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Abū Hurayra, on the authority of the Prophet ﷺ, something similar.
So He, exalted is His mention, ascribed the asking for the loan and the visiting to Himself, while in reality that concerned another, since that occurred for His sake. And concerning the Arabs it has been transmitted by narration: "I hunger in other than my belly, and I go naked in other than my back," in the meaning of the hungering of his family and household and the going naked of their backs. Likewise His word: that We might distinguish means: that My protected ones and My party might distinguish. And in agreement with what we have said concerning this, the people of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) have spoken.
Mention of those who said that:
1824 — Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, he said: Muʿāwiya ibn Ṣāliḥ related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭalḥa, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: And We did not appoint the prayer direction upon which you were except that We might distinguish who follows the Messenger from who turns back on his heels , Ibn ʿAbbās said: that We might distinguish the people of certainty (ahl al-yaqīn) from the people of associating partners (shirk) and doubt.
And some of them said: that was said only because the Arabs put knowing in place of seeing, and seeing in place of knowing, as He, exalted is His mention, said: ألم تر كيف فعل ربك بأصحاب الفيل (Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the people of the elephant) (105:1) — he claimed that the meaning of Have you not seen is: have you not known; and he claimed that the meaning of His word: that We might distinguish (lit. know) is: that We might see who follows the Messenger. And he claimed that the speaker's statement "I saw," "I knew," and "I witnessed" are words that interchange with one another, so that one is put in place of another, as Jarīr ibn ʿAṭiyya said:
"As if you had not been a witness to Laqīṭ and Ḥājib, and ʿAmr ibn ʿAmr, when he called out: O Dārim!"
in the meaning: as if you had not known Laqīṭ; for between the death of Laqīṭ and Ḥājib and the time of Jarīr there lay, according to what is not hidden, a long span of time. That is because those whom he named perished in the time of ignorance (al-jāhiliyya), while Jarīr lived after a period had passed since the coming of Islam.
But this is a far-fetched interpretation, because seeing — even though it is used in place of knowing, since it is impossible that anyone sees something without his seeing of it producing knowledge that he indeed saw it, if he is sound of constitution, so that it is permissible, from the standpoint by which seeing establishes the [object], to ascribe to it that it establishes [in him] knowledge, and it is correct to indicate by the mention of seeing the meaning of knowing, precisely for this reason — this, however, even though it holds for seeing on account of what we have described, is not permissible for knowing, so that one might indicate by the mention of the report about knowing the seeing; for the human being can know many things that he has not seen and will not see, while it is impossible that he sees something without knowing it, as we have already expounded. Moreover, it is not found in any part of the language of the Arabs that one says: "I knew such-and-such" in the meaning "I saw it." It is only permissible to direct the meanings of that which is in the Book of Allah, which He sent down to Muḥammad ﷺ, from the statement toward what existed as its equal in the language of the Arabs, and not toward what did not exist in their language. Now, in their language "I saw" exists in the meaning "I knew," but in their language "I knew" does not exist in the meaning "I saw," so that it would [not] be permissible to direct that We might distinguish toward the meaning: that We might see.
And others said: it was said only: that We might distinguish because the hypocrites, the Jews, and the people of disbelief in Allah denied that Allah, exalted is His mention, would know the thing before its existence, and they said, when it was said to them: indeed, a people among the people of the prayer direction will turn back on their heels (apostatize) when the prayer direction of Muḥammad ﷺ is changed toward the Kaʿba: that will not happen, or they said: that is nonsense. When Allah did that, changed the prayer direction, and thereby disbelieved (kufr) whoever disbelieved, Allah, exalted is His praise, said: I did it only that We might show what is with you, O polytheists who deny My knowledge of what exists of things before its existence — namely that I know what will exist of what does not yet exist. So it is as if the meaning of the one who makes this statement, in the interpretation of His word: that We might distinguish is: that We might show you that We know who follows the Messenger from who turns back on his heels. And this, even though it is a possibility with a way out, is far from the comprehensible.
And others said: it was said only: that We might distinguish , while He already knew that before its existence and in every state, by way of gentleness toward His servants and the inclining of them toward His obedience, as He, exalted is His praise, said: قل الله وإنا أو إياكم لعلى هدى أو في ضلال مبين (Say: Allah! And indeed, we or you are upon guidance or in clear error) (34:24) — while He already knew that He was upon guidance and that they were in clear error, but He showed gentleness toward them in the address and therefore did not say: I am upon guidance and you are in error. Likewise the meaning of His word: that We might distinguish according to them is: that you might know — when you did not, before it existed, know it; thus He ascribed the knowing to Himself, out of gentleness in His address to them. And we have already expounded the statement that is most in agreement with the truth in this.
