وَأَنَّهُۥ لَمَّا قَامَ عَبْدُ ٱللَّهِ يَدْعُوهُ كَادُوا۟ يَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِ لِبَدًا 19
Translations
And that when the Servant [i.e., Prophet] of Allāh stood up supplicating Him, they almost became about him a compacted mass."
Transliteration
Wa-annahu lammā qāma 'abdu-llāhi yad'ūhu kādū yakūnūna 'alayhi libadā
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) when he stood to pray and invoke Allah, the jinn nearly crowded upon him in great numbers out of their eagerness to listen. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, 'libadā' (لِبَدًا) means a dense, pressing crowd or a unified mass. The ayah demonstrates the jinn's intense interest in the Prophet's worship and the Qur'an, highlighting the universal appeal of the divine message across both human and jinn creation.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Jinn, which was revealed in Mecca and describes the jinn's belief in the Qur'an and their witnessing of the Prophet's dedication to worship. The context relates to the incident when a group of jinn listened to the Prophet reciting the Qur'an and subsequently believed, as mentioned earlier in the surah (72:1-14). This specific ayah emphasizes the extraordinary response of the jinn to the Prophet's worship.
Related Hadiths
The incident of the jinn listening to the Prophet is referenced in Sahih Muslim and Jami' at-Tirmidhi, where it is narrated that a group of jinn came to listen to the Qur'an being recited. Additionally, Surah Al-Ahqaf (46:29-32) provides a parallel account of jinn believing through the Qur'an.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that sincere devotion to Allah and engagement with the Qur'an possesses a transformative power that transcends visible boundaries, inspiring belief across creation. It reminds believers that the Prophet's steadfastness in worship was so impactful that even the unseen beings were drawn to witness it, encouraging us to approach our own spiritual practices with similar dedication and sincerity.