Tafsir of Al-Ahqaf 46:29

(And when We directed toward you a group of the Jinn)—meaning: We turned them toward you and directed them to you. A nafar (group), according to the well-known opinion, consists of between three and ten men, because it is derived from nafeer (mobilization). Men are those who, when a matter overwhelms them, mobilize to handle it. The truth is that this depends on the majority of usage, for in eloquent speech it is also applied to more than ten. A group of linguists has mentioned this in al-Mujmal; raht and nafar are used up to forty. In the speech of al-Sha'bi: "A dozen or so men spoke to me." The interpretation here, God willing, will be that which exceeds ten, and it is not restricted to men. Deriving it from nafeer does not indicate restriction to men, nor even to humans, as it is applied to the Jinn here.

The prepositional phrase (to you) is an adjective for nafar. His saying (the Exalted): (listening to the Qur’an) is a state (hal) intended for the future (muqaddara) derived from it, due to its specificity via the adjective, or it is another adjective for it. The plural pronoun is used because it is a collective noun; thus, in meaning, it is a plural, which is why it was recited as sarafna (We directed) with an emphasis (tashdid) to denote multitude. Idh (when) is governed by an implied verb, not joined to akhadha ‘ad (the brother of ‘Ad). That is: "And mention to your people the time We directed a group of the Jinn toward you, intending their listening to the Qur’an, so that perhaps they may be alerted to their own ignorance, their error, and the ugliness of their current state of disbelief in the Qur’an and turning away from it." For they disbelieved in it and remained ignorant that it was from God the Exalted, while they are the people of the language in which it was revealed and of the same lineage as the Messenger who brought it. Meanwhile, those [the Jinn] listened to it, knew it was from God the Exalted, and believed in it, despite not being of the people of its language nor of the lineage of its Messenger. Thus, the mention of this story serves as a rebuke to the disbelievers of Quraysh and the Arabs.

Its occurrence following the story of Hud and his people, and the destruction of those who were destroyed among the inhabitants of the towns, is fitting because those people were of great intensity and power, as narrated about them in more than one verse. The Jinn are also described as such, as the Exalted says: "An ifrit (strong one) from the Jinn said, 'I will bring it to you before you rise from your place, and indeed, I am for this, strong and trustworthy.'" Their being described as such is known among the Arabs, so it is appropriate for what precedes it. Furthermore, it is said that the story of ‘Ad contains the mention of the wind, while this one contains the mention of the Jinn, and both belong to the unseen world. Their reality will be discussed later.

(So when they attended it)—meaning the Qur’an when it was being recited. This is the apparent meaning, even if it contains metaphorical usage. It is said: [it means] when they attended the Messenger (may God bless him and grant him peace) while he was reciting it, thus involving a shift (iltifat). (They said, "Be silent!")—meaning: Listen, so that we may hear it. In this is propriety toward knowledge and how one learns. (And when it was finished)—meaning: [The Messenger] completed and finished reciting it. Abu Mijlaz and Habib ibn Abd Allah recited qada (he finished) in the active voice, referring to the Messenger (may God bless him and grant him peace). This supports the view that the pronoun in hadaruhu (they attended him) refers to him (peace and blessings be upon him).

(They returned to their people as warners)—meaning: intending to warn them upon reaching them. It is said that they dispersed throughout the lands and warned whomever they encountered of the Jinn. These, as stated in several reports, were from the Jinn of Nasibin, which is a place in Diyar Bakr near the Levant. It is also said: from Nineveh, which is also in Diyar Bakr but near Mosul. It is mentioned that they were from the Shaysaban, who are the most numerous of the Jinn, and the general mass of Iblis's soldiers are from among them. The attendance occurred in the valley of Nakhla, about a night’s journey from Makkah. Ahmad, ‘Abd ibn Humayd, the two Sheikhs, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa’i, and a group [of scholars] recorded from Ibn ‘Abbas that he said: The Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) went with a group of his companions to the ‘Ukaz market, and the devils had been blocked from [hearing] news of the heavens, and shooting stars were sent against them. The devils returned to their people, who asked, "What is wrong with you?" They said, "We have been blocked from news of the heavens, and shooting stars were sent against us." They said, "Nothing has blocked you from the news of the heavens except something that has occurred, so travel the east and west of the earth and look for this thing that has blocked you from the news of the heavens." Those who headed toward Tihamah went to the Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) while he and his companions were in Nakhla, intending to go to the ‘Ukaz market, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) was leading his companions in the dawn prayer. When they heard the Qur’an, they listened to it and said, "This, by God, is what has blocked you from the news of the heavens." That was when they returned to their people.