As for His word: who follows the Messenger , that means: the one who follows Muḥammad ﷺ in that which Allah commands him, so that he faces the direction toward which Muḥammad ﷺ faces. And as for His word: from who turns back on his heels , that means: from the one who apostatizes from his religion, so that he becomes a hypocrite or disbeliever, or who opposes Muḥammad ﷺ therein, among those who pretend to follow him.
As:
1825 — Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word: And We did not appoint the prayer direction upon which you were except that We might distinguish who follows the Messenger from who turns back on his heels , he said: the one who, when a doubt befalls him, turns back from Allah and turns back on his heels as a disbeliever.
The origin of "the one who apostatizes by turning back on his heels" is: the one who turns back on his heels, who returns with his back turned upon the path that he had already traversed, turning away from it; then this was said of everyone who returns from a matter in which he was, of religion or of good, and to that belongs His word: فارتدا على آثارهما قصصا (and they returned upon their tracks, retracing) (18:64), in the meaning: they returned upon the path that they had trodden. And the apostate (murtadd) was called "murtadd" only because of his returning from his religion and his creed upon which he was. And it was said only "he turned back on his heels" because of his returning with his back turned upon his heel, toward the side where the beginning of his walking was before his returning from it; and this was made into a likeness for everyone who abandons a matter and takes up another, when he turns away from that in which he was toward that which he had abandoned and takes it up [again]; and so it was said: so-and-so apostatized upon his heel, and he turned back on his heels.
وإن كانت لكبيرة إلا على الذين هدى الله (And indeed, it was truly grave, except for those whom Allah has guided)
The exposition of the interpretation of His, the Exalted's, word: And indeed, it was truly grave, except for those whom Allah has guided . The people of interpretation differed concerning that which Allah, mighty and exalted is He, described as being grave except for those whom Allah has guided. Some of them said: He, exalted is His praise, meant by "the grave" the turning away from Jerusalem toward the Sacred Mosque and the change, and He used the feminine form for "the grave (kabīra)" on account of the feminine form of "the turning (tawliya)."
Mention of those who said that:
1826 — Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣāliḥ related to us, on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭalḥa, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: Allah said: And indeed, it was truly grave, except for those whom Allah has guided , He means thereby the change of it.
1827 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā ibn Maymūn related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the word of Allah, mighty and exalted is He: And indeed, it was truly grave, except for those whom Allah has guided , he said: that which they were commanded, namely the change toward the Kaʿba from Jerusalem.
* — Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, he said: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, something similar.
1828 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, he said: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: truly grave, except for those whom Allah has guided , he said: grave when the prayer direction was changed toward the Sacred Mosque; it was grave, then, except for those whom Allah has guided.
And others said: no, "the grave" is precisely the prayer direction itself toward which he ﷺ used to face, namely Jerusalem, before the change.
Mention of those who said that:
1829 — It was related to me on the authority of ʿAmmār ibn al-Ḥasan, he said: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, on the authority of Abū al-ʿĀliya: And indeed, it was truly grave — that is: the prayer direction of Jerusalem, except for those whom Allah has guided .
And some of them said: no, "the grave" is the prayer that they performed in the direction of the first prayer direction.
Mention of those who said that:
1830 — Yūnus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said: And indeed, it was truly grave, except for those whom Allah has guided , he said: your prayer, until the Prophet ﷺ — [and] Allah, mighty and exalted is He — guided you to the prayer direction.
1831 — And Yūnus related it to me yet another time, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said: And indeed, it was truly grave , he said: your prayer here — that is: in the direction of Jerusalem, sixteen months — and your turning this way.
And some grammarians of Basra said: "the grave (kabīra)" was put in the feminine form on account of the feminine form of "the prayer direction (qibla)," and that precisely is what He, exalted is His praise, meant by His word: And indeed, it was truly grave . And some grammarians of Kufa said: no, "the grave" was put in the feminine form on account of the feminine form of "the turning (tawliya)" and "the change (taḥwīla)." The interpretation of the statement according to those who hold this view is thus: and We did not bring about Our change of you from the prayer direction upon which you were, and Our turning of you away from it, except that We might distinguish who follows the Messenger from who turns back on his heels; and indeed, Our change of you from it and Our turning of you was truly grave, except for those whom Allah has guided.
And this interpretation is, in my opinion, the most correct of the interpretations, because for the people it was precisely the turning of the face of the Prophet ﷺ from the first prayer direction toward the other that fell grave upon them, and not the prayer direction itself nor the prayer; for the first prayer direction and the prayer already existed, and they were not grave upon them — unless one directs the feminine form of "the grave" toward the prayer direction and says: the mention of the prayer direction is made to suffice in place of the mention of the turning and the change, on account of the indication of the statement toward the meaning of it, as we have described to you in comparable cases — then that would be a correct approach and a comprehensible mode of teaching. And the meaning of His word: grave is: weighty, great.
