Khaythamah, Zuhayr, Abu al-Juwayriyah narrated to us, who said: I heard an Arab man from the tribe of Banu Sulaym, and Ibn ‘Abbas asked him, saying: Do you know in what context this verse was revealed: "O you who have believed, do not ask about things which, if they are shown to you, will distress you"? He said: There was a group of people who would ask the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) about things. A man would say: Who is my father? And a man would say, if his she-camel went missing: Where is my she-camel? So Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, revealed this verse regarding them.

[6878] Yazid ibn ‘Abd al-Samad al-Dimashqi narrated to us, Muhammad ibn ‘Uthman narrated to us, Shu‘bah ibn Bashir narrated to us, Qatadah narrated to us from Anas ibn Malik, regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted: "O you who have believed, do not ask about things which, if they are shown to you, will distress you." They kept asking the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) until they annoyed him with their questioning. He said: So he went out one day and ascended the pulpit and said: Do not ask me about anything except that I will inform you of it. He said: When the people heard that, they feared that it might be in the face of an impending matter. He said: So I began looking to my right and left, and every man had his garment wrapped over his head, weeping. He said: Then a man came to him and said: O Prophet of Allah, who is my father? He said: Your father is Hudhafah. And he was someone who used to be disputed, so he would be attributed to someone other than his father. Then ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said: We are satisfied with Allah as a Lord, with Islam as a religion, and we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of trials.

[6879] Abu Sa‘id al-Ashajj narrated to us, Kathir ibn Hisham narrated to us, Furat ibn Salman narrated to us, from ‘Abd al-Karim, from ‘Ikrimah, regarding "O you who have believed, do not ask about things which, if they are shown to you, will distress you," he said: It is the one who asked the Prophet (peace be upon him): Who is my father? As for Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, he said: They are those who asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) about the Bahirah and the Sa’ibah. As for Miqsam, he said: This was regarding us; the nations asked their prophets about the signs.

[6880] Abu Sa‘id ibn Yahya ibn Sa‘id al-Qattan narrated to us, ‘Uthman ibn ‘Umar narrated to us, Hawshab ibn ‘Aqil al-Khundhumi narrated to us, who said: I asked al-Hasan about this verse: "O you who have believed, do not ask about things which, if they are shown to you, will distress you." He said: They asked him about things, so Allah admonished them, and they accepted the admonition.

His saying, the Exalted: "And if you ask about them while the Qur’an is being revealed."