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سُورَةُ النَّجۡمِ · 53:43
MeccanRevelation order ٢٣Juzʾ ٢٧Page ٥٢٧

وَأَنَّهُۥ هُوَ أَضْحَكَ وَأَبْكَىٰ

٤٣
Saheeh International · EN

And that it is He who makes [one] laugh and weep

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Bio

Introduction

This is āyah 43 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.

Bio

Revelation & occasion

Asbāb al-Nuzūl
Period
Meccan
Order revealed
23 of 114
Surah
An-Najm (53)
Occasion of revelation · Al-Wahidi

(And that He it is who maketh laugh, and maketh weep) [53:43]. Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Wa�iz informed us> Abu �Abd Allah al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Thaqafi> �Abd Allah ibn al-Fadl> Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al-Maqdimi> Dalal bint Abi al-Mudil> al-Sahba�> �A�ishah who said: �One day, the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, passed by a group of people who were laughing, so he said: �If you knew what I know, you would cry a lot and laugh very little�. Gabriel, peace be upon him, then came down to him and said: �Allah, exalted is He, says (And that He it is who maketh laugh, and maketh weep)�. So he went back to the group of people and said: �I did not walk even forty steps when Gabriel, peace be upon him, met me and said: Go to those people and say to them that Allah, glorious and majestic is He, says: (And that He it is who maketh laugh, and maketh weep)� �.

Commentary

Tafsir

4 works

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

And that to your Lord is the End (42)And that it is He Who makes laugh, and makes weep (43)And that it is He Who causes death and gives life (44)And that He creates the pairs, male and female (45)From Nutfah when it is emitted (46)And that upon Him is another bringing forth (Resurrection)(47)And that it is He Who Aghna and Aqna (48)And that He is the Lord of Ash-Shi'ra (49)And that it is He Who destroyed the former 'Ad (50)And Thamud. He spared none of them (51)And the people of Nuh aforetime. Verily, they were more unjust and more rebellious and transgressing (52)And He destroyed the overthrown cities (53)So, there covered them that which did cover (54)Then which of the graces of your Lord will you doubt (55) Some Attributes of the Lord, that He returns Man as He originated Him, and some of what He does with His Servants Allah the Exalted said, وَأَنَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ الْمُنْتَهَىٰ (…
Provenance

Chains of transmission

Oral — isnād

  1. ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation

    Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.

  2. 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation

    Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.

  3. 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

  1. ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation

    The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).

  2. 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation

    Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.

  3. 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.

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Provenance

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