As:
1832 — Yūnus related to us, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said: And indeed, it was truly grave, except for those whom Allah has guided , he said: grave in the hearts of the people, on account of that with which the satan (al-shayṭān) enters upon the son of Adam. He said it [as follows]: what is the matter with them that they prayed this way for sixteen months and then turned away! That fell grave in the hearts of those who do not know and do not comprehend, and of the hypocrites. They said: what kind of religion is this? But as for those who believed, Allah, exalted is His praise, confirmed that in their hearts. And he recited the word of Allah: And indeed, it was truly grave, except for those whom Allah has guided , he said: your prayer, until He guided you to the prayer direction.
Abū Jaʿfar said: And as for His word: except for those whom Allah has guided , He means thereby: and indeed, Our change of you from the prayer direction upon which you were was truly weighty, except for the one to whom Allah, exalted is His praise, granted success and whom He guided to holding you true and believing in you and in it, and to following you therein and in that which Allah, exalted is His mention, sent down to you.
As:
1833 — Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, he said: Muʿāwiya ibn Ṣāliḥ related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭalḥa, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: And indeed, it was truly grave, except for those whom Allah has guided , he says: except for the humble, that is: those who hold true what Allah, blessed and exalted is He, has sent down.
وما كان الله ليضيع إيمانكم (And Allah would not let your faith be lost)
The exposition of the interpretation of His, the Exalted's, word: And Allah would not let your faith be lost . It has been said: by "faith (īmān)" in this place the prayer is meant.
Mention of the narrations that have been transmitted concerning that, and mention of the statement of those who said that:
1834 — Abū Kurayb related to us, he said: Wakīʿ and ʿUbayd Allāh related to us; and Sufyān ibn Wakīʿ related to us, he said: ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Mūsā related to us — all of them together on the authority of Isrāʾīl, on the authority of Simāk, on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, he said: When the Messenger of Allah turned toward the Kaʿba, they said: what about those of our brothers who died before that time while they were praying in the direction of Jerusalem? Thereupon Allah, exalted is His praise, sent down: And Allah would not let your faith be lost .
1835 — Ismāʿīl ibn Mūsā related to me, he said: Sharīk informed us, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, on the authority of al-Barāʾ, concerning the word of Allah, mighty and exalted is He: And Allah would not let your faith be lost , he said: your prayer in the direction of Jerusalem.
* — Aḥmad ibn Isḥāq al-Ahwāzī related to us, he said: Abū Aḥmad al-Zubayrī related to us, he said: Sharīk related to us, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, on the authority of al-Barāʾ, something similar.
1836 — And al-Muthannā related to me, he said: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Nufayl, on the authority of al-Ḥarrānī, related to us, he said: Zuhayr related to us, he said: Abū Isḥāq related to us, on the authority of al-Barāʾ, he said: Upon the [first] prayer direction men died, and they were killed, before it was changed toward the House, and we did not know what we should say concerning them. Thereupon Allah, exalted is His mention, sent down: And Allah would not let your faith be lost .
1837 — Bishr ibn Muʿādh al-ʿAqadī related to us, he said: Yazīd ibn Zurayʿ related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, he said: Some people said, when the prayer direction was turned toward the Sacred House: what about our deeds that we performed in our prayer direction? Thereupon Allah, exalted is His praise, sent down: And Allah would not let your faith be lost .
1838 — Mūsā ibn Hārūn related to me, he said: ʿAmr ibn Ḥammād related to me, he said: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, he said: When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ turned toward the Sacred Mosque, the Muslims said: would that we had knowledge concerning our brothers who died while praying in the direction of Jerusalem — has Allah accepted it from us and from them or not? Thereupon Allah, exalted is His praise, sent down concerning them: And Allah would not let your faith be lost , he said: your prayer in the direction of Jerusalem; He says: indeed, that was an act of obedience and this is an act of obedience.
1839 — It was related to me on the authority of ʿAmmār ibn al-Ḥasan, he said: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, he said: Some people said, when the prayer direction was turned toward the Sacred House: what about our deeds that we performed in our first prayer direction? Thereupon Allah, exalted is His mention, sent down: And Allah would not let your faith be lost , the [whole] verse.
1840 — Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, he said: Ibn Jurayj said: Dāwūd ibn Abī ʿĀṣim informed me, he said: When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was turned toward the Kaʿba, the Muslims said: our companions who were praying in the direction of Jerusalem have perished. Thereupon was sent down: And Allah would not let your faith be lost .
