The Quran Verse of the Week:
[Gabriel said],‘We only descend [with revelation] at your Lord’s command––everything before us, everything behind us, everything in between, all belongs to Him––your Lord is never forgetful. (19:64, Haleem Translation)
Reason for Revelation
When wanting to gain a deeper insight into the meaning of a Quranic verse it is important to look at the Asbab Al-Nuzul, or the reason for revelation. Knowing this can give us several benefits:
1) Can shed light on the application of the verse, such as if it is meant for general time/place/people or a specific time/place/person(s).
2) It tells us what was going on in the Prophet’s life the moment it was revealed. Knowing this can reveal the objective of the verse.
3)Knowing this can allow us to locate the moment verse was revealed in the greater historical setting. In other words if we know the moment the verse was sent down we can look at what was going on around the same time in the Life of the Prophet, The Muslim community, and the general history of Arabia and the greater Middle East.
Some notes on Reason for Revelation literature
1) There are multiple sources for Reasons for Revelation literature, it can be found in numerous tafsir, as well as several collections dedicated to the Reason for Revelation.
2) Most groups that identify as Muslim accept this literature except for most “Quranists” who dismiss such narratives as fabrications.
3) While different groups rely on different sources for their Reason for Revelation, it is not uncommon to find that the various traditions agree on the reason. Their sources draw on common traditions. On the other hand, while the reasons given below for Quran 19:64 agree, this is not always the case. There is sometimes not only disagreement between two sects, such as Sunni and Shia, but also within the sects as well.
Reason for Revelation for Quran 19:64
(We (angels) come not down save by commandment of thy Lord…) [19:64]. Isma’il ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Hamawayh informed us> Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ma’mar al-Shami> Ishaq ibn Muhammad ibn Ishaq al-Rus’ani> his grandfather> al-Mughirah> ‘Umar ibn Dharr> his father> Sa’id ibn Jubayr> Ibn ‘Abbas who said: “The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said [to Gabriel, peace be upon him]: ‘O Gabriel, what prevents you from visiting us more often than you do?’ And so this verse was revealed (We (angels) come not down save by commandment of thy Lord. Unto Him belongeth all that is before us and all that is behind us and all that is between those two, and thy Lord was never forgetful). This was a response to Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace”. This was narrated by Bukhari from Abi Nu’aym from ‘Umar ibn Dharr. Mujahid said: “The angel [Gabriel] took quite a while to come to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. When he finally came to him he said: ‘Did I take too long to come to you?’ The Prophet said he did, upon which the angel said: ‘Why should I not delay my coming when you [the community of the believers] do not polish your teeth by using small sticks (siwak), do not cut your nails and do not clean the joints of your fingers’. And then he added (We (angels) come not down save by commandment of thy Lord…)”. ‘Ikrimah, al-Dahhak, Qatadah, Muqatil and al-Kalbi said: “Gabriel, peace be upon him, failed to come to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, when his people asked him about the people of the Cave, Dhu’l-Qarnayn and the Spirit. He did not know what to answer them and was hoping that Gabriel, peace be upon him, would come to him with an answer. When his coming was delayed, the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was very aggrieved. When Gabriel, peace be upon him, finally came, the Prophet said to him: ‘You delayed your coming so much that I had some misgivings, and I have missed you’. Gabriel, peace be upon him, said: ‘I have missed you more but I am only a slave who obeys orders. When I am sent, I come; and when I am kept back, I remain where I am kept’. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (We (angels) come not down save by commandment of thy Lord…)”.
(Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi treanslated BY Mokrane Guezzou)
Upon the preceding verse, a group of commentators have said that the descent of the revelations of Allah was discontinued for a few days, Gabriel, the harbinger of divine revelation, did not come to the Prophet (S). After this period, when Gabriel came to the Prophet (S) he asked him why he delayed and he (the Prophet) was anxious to see him.
Gabriel said:
“I am more anxious (to see you), but I am a commissioned servant. When I am commanded to come, I come; and when I am not commanded, I restrain (to come).”
(The Commentary of Qurtabi, vol. 6, p.4168 cited in An Enlightening Commentary into the Light of the Holy Quran vol. 9 compiled under the direction of Ayatullah Allamah Al-Hajj Sayyid Kamal Faqhih Imani)
Perspectives Of A Fellow Traveler 