Surah Al-Ahqaf (46) — Ayah 29

(Ayah 29) ➊ Before {وَ اِذْ صَرَفْنَاۤ اِلَيْكَ نَفَرًا مِّنَ الْجِنِّ …:’’ اِذْ ‘‘}, {’’اُذْكُرْ‘‘} is omitted, which is connected to the previously mentioned verse {’’ وَ اذْكُرْ اَخَا عَادٍ ‘‘}. That is, mention to the disbelievers of Makkah the story of Hud (peace be upon him) and his people ‘Ad, who were much stronger and more powerful than them, and what happened to them for denying their messenger. Similarly, what was the outcome of the persistent disbelief of the towns surrounding the people of Makkah, so that the people of Makkah may take a lesson from their fate and refrain from disbelief and polytheism. {’’ وَ اِذْ صَرَفْنَاۤ اِلَيْكَ نَفَرًا مِّنَ الْجِنِّ يَسْتَمِعُوْنَ الْقُرْاٰنَ ‘‘} And mention for these disbelievers the time when We turned a group of jinn towards you and they listened to the Qur’an from you. The purpose is to shame the disbelievers of Makkah: that despite hearing the eloquent, miraculous Qur’an, revealed in the language of the Messenger sent among your own kind, your own Arab race, your own tribe of Quraysh, and your own city of Makkah, for a long time, neither did the Qur’an have any effect on you, nor did you believe in the Messenger, nor did you purify yourselves from the filth of polytheism. Just look at this group of jinn who suddenly arrived at the occasion when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was reciting the Qur’an. They were not from the Messenger’s kind or tribe, but from a different kind altogether, their city was also different, and by chance, they happened to hear the Qur’an on the way. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not even know that a group of jinn was listening to his Qur’an. Despite this, compare their behavior with yours.

➋ {فَلَمَّا حَضَرُوْهُ قَالُوْۤا اَنْصِتُوْا:} When they arrived at that occasion, they said to each other, “Be silent, so that we may listen to the Qur’an attentively.” Look at these jinn, that by the success granted by Allah, they themselves are acting upon the command which is in Surah Al-A’raf: « وَ اِذَا قُرِئَ الْقُرْاٰنُ فَاسْتَمِعُوْا لَهٗ وَ اَنْصِتُوْا لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُوْنَ » [ الأعراف : ۲۰۴ ] “And when the Qur’an is recited, listen to it and remain silent, so that mercy may be shown to you.” And look at yourselves, your way is as Allah has mentioned in Surah Fussilat: « وَ قَالَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا لَا تَسْمَعُوْا لِهٰذَا الْقُرْاٰنِ وَ الْغَوْا فِيْهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَغْلِبُوْنَ» [ حٰمٓ السجدۃ : ۲۶ ] “And those who disbelieve say, ‘Do not listen to this Qur’an and make noise during its recitation, so that you may overcome.’” They are advising each other to listen silently, while you are preventing each other from listening. At least listen, so that the door of mercy may open for you as it did for them. Do not remain stuck in arrogance and the desire for dominance, lest this desire destroys you as it did the people of ‘Ad.

➌ { فَلَمَّا قُضِيَ وَ لَّوْا اِلٰى قَوْمِهِمْ مُّنْذِرِيْنَ:} When the recitation of the Qur’an was completed, not only did they themselves believe, but they also returned to their people to warn them of the consequences of disbelief, because the completion of faith is in this. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) was given some advice by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), one of which was: [ وَ أَحِبَّ لِلنَّاسِ مَا تُحِبُّ لِنَفْسِكَ، تَكُنْ مُؤْمِنًا ] [ ابن ماجہ، الزھد، باب الورع والتقوٰی : ۴۲۱۷ ] “Love for people what you love for yourself, you will become a believer.”

➍ Tabari narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) regarding {’’ وَ اِذْ صَرَفْنَاۤ اِلَيْكَ نَفَرًا مِّنَ الْجِنِّ ‘‘}: “They were seven (male jinn) from the people of Nasibin. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent them as messengers to their people.” [ الطبري : ۳۱۵۷۴ ] Ibn Kathir’s researcher has graded its chain as Hasan.

➎ On what occasion did this group of jinn come? For details, see the reason for revelation of Surah Al-Jinn and the commentary of its opening verses.

29. 1. According to a narration in Sahih Muslim, this incident took place in the valley of Nakhla near Makkah, where the Prophet ﷺ was leading the Companions in the Fajr prayer. The jinn were curious that there had been great strictness imposed on them regarding the heavens, and now it had become almost impossible for them to go there; something very significant must have happened as a result of which this occurred. Therefore, groups of jinn spread out in different directions, east and west, to investigate the matter. One of these groups heard the Qur'an and understood that the event of the Prophet's ﷺ appointment is the very reason for the closure of the heavens upon them, and this group of jinn believed in him and went back to inform their people as well (Muslim, Bukhari) (Sahih Bukhari). In the book "Munaqib al-Ansar," chapter "Mention of the Jinn," there is also mention of some matters. From some other narrations, it is known that after this, the Prophet ﷺ also went to the jinn at their invitation and conveyed Allah's message to them, and several times delegations of jinn also came to the Prophet ﷺ (Fath al-Bari, Tafsir Ibn Kathir).

