Tafseer of The Heights · Al-A'raaf · 7:143
And when Moses arrived at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, "My Lord, show me [Yourself] that I may look at You." [Allah] said, "You will not see Me, but look at the mountain; if it should remain in place, then you will see Me." But when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He rendered it level, and Moses fell unconscious. And when he awoke, he said, "Exalted are You! I have repented to You, and I am the first of the believers."
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.
Explanation of the saying of the Exalted: Wa-lammā jāʾa Mūsā li-mīqātinā wa-kallamahu rabbuhu qāla rabbi arinī anẓur ilayka qāla lan tarānī wa-lākini-nẓur ilā al-jabal fa-ini-staqarra makānahu fa-sawfa tarānī ("And when Mūsā came at the time We had appointed and his Lord spoke to him, he said: My Lord, show Yourself to me that I may behold You. He said: You will not see Me, but look at the mountain; if it remains in its place, then you will see Me.") (7:143)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: And when Mūsā came at the time at which We had promised to meet him — "and his Lord spoke to him," and held a confidential conversation with him — Mūsā "said" to his Lord: (Show Yourself to me that I may behold You), whereupon Allah answered him: "(You will not see Me, but look at the mountain)."
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The occasion for Mūsā's request to his Lord to be allowed to behold Him was what follows hereafter:
15073 - Mūsā ibn Hārūn related this to me, he said: ʿAmr related to us, he said: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, who said: When his Lord spoke to Mūsā, peace be upon him, he longed to behold Him, and he said: "My Lord, show Yourself to me that I may behold You. He said: You will not see Me, but look at the mountain; if it remains in its place, then you will see Me." Then the mountain was surrounded [by angels], and the angels were surrounded by fire, and the fire was surrounded by angels, and those angels were surrounded by fire. Thereupon his Lord revealed Himself to the mountain.
15074 - Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Isḥāq related to us, he said: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, concerning the saying of the Exalted: Wa-qarrabnāhu najiyyan [Maryam: 52] ("And We brought him near in confidential converse"), he said: One who met companions of the Prophet ﷺ related to me that the Lord brought him so near that he heard the scratching of the pen. Then he said, out of longing for Him: (My Lord, show Yourself to me that I may behold You. He said: You will not see Me, but look at the mountain).
15075 - Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: Al-Ḥusayn related to me, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Abū Bakr al-Hudhalī, who said: When Mūsā, peace be upon him, remained behind after the thirty (days), until he heard the speech of Allah, he longed to behold Him and said: My Lord, show Yourself to me that I may behold You! He said: You will not see Me, and no human is able to behold Me in this world; whoever beholds Me dies! He said: My God, I have heard Your speech and I long to behold You, and it is dearer to me to behold You and then die than to live without seeing You! He said: Then look at the mountain; if it remains in its place, then you will see Me.
15076 - Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: ʿAbd Allāh related to us, he said: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the saying: (My Lord, show Yourself to me that I may behold You), he said: Grant me (that).
15077 - Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, who said: Mūsā appointed Hārūn as his deputy over the children of Israel and said: I hasten to my Lord, take my place among my people and do not follow the path of the corrupters. Then Mūsā went to his Lord, hastening to the meeting with Him out of longing for Him, while Hārūn remained among the children of Israel, and with him was the Samaritan (al-Sāmirī), who marched on with them in the track of Mūsā to make them join him. When Allah spoke to Mūsā, he desired to behold Him and asked his Lord to be allowed to behold Him, whereupon Allah said to Mūsā: Truly, you will not see Me; but look at the mountain, if it remains in its place, then you will see Me), the verse. Ibn Isḥāq said: This is what has reached us in the Book of Allah concerning the report about Mūsā when he asked to behold his Lord. The People of the Book and the people of the Torah, however, claim that there existed prior to this an exposition, a story, and many matters, and an exchange of words that has not reached us in the Book of Allah; and Allah knows best.
