Social Quranevery verse · a conversation
Sign in
سُورَةُ الشُّعَرَاءِ · 26:79
MeccanRevelation order ٤٧Juzʾ ١٩Page ٣٧٠

وَٱلَّذِى هُوَ يُطْعِمُنِى وَيَسْقِينِ

٧٩
Saheeh International · EN

And it is He who feeds me and gives me drink.

Bio

Introduction

This is āyah 79 of Sūrat Ash-Shu'araa (The Poets), the 47th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Meccan period and sits within Juzʾ 19. 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
47 of 114
Surah
Ash-Shu'araa (26)
Occasion of revelation · Al-Wahidi

And who gives me to eat and gives me drink. Abraham was shunning delicious and refreshing foods and clear and refined drinks. They said to him, “Why do you not want this and why do you not eat?” He answered, “Surely His are the creation and the command [7:54]. This form of ours is commanded by His creation, and this soul of ours is commanded by His command. We have tied ourselves to His desire and pulled ourselves into the stable of His graciousness so that He will not leave us without nourishment.” The compass of Power had not yet turned around the circle of existence when He gave every- one what was suited for him and was done with him. “God is finished with creation, character, moment of death, and provision.” One person is in bondage to the nourishment of the soul, another hopes for the nourishment of the heart. The nourishment of the soul is food and drink, and the nourishment of the heart is recognition and love. One person lives through the soul-he lives by food and air. Another lives through the Real-he lives by love and remembrance. Whenever this verse was recited Dhu'l-Nūn Miṣrī would say, “Who gives me to eat of the food of recognition, and gives me to drink of the wine of love.” Then he would sing, “The wine of love is the best wine- every other wine is a mirage.” Abū Bakr al-Warrāq said, “Who gives me to eat without food and gives me to drink without drink. Metaphorically, 'He satiates me and quenches me without attachment.' There is evidence for this in the account of the cup-bearer during the era of God's Messenger. For three days the Prophet was heard reciting 'There is no creature crawling on the earth but that its provision rests on God' [11:6]. He had doubts about his proximity. Then someone came to him in a dream with a cup of the wine of the Garden and gave him to drink of it. Anas said, 'After that he lived twenty-some years never eating or drinking because of appetite.'”

Commentary

Tafsir

4 works

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Who has created me, and it is He Who guides me (78)And it is He Who feeds me and gives me to drink (79)And when I am ill, it is He Who cures me (80)And Who will cause me to die, and then will bring me to life (81)And Who, I hope, will forgive me my faults on the Day of Recompense (82) Ibrahim Mentions Allah's Kindness Towards Him Ibrahim said, "I will not worship any but the One Who does these things: الَّذِي خَلَقَنِي فَهُوَ يَهْدِينِ (Who has created me, and it is He Who guides me.) He is the Creator Who has decreed certain things to which He guides His creation, so each person follows the path which is decreed for him. Allah is the One Who guides whomsoever He wills and leaves astray whomsoever He wills. وَالَّذِي هُوَ يُطْعِمُنِي وَيَسْقِينِ (And it is He Who feeds me and gives me to drink.) He is my Creator Who provides for me from that which He has made available in the heave…
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.

The wall

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.

Sign in to add your voice to this verse.
No reflections yet — be the first.
Provenance

Community resources

No community resources for this verse yet.