لِّيُدْخِلَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ جَنَّٰتٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا وَيُكَفِّرَ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمْ ۚ وَكَانَ ذَٰلِكَ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًۭا
[And] that He may admit the believing men and the believing women to gardens beneath which rivers flow to abide therein eternally and remove from them their misdeeds - and ever is that, in the sight of Allah, a great attainment -
Introduction
This is āyah 5 of Sūrat Al-Fath (The Victory), the 111th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Medinan period and sits within Juzʾ 26. 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
- 111 of 114
- Surah
- Al-Fath (48)
(That He may bring the believing men and the believing women into Gardens underneath which rivers flow�) [48:5]. Sa�id ibn Muhammad al-Muqri� informed us> Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Madini> Ahmad ibn �Abd al-Rahman al-Saqati> Yazid ibn Harun> Hammam> Qatadah> Anas who said: �When the verses (Lo! We have given thee (O Muhammad) a signal victory that Allah may forgive thee of thy sin that which is past and that which is to come�) were revealed, the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: �Congratulations, O Messenger of Allah, for what Allah has given you; but what do we get?� And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (That He may bring the believing men and the believing women into Gardens underneath which rivers flow)�. Muhammad ibn �Abd al-Rahman al-Faqih informed us> Abu �Amr ibn Abi Hafs> Ahmad ibn �Ali al-Mawsili> �Abd Allah ibn �Umar> Yazid ibn Zuray�> Sa�id ibn Qatadah who said: �The verse (Lo! We have given thee (O Muhammad) a signal victory) was revealed to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, upon his return from al-Hudaybiyyah. It was revealed when his Companions were sad because they were prevented from performing the pilgrimage; they had to do with offering their sacrifices at al-Hudaybiyyah. When this verse was revealed, the Prophet said to his Companions: �A verse was revealed to me which is better than the whole world�. And when he recited it, one man said: �Congratulations, O Messenger of Allah! Allah has told what will be done with you. But what will be done with us?� And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (That He may bring the believing men and the believing women into Gardens underneath which rivers flow)�.
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.
Community resources
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