Ibn Isḥāq narrated, on the authority of some scholars who were formerly (acquainted) with the traditions of the People of the Book, that in the exposition which they possess of the report about Mūsā — when he requested that of his Lord — they find that among his words, when he desired to behold Him and requested that of Him, and his Lord gave him the answer that He gave, was: that Mūsā had purified himself and purified his clothing and fasted in preparation for meeting his Lord. So when he came to Mount Sinai, and Allah was near him in the cloud and spoke to him, he glorified Him, praised Him, proclaimed His greatness and sanctified Him, with humility and sorrowful weeping. Then he began with his praise and said: My Lord, how mighty are You and how mighty is Your whole affair! Among Your greatness is that there was nothing before You, for You are the One, the All-Subduer. It is as though Your Throne, beneath Your greatness, is a fire that burns before You, and You have made a curtain [of light], and beneath it a curtain of light. How mighty are You, Lord, and how mighty is Your kingdom! You have placed between You and Your angels a distance of five hundred years' travel. How mighty are You, Lord, and how mighty is Your kingdom in Your dominion! When You wish to decree something among Your hosts that are in heaven or that are on earth, and Your hosts that are in the sea, You send the wind from with You, which sees nothing of Your creation except You, if You so will, and which enters into the innermost being of whomever You will of Your prophets, so that they convey what You will to Your servants. None of Your angels is capable of anything of Your greatness, nor of Your Throne, nor does he hear Your voice. You have favored me and shown me great honor in favor, and shown me all goodness! You have made me mighty among the communities of the earth, and You have made me mighty before Your angels, and You have made me hear Your voice, and You have granted me Your speech, and You have given me Your wisdom. If I wished to enumerate Your favors, I would not be able to count them, and if I wished to thank You, I would not be capable of it. I called upon You, Lord, against Pharaoh with the mighty signs and the severe chastisement, and I struck with my staff which was in my hand upon the sea, and it split open for me and for whoever was with me! And I called upon You when I crossed the sea, and You drowned Your enemy and my enemy. And I asked You for water for me and for my community, and I struck with my staff which was in my hand upon the rock, and from it You gave me and my community to drink. And I asked You for my community for food that none before them had eaten, and You commanded me to call upon You from the east and from the west; and I called upon You from the east of my community, and You gave them the manna from the east [for myself], and You gave them the quails from their west, from the direction of the sea. And I complained of the heat and called upon You, and You shaded them with the cloud. I cannot enumerate Your favors towards me, nor count them, and if I wished to thank them, I would not be capable of it. Today, then, I have come to You, longing, asking, imploring, humble, that You may give me what You have withheld from others. I request it of You, and I ask You, O Possessor of greatness, power and dominion, that You show Yourself to me that I may behold You, for I have longed to see Your countenance, which nothing of Your creation has seen! The Lord of majesty said to him: Do you not see, O son of ʿImrān, what you say? You have spoken words mightier than the whole of creation! No one sees Me and remains alive thereafter. [In the heavens there is none that can contain Me, for they are too weak to bear My greatness, and on the earth there is none that can contain Me, for it is too weak to hold My host.] I am not in one place, that I should reveal Myself to an eye that looks at Me. Mūsā said: O Lord, to behold You and die is dearer to me than not to behold You and live. The Lord of majesty said to him: O son of ʿImrān, you have spoken words mightier than the whole of creation; no one sees Me and remains alive! He said: Lord, complete Your favor to me, complete Your mercy to me, and complete Your goodness to me with that for which I have asked You; it is not for me to behold You and then be taken away, but I long to behold You that my heart may be at rest. He said to him: O son of ʿImrān, no one shall ever see Me and remain alive thereafter! Mūsā said: Lord, complete Your favor to me, complete Your mercy to me, and complete Your goodness to me with that for which I have asked You; and to die thereafter is dearer to me than life! Then the Most Merciful, who has mercy upon His creation, spoke: You have asked (it), O Mūsā, [and it has been revealed] that I shall grant you your request if you are able to behold Me. Go then and take two tablets, then look at the greatest rock at the summit of the mountain, for what is behind it and beneath it is a space that affords room only for your seat, O son of ʿImrān. Look then, for I shall descend to you with My hosts, few and many. Then Mūsā did as his Lord had commanded him: he hewed out two tablets and climbed up the mountain with them and sat down upon the rock. When he took his place upon it, Allah commanded His hosts that are in the lowest heaven, saying: Set your shoulders around the mountain. They heard what the Lord said and carried out His command. Then Allah sent the lightning bolts, the darkness, and the mist over what bordered the mountain