It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, that a group of the noble Companions passed by a man from Banu Sulaym who had some goats with him. He greeted the Companions with salam, but the Companions said: "He is only saying salam to seek protection from you." They killed him and took possession of his goats. When they brought those goats to the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, Allah the Exalted revealed this verse: {وَلَا تَقُولُوْا لِمَنْ أَ لْقٰی إِلَیْکُمْ السَّلَامَ لَسْتَ مُؤْمِنًا تَبْتَغُونَ عَرَضَ الْحَیَاۃِ الدُّنْیَا} … And do not say to the one who offers you salam, "You are not a believer." You seek the goods of worldly life.

Narrated by Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abi Hadard (may Allah be pleased with him): The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent us towards the mountain or place of Idham. So I set out with a group of Muslims; Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah Harith bin Rabi’i and Sayyiduna Muhallim bin Jathamah (may Allah be pleased with them both) were also part of this group. We set out, and when we reached the plain of Idham, ‘Amir Ashja’i passed by us. He was a young man riding a camel, carrying some goods and a water-skin of milk and ghee. He greeted us with salam, so we did not attack him, but Muhallim bin Jathamah attacked him and killed him with the weapon he had, and took his camel and belongings. When we came to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), we related this incident to him, and regarding us, this Qur’an was revealed: {یَا أَ یُّہَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُوْا إِذَا ضَرَبْتُمْ فِی سَبِیلِ اللّٰہِ فَتَبَیَّنُوا وَلَا تَقُولُوْا لِمَنْ أَ لْقٰی إِلَیْکُمُ السَّلَامَ لَسْتَ مُؤْمِنًا تَبْتَغُونَ عَرَضَ الْحَیَاۃِ الدُّنْیَا فَعِنْدَ اللّٰہِ مَغَانِمُ کَثِیرَۃٌ کَذٰلِکَ کُنْتُمْ مِنْ قَبْلُ فَمَنَّ اللّٰہُ عَلَیْکُمْ، فَتَبَیَّنُوا إِنَّ اللّٰہَ کَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِیرًا} … O you who have believed! When you go forth in the cause of Allah, investigate carefully, and do not say to one who offers you peace,“You are not a believer,”seeking the goods of worldly life; for with Allah are many spoils. You yourselves were like that before, then Allah conferred His favor upon you, so investigate carefully. Indeed, Allah is ever, with what you do, fully acquainted.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Zaid bin Thabit, he says: I was sitting beside the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, when sakinah (the state during the descent of revelation) overcame him. At that time, the thigh of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was upon my thigh. I have never felt the weight of anything heavier than the weight of his thigh. When this state ended, he, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Write. So I wrote on a shoulder blade: {لَا یَسْتَوِی الْقٰعِدُوْنَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِیْنَ وَالْمُجٰہِدُوْنَ فِیْ سَبِیْلِ اللّٰہِ بِاَمْوَالِہِمْ وَاَنْفُسِہِمْ فَضَّلَ اللّٰہُ الْمُجٰہِدِیْنَ بِاَمْوَالِہِمْ وَاَنْفُسِہِمْ عَلَی الْقٰعِدِیْنَ دَرَجَۃً وَکُلًّا وَّعَدَ اللّٰہُ الْحُسْنٰی وَفَضَّلَ اللّٰہُ الْمُجٰہِدِیْنَ عَلَی الْقٰعِدِیْنَ اَجْرًا عَظِیْمًا۔} … Those of the believers who sit (at home) and those who strive hard and fight in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives are not equal. Allah has granted a higher rank to those who strive and fight with their wealth and their lives than to those who sit (at home). To all, Allah has promised good, but Allah has granted a great reward to those who strive and fight above those who sit (at home). Upon hearing this virtue of the Mujahideen, Sayyiduna Ibn Umm Maktum, may Allah be pleased with him, who was blind, stood up and said: O Messenger of Allah! What about the one who cannot participate in jihad due to an excuse? When he had said his words, then again the special state of the descent of revelation overcame the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and his thigh was upon my thigh, and this second time I felt the same weight of his thigh as I had felt the first time. After a while, when this state ended, he, peace and blessings be upon him, said: O Zaid! Recite the verse. So I recited: {لَا یَسْتَوِی الْقَاعِدُونَ مِنْ الْمُؤْمِنِینَ}, and he, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Also write: {غَیْرُ أُولِی الضَّرَرِ}. Then Sayyiduna Zaid bin Thabit, may Allah be pleased with him, says: Allah Almighty revealed this phrase separately, after which I placed it in its proper place. By the One in Whose hand is my soul! Even at that time, I was looking at the spot near the crack of the bone where I had written it.

