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سُورَةُ الزُّخۡرُفِ · 43:57
MeccanRevelation order ٦٣Juzʾ ٢٥Page ٤٩٣

۞ وَلَمَّا ضُرِبَ ٱبْنُ مَرْيَمَ مَثَلًا إِذَا قَوْمُكَ مِنْهُ يَصِدُّونَ

٥٧
Saheeh International · EN

And when the son of Mary was presented as an example, immediately your people laughed aloud.

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Introduction

This is āyah 57 of Sūrat Az-Zukhruf (The Ornaments of Gold), the 63rd sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Meccan period and sits within Juzʾ 25. 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.

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Revelation & occasion

Asbāb al-Nuzūl
Period
Meccan
Order revealed
63 of 114
Surah
Az-Zukhruf (43)
Occasion of revelation · Al-Wahidi

(And when the son of Mary is quoted as an example�) [43:57]. Isma�il ibn Ibrahim al-Nasrabadhi informed us> Isma�il ibn Nujayd> Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Khalil> Hisham ibn �Ammar> al-Walid ibn Muslim> Shayban ibn �Abd al-Rahman> �Asim ibn Abi al-Nujud> Abu Razin> Abu Yahya, the client of Ibn �Afra�> Ibn �Abbas who said: �The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to the Quraysh: �O Quraysh, there is no good in anyone who is worshipped beside Allah�. They said to him: �Do you not claim that Jesus was a Prophet and a righteous slave? If what you claim is true, he is like a deity to them�. As a response, Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse (And when the son of Mary is quoted as an example)�. We have already mentioned this story and the debate of Ibn al-Zib�ara with the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, upon dealing with the occasion of revelation of Allah�s saying (Lo! Ye (idolaters) and that which ye worship beside Allah are fuel of hell�) [21:98].

Commentary

Tafsir

4 works

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

And when the son of Maryam is quoted as an example, behold, your people cry aloud thereat (57)And say: "Are our gods better or is he?" They quoted not the above example except for argument. Nay! But they are a quarrelsome people (58)He was not more than a servant. We granted Our favor to him, and We made him an example for the Children of Israel (59)And if it were Our will, We would have made angels to replace you on the earth (60)And he shall be a known sign for (the coming of) the Hour. Therefore have no doubt concerning it. And follow Me! This is the straight path (61)And let not Shaytan hinder you. Verily, he (Shaytan) to you is a plain enemy (62)And when 'Isa came with clear proofs, he said: "I have come to you with Al-Hikmah, and in order to make clear to you some of that in which you differ. Therefore have Taqwa of Allah and obey me. (63)"Verily, Allah! He is my Lord and your Lord…
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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