that bordered Mūsā, four farsakhs from every side. Thereafter Allah commanded the angels of the lowest heaven to pass by Mūsā, and they appeared to him and passed by him like the flight of the nughar-birds, while their mouths overflowed with sanctification and praise in mighty voices like the sound of heavy thunder. Then Mūsā ibn ʿImrān, peace be upon him, said: Lord, I had no need of this; my eyes see nothing more, their sight has gone through the radiance of the light that was ranged in rows over the angels of my Lord! Then Allah commanded the angels of the second heaven: Descend upon Mūsā and appear to him! And they descended like lions, with a loud roar of praise and sanctification, so that the weak servant, the son of ʿImrān, became filled with terror at what he saw and what he heard, and every hair on his head and his skin shuddered. Then he said: I regret my request of You; is there anything that can save me from the place in which I find myself? The great one of the angels and their chief said to him: O Mūsā, be patient with what you have asked, for little is this of the much that you will yet see! Then Allah commanded the angels of the third heaven: Descend upon Mūsā and appear to him! And they arrived like eagles, with crackling, roaring and violent din, and their mouths overflowed with praise and sanctification, like the din of the mighty army, like the blazing flame of fire. Then Mūsā became filled with terror, his soul grew sorrowful, he conceived evil forebodings, and he despaired of life. The great one of the angels and their chief said to him: Stay in your place, O son of ʿImrān, until you see what you will not be able to endure! Then Allah commanded the angels of the fourth heaven: Descend and appear to Mūsā ibn ʿImrān! And they arrived and descended upon him, and nothing of those who had passed by him before them resembled them: their colors were like the blazing flame of fire, and the rest of their form like white snow, their voices raised in praise and sanctification, and nothing of the voices of those who had passed by him before them came near to it. Then his knees knocked against each other, his heart trembled, and his weeping grew violent. The great one of the angels and their chief said: O son of ʿImrān, be patient with what you have asked, for little is this of the much that you will yet see! Then Allah commanded the angels of the fifth heaven: Descend and appear to Mūsā! And they descended upon him in seven colors, so that Mūsā could not follow them with his gaze, and he had not seen their like, nor heard the like of their voices, and his innermost being was filled with fear, his sorrow grew violent and his weeping grew abundant. The great one of the angels and their chief said to him: O son of ʿImrān, stay in your place until you see what you will not be able to endure! Then Allah commanded the angels of the sixth heaven: Descend upon My servant who has asked to see Me, Mūsā ibn ʿImrān, and appear to him! And they descended upon him, in the hand of each angel something like a tall palm tree of fire, fiercer in light than the sun, and their clothing like the blazing flame of fire. When they glorified and sanctified, all of those who had come before them of the angels of the heavens answered them, saying with powerful voices: "Sanctified, Most Holy, the Lord of majesty, eternal, He does not die." On the head of each angel of them were four faces. When Mūsā saw them, he raised his voice and glorified along with them when they glorified, while weeping and saying: "Lord, remember me and do not forget Your servant; I do not know whether I will escape from that in which I find myself or not — if I go out, I am burned, and if I remain, I die"! The great one of the angels and their chief said to him: It is but little, O son of ʿImrān, before your innermost being becomes overfull, your heart is torn loose and your weeping grows violent; so be patient with Him for whose beholding you have sat down, O son of ʿImrān! The mountain of Mūsā was a mighty mountain, and Allah commanded that His Throne be borne. Then He said: Pass with Me by My servant that he may see Me, for little is this of the much that he has seen! Then the mountain split asunder through the greatness of the Lord, and the light of the Throne of the Most Merciful overspread the mountain of Mūsā, and the angels of the heavens all together raised their voices, so that the mountain quaked and was shattered, and every tree that stood upon it. And the weak servant, Mūsā ibn ʿImrān, fell down unconscious upon his face, without his soul being with him. Then Allah, through His mercy, sent (back) the life, and He covered him with His mercy, and He turned over the rock upon which he was and made it like a stomach, in the form of a dome, so that Mūsā would not be burned. And the Spirit raised him up, as a mother raises up her fetus when it falls. He said: Then Mūsā rose, glorifying Allah and saying: I believe that You are my Lord, and I affirm that no one sees You and remains alive, and that whoever looks at Your angels, his heart is torn loose. How mighty are You, Lord, and how mighty are Your angels! You are the Lord of lords, the God of gods and the King of kings; You command the hosts that are with You and they obey You, and You command the heaven and what is in it and it obeys You, without deeming Yourself exalted above that; nothing is like You and nothing can stand against You. Lord, I have turned to You in repentance. All praise be to Allah, who has no partner; how mighty and how exalted are You, Lord of the worlds!
