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سُورَةُ آلِ عِمۡرَانَ · 3:72
MedinanRevelation order ٨٩Juzʾ ٣Page ٥٩

وَقَالَت طَّآئِفَةٌۭ مِّنْ أَهْلِ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ ءَامِنُوا۟ بِٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَجْهَ ٱلنَّهَارِ وَٱكْفُرُوٓا۟ ءَاخِرَهُۥ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ

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Saheeh International · EN

And a faction of the People of the Scripture say [to each other], "Believe in that which was revealed to the believers at the beginning of the day and reject it at its end that perhaps they will abandon their religion,

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Introduction

This is āyah 72 of Sūrat Aal-i-Imraan (Family of Imran), the 89th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Medinan period and sits within Juzʾ 3. 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.

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Revelation & occasion

Asbāb al-Nuzūl
Period
Medinan
Order revealed
89 of 114
Surah
Aal-i-Imraan (3)
Occasion of revelation · Al-Wahidi

(And a party of the People of the Scripture say: Believe in that which hath been revealed unto those who believe�) [3:72]. Al-Hasan and al-Suddi said: �Twelve rabbis from the Jews of Khaybar and the town of �Uraynah conspired with each other, saying: �Pretend to join the religion of Muhammad at the beginning of the day and declare your disbelief in it at the end of the day. Say: �We have looked in our Scriptures and consulted our scholars and found that Muhammad is not genuine; it is clear to us now that he is lying and that his religion is false�. If you do this, his Companions will doubt their religion. They will say: these are people of the Book and they are more knowledgeable than us. They will then abandon their religion and embrace yours�. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse, thus informing His Prophet Muhammad, Allah bless him and give him peace, and the rest of the believers�. Mujahid, Muqatil and al-Kalbi said: �This was revealed regarding the qiblah when it was changed toward the Ka�bah. The Jews found it hard to accept that they were opposed, and so Ka�b ibn al-Ashraf and his companions said: �Believe in that which was revealed to Muhammad regarding the matter of the Ka�bah, pray toward it at the beginning of the day and then disbelieve in the Ka�bah and return toward your qiblah at the end of the day. They might then say: these are people of the Book and they know better than us. They might then return to our qiblah�. Allah, exalted is He, warned His Prophet from the scheming of these people and informed him about what they were conspiring; He revealed (And a party of the People of the Scripture say�)�.

Commentary

Tafsir

4 works

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

A party of the People of the Scripture wish to lead you astray. But they shall not lead astray anyone except themselves, and they perceive not (69)"O People of the Scripture! Why do you disbelieve in the Ayat of Allah, while you bear witness. (70)"O People of the Scripture! Why do you mix truth with falsehood and conceal the truth while you know? (71)And a party of the People of the Scripture say: "Believe in the morning in that which is revealed to the believers, and reject it at the end of the day, so that they may turn back (72)And believe no one except the one who follows your religion." Say (O Prophet): "Verily, right guidance is the guidance of Allah." (And they say:) "Do not believe that anyone can receive like that which you have received, otherwise they would engage you in argument before your Lord." Say: "All the bounty is in the Hand of Allah; He grants to whom He wills. And A…
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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