Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahihah

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says: I pondered over a verse of the Noble Qur’an and understood it, but no one has asked me about it. Now I do not know whether people have understood this verse, so they do not ask about it, or the (argument or issue) has not even occurred to their minds so that they would ask about it. Then he began narrating hadiths to us. When he stood up, we began to blame ourselves for not asking him about that verse. I said: When he comes tomorrow, I will ask him. When he came the next day, I said: Ibn Abbas! Yesterday you said about a verse that no one has asked you about it, and now you do not know whether people have understood it, so they are not asking, or that point has not occurred to their minds? Then I said: Now tell me that verse and the verses before it. He said: Yes, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to the Quraysh: “O assembly of Quraysh! There is no good in anyone who is worshipped besides Allah.” The Quraysh knew that the Christians worshipped ‘Isa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him) and criticized Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). So they said: O Muhammad! Do you not claim that ‘Isa (peace be upon him) was a prophet and a righteous servant among the servants of Allah? If your statement is true (that there is no good in any deity besides Allah), then (including Sayyiduna ‘Isa, peace be upon him) there will be no good in their deities? At that time, Allah revealed these verses: “And when the son of Maryam is presented as an example, your people raise a clamor at it with joy.” (Surah Az-Zukhruf: 57) I said: What is the meaning of «يصدون»? He said: To make noise and commotion. “And indeed, he (‘Isa, peace be upon him) is a sign of the Hour.” (Az-Zukhruf: 61) This means the descent of Sayyiduna ‘Isa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him) before the Day of Resurrection.” __QUR_N__ __XREF_N__ __REF_N__