فَأَوْحَىٰٓ إِلَىٰ عَبْدِهِۦ مَآ أَوْحَىٰ
And he revealed to His Servant what he revealed.
Introduction
This is āyah 10 of Sūrat An-Najm (The Star), the 23rd sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Meccan period and sits within Juzʾ 27. 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
- 23 of 114
- Surah
- An-Najm (53)
He revealed to His servant what He revealed. Even though He said these words with the lid on and left them obscure so as to declare the great- ness of that state and the magnificence of MuṣṬafā's measure, it has been mentioned in some books that a group of the Companions asked MuṣṬafā what this revelation was. MuṣṬafā explained as much as their capacity was able to bear. He said that the Lord of the Worlds complained about his community, saying, “O MuḤammad, in holding to the covenant, I who am the Lord did not create any of the depths of hell for your community. But they, in breaking the covenant, are trying to throw themselves into hell. O MuḤammad, I am the Exalter and the Abaser. He is exalted whom I exalt, and He is abased whom I abase. They are seeking exaltation from elsewhere and they see abasement com- ing from elsewhere. O MuḤammad, I do not ask them today for tomorrow's deeds, but today they seek from Me tomorrow's provision. O MuḤammad, the provision that I have put in their name I will not give to another, but they give the deeds that are My rightful due and fitting for Me to others through eye-service. O MuḤammad, the blessings come from Me and they show gratitude to others. O MuḤammad, nonetheless, I am seeking for pretexts to forgive your community. O MuḤammad, were it not that I love to rebuke them and talk with them, I would not call them to account for anything. O MuḤammad, I did four things with previous communities that I will not do with your community: I took a people into the earth, I changed a people's form, I rained down stones on a people, and I destroyed a people with the flames of fire. Because of your eminence and rank, I will not do any of these with your community. O MuḤammad, I secluded you with Me to show the people who you are and to show you who I am.” When God's Messenger saw all this honoring and exalting from the Exalted Threshold, he said, “Lord God, bestow all of my community on me!” The command came, “O MuḤammad, tonight you came alone. As a favor for your coming to this feast, I bestow upon you a third of that. Tomorrow at the resurrection in the Greatest Gather- ing, I will bestow the rest on you. Then the world's folk will know your level and rank with Me.” And God is the success-giver and helper!
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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