۞ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ ۖ وَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُۥ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ
O Messenger, announce that which has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message. And Allah will protect you from the people. Indeed, Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.
Introduction
This is āyah 67 of Sūrat Al-Maaida (The Table Spread), the 112th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Medinan period and sits within Juzʾ 6. 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
- 112 of 114
- Surah
- Al-Maaida (5)
O Messenger! Make known that which hath been revealed unto thee from thy Lord�) [5:67]. Said al-Hasan: �The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: �When Allah, exalted is He, sent me as His message, I felt oppressed by it, for I knew that some people will give me the lie�. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was apprehensive of the Quraysh, Jews and Christians, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse�. Abu Sa�id Muhammad ibn �Ali al-Saffar informed us> al-Hasan ibn Ahmad al-Makhladi> Muhammad ibn Hamdun ibn Khalid> Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Halwani> al-Hasan ibn Hammad Sijjadah> �Ali ibn �Abis> al-A�mash> Abu�l-Hajjab> �Atiyyah> Abu Sa�id al-Khudri who said: �This verse (O Messenger! Make known that which hath been revealed unto thee from thy Lord�) was revealed on the day of �Ghadir Khumm� about �Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be well pleased with him�. (Allah will protect thee from mankind) [5:67]. Said �A�ishah, may Allah be well pleased with her: �The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, stayed up one night and so I said: �What�s the matter, O Messenger of Allah?� He said: �Is there not any righteous man who would stand to watch over us tonight?� Then we heard commotion caused by arms and the Messenger of Allah asked: �Who�s there?� �It is Sa�d and Hudhayfah, we have come to keep watch over you�, came the response. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, went to sleep, and he slept so deep that I heard his snoring; this verse was then revealed. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, then popped his head out of the collar of his garment and said: �O people, you can leave, for Allah has protected me� �. Isma�il ibn Ibrahim al-Wa�iz informed us> Isma�il ibn Nujayd> Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Khalil> Muhammad ibn al-�Ala�> al-Himmani> al-Nadr> �Ikrimah> Ibn �Abbas who said: �The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, used to be guarded. Abu Talib used to send every day men from the Banu Hashim to guard him until this verse was revealed (O Messenger! Make known that which hath been revealed unto thee from thy Lord) up to His words (Allah will protect thee from mankind). And so when his uncle wanted to send with him people to protect him, he said: �O uncle! Indeed Allah has protected me from the jinn and humans� �.
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.
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