كَذَٰلِكَ أَرْسَلْنَٰكَ فِىٓ أُمَّةٍۢ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهَآ أُمَمٌۭ لِّتَتْلُوَا۟ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ وَهُمْ يَكْفُرُونَ بِٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ۚ قُلْ هُوَ رَبِّى لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْهِ مَتَابِ
Thus have We sent you to a community before which [other] communities have passed on so you might recite to them that which We revealed to you, while they disbelieve in the Most Merciful. Say, "He is my Lord; there is no deity except Him. Upon Him I rely, and to Him is my return."
Introduction
This is āyah 30 of Sūrat Ar-Ra'd (The Thunder), the 96th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Medinan period and sits within Juzʾ 13. Medinan verses often address community life, law, and the building of society.
This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.
Revelation & occasion
- Period
- Medinan
- Order revealed
- 96 of 114
- Surah
- Ar-Ra'd (13)
(� while they are disbelievers in the Beneficent�) [13:30]. The commentators of the Qur�an said: �This verse was revealed at the treaty of Hudaybiyyah when they were about to write the document of the treaty. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to �Ali: �Write in the Name of Allah, the Beneficent (al-Rahman), the Merciful�. Sahl ibn �Amr and the idolaters said: �We do not know anyone by the name of the beneficent (al-Rahman) except the ruler of al-Yamamah�, meaning Musaylimah the liar, �rather, write: in Your Name, O Allah!� This is how the people of the pre-Islamic period used to write. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed about them this verse�. Said ibn �Abbas, according to the report of al-Dahhak: �This was revealed about the unbelievers of Quraysh when the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to them (� Adore the Beneficent! They say; And what is the Beneficent? Are we to adore whatever thou (Muhammad) biddest us?) [25:60], and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse. He said (Say) to them, the Beneficent Whom you deny (He is my Lord; there is no god save Him�)�.
Tafsir
Hafiz Ibn Kathir
Chains of transmission
Oral — isnād
- ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation
Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.
- 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation
Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.
- TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation
Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.
Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.
Written — the manuscript record
- ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation
The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).
- 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation
Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.
- Modern printModern printawaiting curation
The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.
A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.
And now — what do you think?
The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.
Community resources
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