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Explanation of the saying of the Exalted: Fa-lammā tajallā rabbuhu lil-jabal jaʿalahu dakkan wa-kharra Mūsā ṣaʿiqan ("And when his Lord revealed Himself to the mountain, He leveled it to the ground, and Mūsā fell down unconscious")
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: And when the Lord revealed Himself to the mountain, Allah made the mountain "dakkan," that is to say: level with the ground — "and Mūsā fell down unconscious (ṣaʿiqan)," that is to say: struck senseless.
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In the sense of what we have said, the exegetes have explained it.
* Mention of those who said that:
15078 - Al-Ḥusayn ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr al-ʿAnqazī related to me, he said: My father related to me, he said: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the saying of Allah: (And when his Lord revealed Himself to the mountain, He leveled it to the ground), he said: There revealed itself of Him no more than the measure of a little finger — (He made it dakkan), he said: into dust — (and Mūsā fell down ṣaʿiqan), he said: unconscious.
15079 - Mūsā related to us, he said: ʿAmr related to us, he said: Asbāṭ related to us, he said: Al-Suddī claimed, on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, that he said: There revealed itself of Him as much as a little finger, and the mountain was leveled to the ground, and Mūsā fell down unconscious, and he remained unconscious for as long as Allah willed.
15080 - Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said concerning the saying: (and Mūsā fell down ṣaʿiqan), he said: unconscious.
15081 - Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning the saying: (And when his Lord revealed Himself to the mountain, He made it dakkan), he said: one part of it collapsed upon the other — (and Mūsā fell down ṣaʿiqan), that is to say: dead.
15082 - Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj: (and Mūsā fell down ṣaʿiqan), that is to say: dead.
15083 - Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning the saying: (dakkan), he said: one part of it shattered the other.
15084 - Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Suwayd related to us, he said: Ibn al-Mubārak informed us, he said: I heard Sufyān say concerning the saying: (And when his Lord revealed Himself to the mountain, He made it dakkan), he said: The mountain sank into the earth, until it ended up in the sea, and it continues to go along with it.
15085 - Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: Al-Ḥusayn (related to us), on the authority of al-Ḥajjāj, on the authority of Abū Bakr al-Hudhalī: (And when his Lord revealed Himself to the mountain, He made it dakkan), it collapsed and disappeared beneath the earth, and it will not appear again until the Day of Resurrection.
15086 - Aḥmad ibn Suhayl al-Wāsiṭī related to us, he said: Qurra ibn ʿĪsā related to us, he said: Al-Aʿmash related to us, on the authority of a man, on the authority of Anas, on the authority of the Prophet ﷺ, who said: "When his Lord revealed Himself to the mountain, He pointed with His finger and made it dakkan" — and Abū Ismāʿīl showed us (the movement) with his index finger.
15087 - Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Al-Ḥajjāj ibn al-Minhāl related to me, he said: Ḥammād related to us, on the authority of Thābit, on the authority of Anas: that the Prophet ﷺ recited this verse: (And when his Lord revealed Himself to the mountain, He made it dakkan), and he did thus with his finger — and the Prophet ﷺ placed his thumb on the upper joint of his little finger — "and the mountain sank away".
15088 - Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Hudba ibn Khālid related to us, he said: Ḥammād ibn Salama related to us, on the authority of Thābit, on the authority of Anas ibn Mālik, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited: (And when his Lord revealed Himself to the mountain, He made it dakkan), he said: he placed his thumb near the tip of his little finger, he said: and the mountain sank away. Then Ḥumayd said to Thābit: Do you say this? He said: Then Thābit raised his hand and struck the chest of Ḥumayd and said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ says it, and Anas says it, and should I conceal it!
15089 - Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Isḥāq related to us, he said: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ: (And when his Lord revealed Himself to the mountain, He made it dakkan, and Mūsā fell down ṣaʿiqan), and that is because the mountain, when the veil was removed and it saw the light, became like one of the hills (dakk).
