۞ أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَن تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا نَزَلَ مِنَ ٱلْحَقِّ وَلَا يَكُونُوا۟ كَٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ مِن قَبْلُ فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْأَمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ ۖ وَكَثِيرٌۭ مِّنْهُمْ فَٰسِقُونَ
Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allah and what has come down of the truth? And let them not be like those who were given the Scripture before, and a long period passed over them, so their hearts hardened; and many of them are defiantly disobedient.
Introduction
This is āyah 16 of Sūrat Al-Hadid (The Iron), the 94th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Medinan period and sits within Juzʾ 27. 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
- 94 of 114
- Surah
- Al-Hadid (57)
(Is not the time ripe for the hearts of those who believe to submit to Allah�s reminder�) [57:16]. Al-Kalbi and Muqatil said: �This verse was revealed about the hypocrites, one year after Emigration. This is because one day they asked Salman al-Farisi: �Tell us about what is in the Torah for it contains wonders�, and so this verse was revealed�. Others said that this verse was revealed about the believers. �Abd al-Qahir ibn Tahir informed us> Abu �Amr ibn Matar> Ja�far ibn Muhammad al-Firyabi> Ishaq ibn Rahwayh> �Amr ibn Muhammad al-Qurashi> Khallad ibn Muslim al-Saffar> �Amr ibn Qays al-Mula�i> �Amr ibn Murrah> Mus�ab ibn Sa�d> Sa�d who said: �The Qur�an was revealed to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and he recited it to them for a while. Then they said: �O Messenger of Allah, if only you narrate to us [the events of old]�, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (We narrate unto thee (O Muhammad) the best of narratives in that We have inspired in thee this Qur�an) [12:3]. He recited these to them for a while until they said: �O Messenger of Allah, if only you recite to us statements�. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Allah hath (now) revealed the fairest of statements�) [39:23]. They were commanded all that through the Qur�an�. Khallad said: �Another narrator added: They also asked him: �O Messenger of Allah, if only you reminded us�. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Is not the time ripe for the hearts of those who believe to submit to Allah�s reminder�)�.
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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