(…till, when he attaineth full strength and reacheth forty years…) [46:15]. 'Ata' reported that Ibn 'Abbas said: “This verse was revealed about Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be well pleased with him. He had travelled with the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace - when he was eighteen years old and the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was twenty - to Syria for trade. When they reached a place where there was a lotus tree, the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, sat under the shade of this tree while Abu Bakr went to a monk nearby to ask him about religion. The monk then asked Abu Bakr: 'Who is that man under the shade of the lotus?' Abu Bakr said: 'He is Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib'. The monk said: 'By Allah, he is a Prophet. No one sat under the shade of this tree after Jesus, son of Mary, except Muhammad the Prophet of Allah'. At that moment, certainty and faith entered Abu Bakr's heart. He accompanied the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, everywhere whether in travel or in Mecca. When The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was sent as a Prophet at the age of forty, Abu Bakr who was then thirty-eight embraced Islam and believed in the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. When Abu Bakr reached forty, he prayed (My Lord! Arouse me that I may give thanks for the favour wherewith Thou hast favoured me…)”.
Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi , trans. Mokrane Guezzou