It is narrated from Abu Ishaq that he heard Sayyiduna Bara’ saying about this verse {لَا یَسْتَوِی الْقَاعِدُونَ مِنْ الْمُؤْمِنِینَ وَالْمُجَاہِدُونَ فِی سَبِیلِ اللّٰہِ}: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, ordered Sayyiduna Zayd, so he came and wrote this verse on a shoulder blade. When Sayyiduna Ibn Umm Maktum, may Allah be pleased with him, mentioned his blindness, these verses were revealed: {لَا یَسْتَوِی الْقَاعِدُوْنَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِیْنَ غَیْرُ اُوْلِی الضَّرَرِ}.

(Second chain) It is narrated from Sayyiduna Bara’ bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: When this verse was revealed {وَفَضَّلَ اللّٰہُ الْمُجَاہِدِینَ عَلَی الْقَاعِدِینَ أَ جْرًا عَظِیمًا}, Sayyiduna Ibn Umm Maktum (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! I am blind, so what is the command for me? In the meantime, these words were revealed: {غَیْرُ أُولِی الضَّرَرِ}. In one narration it is stated: You were still in that very place when this verse was revealed, then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Bring me the shoulder blade and inkpot or the tablet and inkpot.

Yala bin Umayyah (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I asked Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that Allah Almighty has said that if you fear the trial from the disbelievers, then there is no sin upon you in shortening the prayer, whereas now people are in peace? Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) replied to me, saying: That which amazed you, I was also amazed at it, but when I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: This is a charity (and concession) which Allah has given to you, so accept His concession.

Sayyiduna Abu Ayyash Zarqi (may Allah be pleased with him) says: We were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at the place of Usfan, when the polytheists confronted us. They were led by Khalid bin Walid. Those people were between us and the Qiblah. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in the Zuhr prayer. They began to say among themselves: These Muslims are engaged in prayer; if only we could take advantage of their heedlessness. Then they said: Soon, another time for their prayer will come, which is dearer to them than their lives and their children. At that very moment, between Zuhr and Asr, Jibreel (peace be upon him) descended with these verses: {وَاِذَا کُنْتَ فِیْہِمْ فَأَ قَمْتَ لَہُمُ الصَّـلٰوۃَ فَلْتَقُمْ طَائِفَۃٌ مِّـنْـہُمْ مَّعَکَ وَ لْیَأْخُذُوْا اَسْلِحَتَہُمْ فَاِذَا سَجَدُوْا فَلْیَکُوْنُوْا مِنْ وَّرَائِکُمْ وَلْتَأْتِ طَائِفَۃٌ أُخْرٰی لَمْ یُصَلُّوْا فَلْیُصَلُّوْا مَعَکَ} … When you are among them and stand to lead them in prayer, let a group of them stand with you, taking their arms. When they have prostrated, let them fall to the rear and let another group come forward which has not yet prayed and let them pray with you. (An-Nisa: 102) When the time for Asr came, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered the companions to stand with their weapons. We formed two rows behind him. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) bowed in ruku’, we all bowed, and when he rose from ruku’, we also rose. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) prostrated, only those in the first row behind him prostrated, while those in the second row stood guard. When those who had prostrated stood up, the second row sat down and prostrated in their places. Then (at the beginning of the second rak’ah) the front row moved to the back and the back row came forward. In the same way, all the worshippers bowed in ruku’ with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and rose from ruku’. Then, when he prostrated, the first row prostrated with him, and the second row stood guard. When he and the first row sat after prostration, the second row sat and prostrated (and all sat for tashahhud, then) all together said salam and completed the prayer. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led the prayer in this manner twice: once at Usfan and once in the region of Banu Sulaym.

Narrated from Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) that regarding Allah Almighty's statement {اَنْ یَدْعُوْنَ مِنْ دُوْنِہٖاِلَّااِنَاثًا} (And they invoke nothing but female deities), the meaning of "female deities" (inaathan) is that with every idol there is a female jinn.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: I said, "O Messenger of Allah! After the revelation of this verse, how is it possible for a person to be characterized by goodness and uprightness: {لَیْسَ بِأَ مَانِیِّکُمْ وَلَا أَ مَانِیِّ أَ ہْلِ الْکِتَابِ مَنْ یَعْمَلْ سُوئًا یُجْزَ بِہِ} ... The religion is neither according to your desires nor the desires of the People of the Book; whoever does evil will be recompensed for it. Whatever bad deed we do, will we be given its recompense?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Abu Bakr! May Allah forgive you, do you not fall ill? Do you not get tired? Do you not become sad? Do you not experience hardship and difficulty?" I said, "Yes, indeed, we do." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "This is what you are being recompensed for." In another narration: "This is in exchange for that."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that when this verse was revealed: {مَنْ یَعْمَلْ سُوئً ا یُجْزَ بِہِ} … Whoever does evil will be recompensed for it. This was very hard on the Muslims and they became extremely saddened, and they complained about it to the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. He, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Be moderate and remain steadfast on the right path. Whatever hardship befalls a Muslim becomes an expiation for him, even the calamity that afflicts him and the thorn that pricks him.