15090 - Al-Ḥārith related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, he said: Abū Saʿd related to us, on the authority of Mujāhid: Wa-lammā jāʾa Mūsā li-mīqātinā wa-kallamahu rabbuhu qāla rabbi arinī anẓur ilayka qāla lan tarānī wa-lākini-nẓur ilā al-jabal fa-ini-staqarra makānahu ("And when Mūsā came at the time We had appointed and his Lord spoke to him, he said: My Lord, show Yourself to me that I may behold You. He said: You will not see Me, but look at the mountain; if it remains in its place"), for it is greater than you and stronger of form — (And when his Lord revealed Himself to the mountain), and he looked at the mountain, which could not hold itself upright, and the mountain began to collapse upon its base (in the utmost abasement). When Mūsā saw what befell the mountain, he fell down unconscious.
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The reciters differed in the reading of His saying: (dakkan). Most of the reciters of the people of Medina and Basra read it: (dakkan), in the short form (without lengthening) and with tanwīn, in the meaning of: "Allah shattered the mountain altogether (dakkan)," that is to say: He pulverized it; relying therein upon the saying of Allah: Kallā idhā dukkati al-arḍu dakkan dakkan [Sūrat al-Fajr: 21] ("Nay, when the earth is shattered, shattering after shattering") and His saying: Wa-ḥumilati al-arḍu wa-l-jibālu fa-dukkatā dakkatan wāḥidatan [Sūrat al-Ḥāqqa: 14] ("And the earth and the mountains are lifted up and shattered with a single blow"). Some adduced as a witness for that the saying of Ḥumayd:
"The rumbling shatters the pillars of the mountains, its brave ones march forth with the slender white (swords)."
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Most of the reciters of the people of Kufa read it: "jaʿalahu dakkāʾa," with lengthening and without the genitive and without tanwīn, like
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"ḥamrāʾ" (red) and "sawdāʾ" (black). Among those who read it thus was ʿIkrima, and he said concerning it what follows hereafter:
15091 - Aḥmad ibn Yūsuf related this to me, he said: Al-Qāsim ibn Sallām related to us, he said: ʿAbbād ibn ʿAbbād related to us, on the authority of Yazīd ibn Ḥāzim, on the authority of ʿIkrima, who said: "dakkāʾ, one of the dakkāwāt (low hills of clay)." And he said: When Allah, blessed and exalted is He, looked at the mountain, it became a plain of dust.
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The linguists differed concerning its meaning when it is read thus.
Some of the grammarians of Basra said: The Arabs say: "nāqa dakkāʾ" (a dakkāʾ she-camel), namely one that has no hump. And he said: "the mountain" is masculine, so it is not fitting that it should be derived from that, unless He made it as: "like a dakkāʾ," with "like" (mithl) omitted, and it being treated in the same manner as: Wa-s-ʾali al-qaryata [Sūrat Yūsuf: 82] ("And ask the town").
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Some of the grammarians of Kufa said: The meaning of that is: He made the mountain a level earth (arḍan dakkāʾa), and then "the earth" was omitted and "the dakkāʾ" was put in its place, because it took over its function.
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Abū Jaʿfar said: The correct of the two readings therein, in my opinion, is the reading of those who read: (jaʿalahu dakkāʾa), with lengthening and without the genitive, because of the indication of the narration which we have transmitted from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for its correctness. That is because it is transmitted from him ﷺ that he said: "and the mountain sank away," and he did not say: "and it was pulverized," nor "it turned into dust." There is no doubt that when it sank away and disappeared, the surface of the earth became visible, so that it took the place of the she-camel whose hump has disappeared, and which became dakkāʾ, without a hump. But when a part of it is shattered, then a part merely breaks and pulverizes the other, and it does not sink away. And "the dakkāʾ" is a substitute for "the earth," and that is why it was made feminine, as I have explained.
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The meaning of the word is then: And when his Lord revealed Himself to the mountain, it sank away, and He made in its place a level earth (dakkāʾ). And we have already explained earlier the meaning of "al-ṣaʿq" with its witnesses, in a manner that exempts us from repeating it in this place.
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Explanation of the saying of the Exalted: Fa-lammā afāqa qāla subḥānaka tubtu ilayka wa-anā awwalu al-muʾminīn (143) ("And when he came to, he said: Glory be to You, I turn to You in repentance, and I am the first of the believers.")
