(And whoever among you is sick or hath an ailment of the head…) [2:196]. Ustadh Abu Tahir al-Ziyadi informed us> Abu Tahir Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Muhammadabadhi> al-‘Abbas al-Duri> ‘Ubayd Allah ibn Musa> Isra’il> ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Asfahani> ‘Abd Allah ibn Ma‘qil> Ka‘b ibn ‘Ujrah who said: “The verse (And whoever among you is sick or hath an ailment of the head…) was revealed about me. I had informed the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, that I had lice in my head [while I was in a state of ritual consecration]. He said to me: “Shave your head and, as expiation, fast three days, offer a sacrifice, or feed six poor people, giving a measure of food (sa‘) for each one of them”. Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Muzakki informed us> Abu ‘Amr ibn Matar, by dictation>Abu Khalifa> Musaddid> Bishr> Ibn ‘Awn> Mujahid> ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla who said: “Ka‘b ibn ‘Ujrah said: ‘This verse was revealed about me. I went to see the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and he asked me to get closer to him. I moved forward to get closer to him twice or three times. Then he asked me: ‘Are you harmed by the vermin you carry?’ (Ibn ‘Awn said: ‘And I think he said that he did’) And he asked me to fast, give something to charity or slaughter whatever was available”. This report was narrated by Muslim> Abu Musa> Ibn Abi ‘Adiyy, as well as by Bukhari> Ahmad ibn Yunus> Ibn Shihab. Both Ibn Abi ‘Adiyy and Ibn Shihab related it from Ibn ‘Awn. Abu Nasr Ahmad ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Makhladi> Abu’l-Hasan al-Sarraj> Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Sulayman al-Maruzi> ‘Asim ibn ‘Ali> Shu‘bah> ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Asfahani who said: “I heard ‘Abd Allah ibn Ma‘qil saying: ‘I sat with Ka‘b ibn ‘Ujrah in this mosque—the mosque of Kufah—where I asked him about the verse (… must pay a ransom of fasting or almsgiving or offering…). He said: ‘Fast three days, or feed six poor people, giving each one of them half a measure of food. This was specifically revealed about me but it applies to all of you’ ”. This was narrated by Bukhari from the reports of Adam ibn Abi Iyas and Abu’l-Walid, and also by Muslim from the report of Bundar from Ghundar.
Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi , trans. Mokrane Guezzou
