Interpretation of Surah Bara'ah, which is entirely Medinan.
Yahya said: Abu al-Jarrah al-Mahri narrated to me, from 'Awf, from Yazid al-Farisi, from Ibn 'Abbas, who said: I asked Uthman ibn 'Affan: "How did you place al-Anfal, which is among the Mi'in (surahs of approximately one hundred verses), with Bara'ah, which is among the Tiwal (the long surahs), and did not write the line 'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' between them?" He replied: "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would have three or four verses, or less or more, revealed to him, and he would say: 'Place such and such verse in the surah which mentions such and such in such and such a place.' He passed away without giving us any instructions regarding al-Anfal. We looked, and seeing that their themes were similar, we placed them together and did not write the line 'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' between them."
تَفْسِيرُ سُورَةِ بَرَاءَةٍ وَهِيَ مدنيةٌ كُلُّهَا
قَالَ يحيى: وَحَدَّثَنِي أَبُو الْجَرَّاحِ الْمَهْرِيُّ، عَنْ عَوْفٍ، عَنْ يَزِيدَ الْفَارِسِيِّ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ:
قُلْتُ لِعُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ: كَيْفَ جَعَلْتُمُ الأَنْفَالَ وَهِيَ مِنَ الْمِئِينِ مَعَ بَرَاءَةٍ وَهِيَ مِنَ الطُّوَالِ، وَلَمْ تَكْتُبُوا بَيْنَهُمَا سَطْرَ " بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ " فَقَالَ: أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَانَتْ تَنْزِلُ عَلَيْهِ الثَّلاثُ الآيَاتُ وَالأَرْبَعُ الآيَاتُ، وَأَقَلُّ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَأَكْثَرُ، فَيَقُولُ: اجْعَلُوا آيَةَ كَذَا وَكَذَا فِي سُورَةِ كَذَا وَكَذَا مِنْ مَوْضِعِ كَذَا وَكَذَا. وَإِنَّهُ قُبِضَ وَلَمْ يَقُلْ لَنَا فِي الأَنْفَالِ شَيْئًا، وَنَظَرْنَا فَرَأَيْنَا قَصَصِهِمَا مُتَشَابِهًا، فَجَعَلْنَاهَا مَعَهَا وَلَمْ نَكْتُبْ بَيْنَهُمَا سَطْرَ: بِسْمِ الله الرَّحْمَن الرَّحِيم.
