قُل لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ يَغْفِرُوا۟ لِلَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ أَيَّامَ ٱللَّهِ لِيَجْزِىَ قَوْمًۢا بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ
Say, [O Muhammad], to those who have believed that they [should] forgive those who expect not the days of Allah so that He may recompense a people for what they used to earn.
Introduction
This is āyah 14 of Sūrat Al-Jaathiya (The Crouching), the 65th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Meccan period and sits within Juzʾ 25. Meccan verses tend to address faith, the oneness of God, and the hereafter.
This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.
Revelation & occasion
- Period
- Meccan
- Order revealed
- 65 of 114
- Surah
- Al-Jaathiya (45)
(Tell those who believe to forgive those who hope not for the days of Allah�) [45:14]. �Ata� related that Ibn �Abbas said: �It is to �Umar ibn al-Khattab specifically that this verse refers. By �those who hope not for the days of Allah� the verse refers to �Abd Allah ibn Ubayy. What happened is that, upon the expedition of Banu�l-Mustaliq, the Muslims stopped by a well called al-Muraysi�. �Abd Allah ibn Ubayy sent his slave to get some water but he took too long. When he came back he asked him: �What has delayed you?� He said: �The slave of �Umar stood at the aperture of the well and did not let anyone draw water until he filled up the water skins of the Prophet, Abu Bakr and his own master�. �Abd Allah exclaimed: �Our example and the example of these people is as the saying goes: Fatten your dog, it will bite you�. When �Umar Ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be well pleased with him, heard this, he seized his sword, intending to go and kill �Abd Allah ibn Ubayy, but then Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse�. Abu Ishaq al-Tha�alibi informed us> al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn �Abd Allah> Musa ibn Muhammad ibn �Ali> al-Hasan ibn �Alawayh> Isma�il ibn �Isa al-�Attar> Muhammad ibn Ziyad al-Yashkuri> Maymun ibn Mihran> Ibn �Abbas who said: �When the verse (Who is he that will lend Allah a goodly loan�) [57:11] was revealed, a Jewish man in Medina by the name of Finhas said: �Muhammad's Lord is in need!� When �Umar ibn al-Khattab heard this, he got his sword and went looking for him [to kill him]. Gabriel, peace be upon him, went to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said to him: �Your Lord says to you (Tell those who believe to forgive those who hope not for the days of Allah�)�. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: �Certainly, by Him Who has sent you with the truth, anger will not show on my face!� �
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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