(As for him who giveth and is dutiful (toward Allah) and believeth in goodness) [92:5-6]. Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ibrahim informed us> Muhammad ibn Ja‘far ibn Haytham al-Anbari> Ja‘far ibn Muhammad ibn Shakir> Qubaysah> Sufyan al-Thawri> Mansur and al-A‘mash> Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubaydah> Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami> ‘Ali who related that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: “There is no one amongst you except that his abode is registered either in Paradise or in hell!” Some asked: “O Messenger of Allah, shall we then not rely [on works]?” He said: “Do perform works, everyone is helped to follow that which he was created for”, and then he recited (As for him who giveth and is dutiful (toward Allah) and believeth in goodness, surely We will ease his way unto the state of ease). This was narrated by Bukhari> Abu Nu‘aym> al-A‘mash and also by Muslim> Abu Zuhayr ibn Harb> Jarir> Mansur. ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Hamdan informed us> Ahmad ibn Ja‘far ibn Malik> ‘Abd Allah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal> Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ayyub> Ibrahim ibn Sa‘d> Muhammad ibn Ishaq> Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah> Ibn Abi ‘Atiq> ‘Amir ibn ‘Abd Allah> someone from his family who related that Abu Quhafah said to his son Abu Bakr: “O my son, I see that you only free weak slaves. If you must free slaves, why do you not free strong ones who would defend you and stand against anyone who would want to harm you?” Abu Bakr responded: “O father, I have my own reasons for doing what I do”. It was said: these verses were revealed about him and what his father had said (As for him who giveth and is dutiful (toward Allah) and believeth in goodness) up to the end of the Surah. Someone heard Ibn al-Zubayr say while he was on the pulpit: “Abu Bakr used to buy weak slaves and then free them. His father said to him: ‘Why do you not buy slaves who can defend you?’ Abu Bakr responded: ‘It is not my defence that I seek’, and so the following verses were revealed about him (Far removed from it will be the righteous who giveth his wealth that he may grow (in goodness)) [92:17-18] up to the end of the Surah”. ‘Ata’ reported that Ibn ‘Abbas said: “Upon embracing Islam, Bilal — who was a slave of ‘Abd Allah ibn Jud‘an — proceeded to the idols [of the Ka‘bah] and defecated on them.
Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi , trans. Mokrane Guezzou