1841 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word: And Allah would not let your faith be lost , he says: your prayer that you performed before the [new] prayer direction existed. And the believers had been anxious concerning whoever among them had prayed [in that direction], that their prayer would not be accepted.
1842 — Yūnus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said: And Allah would not let your faith be lost — your prayer.
1843 — Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Fazārī related to us, he said: al-Muʾammal informed us, he said: Sufyān related to us, [he said:] Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib, concerning this verse: And Allah would not let your faith be lost , he said: your prayer in the direction of Jerusalem.
We have already previously expounded that faith (īmān) is the holding-true (taṣdīq), and that the holding-true may occur by the statement alone, by the deed alone, or by both together. The meaning of His word: And Allah would not let your faith be lost , according to what the narration concordantly confirms that it concerns the prayer, is thus: and Allah would not let the holding-true of His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, that you displayed by your prayer that you performed by His command in the direction of Jerusalem, be lost; for that was from you a holding-true of My messenger, a following of My command, and an obedience from you to Me.
He said: And His letting it be lost — exalted is His praise — were He to let it be lost, would consist in His omitting to reward those who perform and execute it, so that it became lost and null, on the likeness of a man who lets his property be lost, which consists in his squandering it on that for which he receives no recompense, neither in the short nor in the long term. Thus Allah, exalted is His praise, reported that He would not invalidate the work of a performer who has performed for Him a work that is an obedience toward Him, so that He would not reward him for it, even though that obligation was abrogated (nasakha) after the performer had executed it, in accordance with that to which he was obligated regarding his work.
If a speaker says: how has Allah, exalted is His praise, said: And Allah would not let your faith be lost , ascribing the faith to the living addressees, while the people who were addressed by this were precisely anxious concerning their brothers who had died while praying in the direction of Jerusalem, and this verse was precisely sent down concerning their affair? — then it is answered: the people, even though they were anxious concerning that, were also anxious concerning the perishing of the reward of their prayer that they had performed in the direction of Jerusalem before the change toward the Kaʿba, and they supposed that that work of theirs had become null and been lost. Thereupon Allah, exalted is His praise, then sent down this verse and directed its address to the living, including therein the dead among them — for it is the custom of the Arabs, when in the report the addressee and the absent one come together, that they let the addressee predominate, so that the absent one is included in the address, and they say to a man whom they address by way of reporting about him and about another, absent, non-present one: "We have done with you both, and We have performed with you both," on the likeness of their address to them both when they are both present; and they do not consider it permissible to say: "We have done with them both" while addressing one of them, so that they would relegate the addressee to the number of the absent.
إن الله بالناس لرءوف رحيم (Indeed, Allah is toward mankind truly full of compassion, merciful)
The exposition of the interpretation of His, the Exalted's, word: Indeed, Allah is toward mankind truly full of compassion, merciful . He, exalted is His praise, means by His word: Indeed, Allah is toward mankind truly full of compassion, merciful : indeed, Allah is toward all His servants the possessor of compassion (raʾfa). And compassion is the highest of the meanings of mercy (raḥma), and it is general for all creatures in this world, and for some of them in the hereafter. As for "al-raḥīm (the Merciful)," that is the possessor of mercy for the believers in this world and in the hereafter, in accordance with what we have previously expounded.
He, exalted is His praise, meant thereby only that Allah, mighty and exalted is He, is too merciful toward His servants to let an obedience be lost for them by which they obeyed Him so that He would not reward them for it, and too full of compassion toward them to call them to account for the omission of that which He had not prescribed for them. That is: and do not grieve over your dead who died while praying in the direction of Jerusalem, for I reward them thus for their obedience to Me by their prayer that they performed, because I am too merciful toward them to let a work be lost for them that they performed for Me. And do not mourn over them, for I will not call them to account for their omission of the prayer in the direction of the Kaʿba, because I had not prescribed that for them, and I am too full of compassion toward My creatures to punish them for their omission of that whose execution I had not commanded them.
And in [the word] "al-raʾūf" there are several linguistic variants: one of them is "raʾūf" upon the pattern "faʿul," as al-Walīd ibn ʿUqba said:
"And the worst of pursuers — and be not that — is he who kills his uncle, the compassionate, the merciful (al-raʾūf al-raḥīm)."
And this is the reading of the generality of the reciters of the people of Kufa. And the other is "raʾūf" upon the pattern "faʿūl," and that is the reading of the generality of the reciters of Medina. And "raʾif," and that is the linguistic variant of Ghaṭafān, upon the pattern "faʿil," like "ḥadhir." And "raʾuf" upon the pattern "faʿul" with sukūn on the second radical, and that is a linguistic variant of the Banū Asad. And the [accepted] reading is according to one of the first two modes.
