أَفَرَءَيْتَ ٱلَّذِى تَوَلَّىٰ
Have you seen the one who turned away
Introduction
This is āyah 33 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)
(Didst thou (O Muhammad) observe him who turned away, And gave a little, then was grudging?) [53:33-34]. Ibn �Abbas, al-Suddi and al-Musayyib ibn Sharik said: �This was revealed about �Uthman ibn �Affan who used to spend his wealth on alms and good causes. His milk brother, �Abd Allah ibn Abi Sarh, said to him: �What is this that you are doing? You have almost nothing left�. �Uthman said: �I have committed sins and mistakes and I seek the pleasure of Allah, glorious and majestic is He, in that which I do; I hope He will pardon me�. �Abd Allah said to him: �Give me your camel with its load and I will bear for you all your sins�. He gave him what he asked for and got people to witness it. He also stopped giving some of the alms he used to give. Allah, glorious and majestic is He, therefore, revealed (Didst thou (O Muhammad) observe him who turned away, And gave a little, then was grudging?) upon which �Uthman returned to what he used to do; he did even better�. Mujahid and Ibn Zayd said: �This was revealed about al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah. The latter had followed the religion of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. But one of the idolaters reviled him for it, saying: �Why did you leave the religion of the elders whom you claimed were in error and are abiding in hellfire?� He said: �I feared Allah�s chastisement�. The man gave him assurances that he will bear in his stead the chastisement of Allah, glorious and majestic is He, in exchange for some of his wealth and on condition that he reverts to his idolatry. Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah gave the man some of what they had agreed but then felt miserly and refused to give him the rest. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed this verse�.
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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