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: And when Mūsā, peace be upon him, his consciousness returned from his swoon — and that is the coming to from the unconsciousness into which Mūsā ﷺ had fallen — "he said: Glory be to You," as glorification of You, O Lord, and as a declaration that You are free of anyone beholding You in this world and then remaining alive — "I turn to You in repentance," from my request to You for that which I asked You concerning the beholding — "and I am the first of the believers," in You, from my people, that no one shall behold You in this world without perishing.
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In the sense of what we have said, a group of the exegetes have explained it.
* Mention of those who said that:
15092 - Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, he said: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Mūsā related to us, on the authority of Abū Jaʿfar al-Rāzī, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ ibn Anas, on the authority of Abū al-ʿĀliya, concerning the saying: "I turn to You in repentance, and I am the first of the believers," he said: There were believers before him, but he says: I am the first who believes that no one of Your creation shall see You until the Day of Resurrection.
15093 - Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Isḥāq related to us, he said: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, who said: When Mūsā saw that and came to, he realized that he had asked for a matter that did not befit him, and he said: "Glory be to You, I turn to You in repentance, and I am the first of the believers." Abū al-ʿĀliya said: He meant: I am the first who believes in You that no one shall see You before the Day of Resurrection.
15094 - ʿAbd al-Karīm ibn al-Haytham related to me, he said: Ibrāhīm ibn Bashshār related to us, he said: Sufyān said, he said: Abū Saʿd said, on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "and Mūsā fell down ṣaʿiqan," and the angels passed by him while he was unconscious, and they said: O son of the menstruating women, you have truly asked your Lord for a mighty matter! When he came to, he said: Glory be to You, there is no god but You, I turn to You in repentance, and I am the first of the believers! He said: I am the first who believes that no one of Your creation sees You — that is to say: in this world.
15095 - Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣāliḥ related to us, he said: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the saying: "He said: Glory be to You, I turn to You in repentance, and I am the first of the believers," he says: I am the first who believes that nothing of Your creation sees You.
15096 - Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, he said: My father related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of a man, on the authority of Mujāhid: "Glory be to You, I turn to You in repentance," he said: from my request for the beholding.
15097 - Al-Ḥārith related to me, he said: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, he said: Abū Saʿd related to us, on the authority of Mujāhid: "He said: Glory be to You, I turn to You in repentance," from my asking You for the beholding.
15098 - Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, he said: Abū Nuʿaym related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of ʿĪsā ibn Maymūn, on the authority of a man, on the authority of Mujāhid: "Glory be to You, I turn to You in repentance," from my asking You for the beholding.
15099 - Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, he said: Ibn ʿUyayna informed us, on the authority of ʿĪsā ibn Maymūn, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the saying: "Glory be to You, I turn to You in repentance," he said: I turn to You in repentance from my asking You for the beholding.
* * *
Others said: The meaning of his saying is: and I am the first of those who believe in You from the children of Israel.
* Mention of those who said that:
15100 - Al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAmr ibn Muḥammad al-ʿAnqazī related to me, he said: My father related to us, he said: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "and I am the first of the believers," he said: The first who believed in You of the children of Israel.
15101 - Mūsā ibn Hārūn related to me, he said: ʿAmr ibn Ḥammād related to us, he said: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "and I am the first of the believers," that is to say: the first of the believers of the children of Israel.
15102 - 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, concerning the saying of Allah: "and I am the first of the believers," I am the first of my people in faith.
15103 - Ibn Wakīʿ and al-Muthannā related to us, they both said: Abū Nuʿaym related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of ʿĪsā ibn Maymūn, on the authority of a man, on the authority of Mujāhid: "and I am the first of the believers," he says: the first of my people in faith.
15104 - 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: "and I am the first of the believers," he said: I am the first of my people in faith.
15105 - Al-Ḥārith related to me, he said: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, he said: Abū Saʿd related to us, he said: I heard Mujāhid say concerning the saying: "and I am the first of the believers," he said: The first of my people who believed.
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Abū Jaʿfar said: We have preferred the view which we chose in His saying: "and I am the first of the believers," over the view of those who said: Its meaning is: I am the first of the believers of the children of Israel — because there were before him among the children of Israel believers and prophets, among whom were the sons of Israel (Yaʿqūb) themselves, who were believers and prophets. Therefore we have preferred the view which we have set out earlier.
