وَإِذْ صَرَفْنَآ إِلَيْكَ نَفَرًا مِّنَ ٱلْجِنِّ يَسْتَمِعُونَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ فَلَمَّا حَضَرُوهُ قَالُوٓا۟ أَنصِتُوا۟ ۖ فَلَمَّا قُضِىَ وَلَّوْا۟ إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِم مُّنذِرِينَ 29
Translations
And [mention, O Muḥammad], when We directed to you a few of the jinn, listening to the Qur’ān. And when they attended it, they said, "Listen attentively." And when it was concluded, they went back to their people as warners.
Transliteration
Wa-idh sarafnā ilayka nafaran min al-jinn yastamiʿūn al-Qurʾān falammā ḥaḍarūhu qālū anṣitū falammā quḍiya wa-llaww ilā qawmihim mundhirīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes how Allah directed a group of jinn to listen to the Prophet Muhammad reciting the Qur'an. When they arrived at the recitation, they commanded each other to listen attentively, and upon its completion, they returned to their people as warners. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this event demonstrates the universal appeal of the Qur'an and that the jinn, despite their different nature, recognized its truth and became obligated to convey its message, paralleling the Prophet's mission among humans.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the broader narrative in Surah Al-Ahqaf (46:29-32) which details the encounter between the jinn and the Qur'an. While the exact occasion of revelation is not definitively documented in classical sources, it is thematically connected to Allah's statement that the Qur'an is a guidance for both humans and jinn, establishing the universal nature of the Prophet's message and the accountability of both communities.
Related Hadiths
The event alluded to in this ayah is supported by Tafsir al-Tabari's narrations from Ibn Abbas regarding the night the jinn listened to the Prophet reciting Qur'an. Additionally, Surah Al-Jinn (72:1-2) contains the jinn's own testimony: 'Say, [O Muhammad], it has been revealed to me that a group of jinn listened [to the Qur'an],' which provides complementary prophetic context.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that the Qur'an's message transcends earthly boundaries and speaks to the hearts of all creation, inspiring us to listen to it with the same attentiveness and respect the jinn demonstrated, and to share its transformative wisdom with others as warners and guides. It reminds us that conveying the message of truth is a shared responsibility among all believers, regardless of their background or station.
Related Ayahs
وَيَوْمَ يُعْرَضُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلنَّارِ أَذْهَبْتُمْ طَيِّبَـٰتِكُمْ فِى حَيَاتِكُمُ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱسْتَمْتَعْتُم بِهَا فَٱلْيَوْمَ تُجْزَوْنَ عَذَابَ ٱلْهُونِ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ ٱلْحَقِّ وَبِمَا كُنتُمْ تَفْسُقُونَ
And the Day those who disbelieved are exposed to the Fire [it will be said], "You exhausted your pleasures during your worldly life and enjoyed them, so this Day you will be awarded the punishment of [extreme] humiliation because you were arrogant upon the earth without right and because you were defiantly disobedient."
وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَوْ كَانَ خَيْرًا مَّا سَبَقُونَآ إِلَيْهِ ۚ وَإِذْ لَمْ يَهْتَدُوا۟ بِهِۦ فَسَيَقُولُونَ هَـٰذَآ إِفْكٌ قَدِيمٌ
And those who disbelieve say of those who believe, "If it had [truly] been good, they would not have preceded us to it." And when they are not guided by it, they will say, "This is an ancient falsehood."
قَالَ إِنَّمَا ٱلْعِلْمُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَأُبَلِّغُكُم مَّآ أُرْسِلْتُ بِهِۦ وَلَـٰكِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰكُمْ قَوْمًا تَجْهَلُونَ
He said, "Knowledge [of its time] is only with Allāh, and I convey to you that with which I was sent; but I see you [to be] a people behaving ignorantly."
فَٱصْبِرْ كَمَا صَبَرَ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْعَزْمِ مِنَ ٱلرُّسُلِ وَلَا تَسْتَعْجِل لَّهُمْ ۚ كَأَنَّهُمْ يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَ مَا يُوعَدُونَ لَمْ يَلْبَثُوٓا۟ إِلَّا سَاعَةً مِّن نَّهَارٍۭ ۚ بَلَـٰغٌ ۚ فَهَلْ يُهْلَكُ إِلَّا ٱلْقَوْمُ ٱلْفَـٰسِقُونَ
So be patient, [O Muḥammad], as were those of determination among the messengers and do not be impatient for them. It will be - on the Day they see that which they are promised - as though they had not remained [in the world] except an hour of a day. [This is] notification. And will [any] be destroyed except the defiantly disobedient people?