ٱلَّذِينَ قَالَ لَهُمُ ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّ ٱلنَّاسَ قَدْ جَمَعُوا۟ لَكُمْ فَٱخْشَوْهُمْ فَزَادَهُمْ إِيمَٰنًۭا وَقَالُوا۟ حَسْبُنَا ٱللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ ٱلْوَكِيلُ
Those to whom hypocrites said, "Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them." But it [merely] increased them in faith, and they said, "Sufficient for us is Allah, and [He is] the best Disposer of affairs."
Introduction
This is āyah 173 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 4. 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
- 89 of 114
- Surah
- Aal-i-Imraan (3)
(Those unto whom men said: Lo! the people have gathered against you, therefor fear them�) [3:173]. Abu Ishaq al-Tha'alibi informed us> Abu Salih Shu'ayb ibn Muhammad> Abu Hatim al-Tamimi> Ahmad ibn al-Azhar> Rawh ibn 'Ubadah> Sa'id> Qatadah who said: �This refers to the day of Uhud, following the deaths and wounds that the Muslims had suffered and after the idolaters, Abu Sufyan and his company, had left. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to his Companions: 'Would a group gather for war for Allah's sake and seek their enemy, for this is more prone to cause damage to the enemy and more likely to drive them away for a distance?' A group set off, despite of what Allah knew of their extreme exhaustion. When they reached Dhu'l-Hulayfah, the Bedouins and other people came to them, saying: 'Abu Sufyan is going to attack you', but they only said: 'Allah is Sufficient for us! Most Excellent is He in Whom we trust!' And so Allah, exalted is He revealed about them (Those unto whom men said: Lo! the people have gathered against you, therefor fear them) [3:173] up to His saying (� and Allah is of Infinite Bounty) [3:174]�.
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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