29. 2. That is, the recitation of the Qur'an by you ﷺ will be completed.

29. And (remember) when We directed a group of jinn towards you, listening to the Quran [41]. When they attended it, they said to each other, "Be silent." Then, when it was finished [42], they returned to their people as warners [43].

[41]
The Population of Jinn on Earth Before Humans:

Out of all the creation of Allah Almighty, there are two types who are obligated to follow the Divine Law: one is the jinn, the other is humans. Before the creation of humans, only the jinn inhabited this earth. Prophets were also sent to them. And just as the majority of humans have remained disobedient to Allah Almighty, so too has the majority of the jinn, and this is still the case.

Afterwards, Prophethood Only Among Humans:

When Allah Almighty created Adam, He made him the noblest of all creation, and the status of the jinn became subordinate to that of humans. The chain of prophethood was closed among the jinn and transferred to humans. Now, the prophets whom Allah Almighty sent for the guidance of humans were also prophets for the jinn. Thus, our Prophet, the Last of the Prophets, was Allah’s messenger for us as well as for the jinn. The mention of the jinn listening to the Quran from you ﷺ is found at this place and also in Surah Al-Jinn. However, traditions indicate that during the Makkan period, about six times such an occasion arose when the jinn listened to the Quran from you ﷺ. We present a few of these traditions. Any differences found among them are only due to the different occasions.
1.
The Jinn Listening to the Quran from Your Tongue:

Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, narrates: Once, you set out with some of your companions intending to go to the market of ‘Ukaz. In those days, the devils were prevented from receiving news from the heavens, and flaming fire was thrown at them. They returned (to the earth) and said among themselves: What has happened? We are prevented from receiving news from the heavens, and flaming fire is thrown at us. Surely, something must have happened because of which we are prevented from receiving news from the heavens. Now, do this: travel throughout the east and west of the earth and see what new thing has happened. Some of these devils came towards Tihamah (Hijaz) and reached you ﷺ. At that time, you ﷺ were in Nakhla and intended to go to the market of ‘Ukaz. You ﷺ were leading your companions in the Fajr prayer. When those jinn heard the Quran, they listened attentively. Then they said: This is the very thing because of which we have been prevented from receiving news from the heavens. Immediately, they returned to their people and said: ﴿اِنَّا سَمِعْنَا قُرْاٰنًا عَجَبًا...احدا﴾ up to this point, and Allah Almighty revealed Surah Al-Jinn to you ﷺ. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, says that the conversation of the jinn was made known to you through revelation. [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير۔ سورة الجن]
2.
The Food of the Jinn:

Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud ؓ narrates: Once, we were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when suddenly he disappeared from us. We searched for you ﷺ in the valleys and ravines of the mountains, but could not find you. We thought that the jinn had taken you away or someone had secretly killed you, and we spent the night in great distress. When morning came, we saw that you were coming from the direction of Hira. We said: O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, last night you disappeared from us, we searched for you but could not find you, so we spent the night in great anxiety. You ﷺ said: A caller from among the jinn came to me, so I went with him and recited the Quran to the jinn. Then they took us with them and showed us their signs and the marks of their fire. Then the jinn asked you for provisions. You ﷺ said: Every bone of an animal slaughtered in the name of Allah is your food. As soon as it falls into your hands, it will become covered with meat. And every dung of a camel is food for your animals. Then you ﷺ said: Do not use bones and dung for istinja (cleaning after relieving oneself), because they are the food of your brothers, the jinn, and their animals. Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud ؓ says: “I was not with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on the night of the jinn, but I always wished I had been with you.” In another narration, Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud ؓ says that the coming of the jinn to you ﷺ was informed by a tree. [مسلم۔ کتاب الصلوٰۃ۔ باب الجھر بالقرآۃ فی الصبح والقراءۃ علی الجن]
[42] The traditions narrated from Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud ؓ in various books of hadith indicate that the first appearance of the jinn, which is mentioned in this verse, took place in the valley of Nakhla. According to another narration, this incident occurred when you were returning to Makkah after being disappointed by the people of Ta’if. On the way, you stayed in the valley of Nakhla, and during the ‘Isha, Fajr, or Tahajjud prayer, you were reciting the Quran when a group of jinn passed by and stopped to listen to your recitation. On this occasion, the jinn did not appear before the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, nor did you perceive their arrival, but later Allah Almighty informed you through revelation about their coming and listening to the Quran, as is evident from the narration of Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, or the aforementioned hadith number 1.
[43]
Through the Preaching of the Listening Jinn, Many Jinn Embraced Faith:

When this group of jinn heard the Quran, they were greatly affected by it and immediately believed in the Prophethood of the Messenger of Allah and in the divine origin of the Quran. (This incident is being narrated to those disbelievers of Makkah who, despite inwardly acknowledging the greatness of the Quran, were determined not to accept it.) These jinn did not just accept faith themselves, but also went to their people and conveyed the message of the Quran to them. Which verses of the Quran did the jinn hear? This is not specified anywhere, but from this verse it appears that they were verses in which the disobedient and polytheists were warned of their evil end. As a result of the preaching of the jinn to their people, a large number of jinn became Muslim, who later continued to come to you in delegations.