In a narration by Ibn al-Mundhir from ‘Abd al-Malik, when they attended it, they said, "Be silent!" When the prayer was finished (the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, finished the morning prayer), they turned back to their people as warners and believers, and he [the Prophet] did not perceive them until [the verse] was revealed: "Say: It has been revealed to me that a group of the Jinn listened..." In the two Sahih collections, from Masruq via Ibn Mas'ud, it is stated that a tree signaled them to him (may God bless him and grant him peace). They were, according to what is narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas, seven. Zur said the same, and mentioned among them Zawba'a. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Mujahid that they were seven: three from Harran and four from Nasibin. Their names were Hassi, Massi, Shashir, Mashir, the two Arduwaniyans, Saraq, and al-Ahqam (with an 'm' at the end). In a narration from Ka’b al-Ahbar, it is al-Ahqab with a 'ya'. The author of al-Rawd mentioned Munshi and Nashi instead of Hassi and Massi.

Ibn Jarir, al-Tabarani, and Ibn Mardawayh recorded from Ibn ‘Abbas that he said regarding this group: They were nineteen from the people of Nasibin, and the Messenger of God (may God bless him and grant him peace) made them messengers to their people. The previous report indicates that he (peace and blessings be upon him) was with a group of his companions when the Jinn attended. ‘Abd ibn Humayd, Ahmad, Muslim, al-Tirmidhi, and Abu Dawud recorded from ‘Alqama that he said: I asked Ibn Mas'ud, "Did any of you accompany the Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) on the night of the Jinn?" He replied, "None of us accompanied him, but we were with the Messenger of God (may God bless him and grant him peace) one night and lost him. We searched for him in the valleys and gorges, saying, 'He has been snatched away or assassinated.' We spent the worst night a people have ever spent. When morning came, he arrived from the direction of Hira. We informed him, and he said, 'A caller from the Jinn came to me, so I went to them and recited the Qur’an to them.' He then took us and showed us their traces and the traces of their fires." This indicates that he (peace and blessings be upon him) had none of his companions with him, and none of them were aware of him.

Ahmad recorded from Ibn Mas'ud that he said: "I stood with the Messenger of God (may God bless him and grant him peace) on the night of the Jinn, and I took a water-skin—I believe it was only water—and when we were at the highest part of Makkah, I saw dark shapes gathered. The Messenger of God (may God bless him and grant him peace) drew a line for me and said, 'Stand here until I come to you.' The Messenger of God (may God bless him and grant him peace) went toward them, and I saw them rushing toward him. He stayed with them for a long night, until he came to me at dawn. He said to me, 'Do you have any water for ablution?' I said, 'Yes.' I opened the water-skin, and it was actually nabidh (a drink made from soaked fruit). I said, 'I thought it was only water, but it is nabidh.' The Messenger of God (may God bless him and grant him peace) said, 'A good fruit and pure water.' He performed ablution with it, then stood to pray. Two people from among them reached him, and he arranged them in a row behind him, then he led us in prayer. I said, 'Who are these, O Messenger of God?' He said, 'The Jinn of Nasibin.'" This indicates the opposite of what was previously mentioned. The reconciliation is that the occurrence of the Jinn took place multiple times. Al-Khafaji mentioned that the Hadiths indicate the delegation of the Jinn occurred six times, and through this, the differences in the narrations regarding their number and other matters are reconciled. Abu Nu'aym and al-Waqidi recorded from Ka’b al-Ahbar that he said: The nine men from the people of Nasibin departed from the bottom of Nakhla—they were so-and-so, so-and-so... and the two Arduwaniyans and al-Ahqab. They came to their people as warners. Afterward, they departed as a delegation to the Messenger of God (may God bless him and grant him peace), and they were three hundred. They reached al-Hajun, and al-Ahqab came and greeted the Messenger of God (may God bless him and grant him peace), saying, "Our people have arrived at al-Hajun to meet you." The Messenger of God (may God bless him and grant him peace) promised to meet them at an hour of the night at al-Hajun.

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from ‘Ikrimah that he said regarding the verse: They were twelve thousand from the island of Mosul. In al-Kashshaf, this number is also mentioned, along with the fact that the Surah the Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) recited to them was "Read in the name of your Lord." It is reported in al-Bahr from Ibn ‘Umar and Jabir ibn ‘Abd Allah (may God be pleased with them both) that he (peace and blessings be upon him) recited the Surah of al-Rahman to them. Whenever he said, "So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?", they would say, "We do not deny any of the signs of our Lord; to our Lord belongs all praise." Abu Nu'aym in al-Dala'il and al-Waqidi recorded from Abu Ja’far that he said: The Jinn came to the Messenger of God (may God bless him and grant him peace) in Rabi’ al-Awwal in the eleventh year of the Prophethood. In the same vein is what is said: the event was three years before the Hijrah, based on the authentic report from Ibn ‘Abbas that he (may God bless him and grant him peace) remained in Makkah for thirteen years receiving revelation. There is a disagreement on the matter, and the well-known opinion is what has been mentioned. It is said: the Jinn's listening occurred at the beginning of the revelation.