(They are not all alike…) [3:113].
Ibn ‘Abbas and Muqatil said: “When ‘Abd Allah ibn Salam, Tha‘labah ibn Sa‘yah, Usayd ibn Sa‘yah, Asad ibn ‘Ubayd and other Jews embraced Islam, the Jewish rabbis said: ‘Only the evil amongst us believed in Muhammad, for had they been among our best they would not have abandoned the religion of their forefathers’. They also said to them: ‘You incurred a great loss when you have exchanged the religion of your forefathers with another religion’. Allah then revealed this verse (They are not all alike)”.
Said Ibn Mas‘ud: “This was revealed regarding the nightfall prayer which is performed by the Muslims but not by the people of the Book”.
Abu Sa‘id Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Ghazi informed us> Abu ‘Amr Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Hiri> Ahmad ibn ‘Ali ibn al-Muthanna> Abu Khaythamah> Hashim ibn al-Qasim> Shayban> ‘Asim> Zirri> Ibn Mas‘ud who said: “The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, delayed the time of the nightfall prayer. When he came out to lead the prayer, he found people waiting for the prayer. He said: ‘There is no one among the adherents of other religions who is remembering Allah, exalted is He, at this hour except you’. And Allah, exalted is He, revealed these verses (They are not all alike. Of the People of the Scripture there is a staunch community who recite the revelations of Allah in the night season…) up to His saying (Allah is Aware of those who ward off (evil)) [3:115]”.
Sa‘id ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Nuh informed us> Abu ‘Ali ibn Ahmad al-Faqih> Muhammad ibn al-Musayyab> Yunus ibn ‘Abd al-A‘la> ‘Abd Allah ibn Wahb> Yahya ibn Ayyub> Ibn Zahr> Sulayman> Zirr ibn Hubaysh> ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud who said: “One night, the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, did not come out. He was at one of his relatives or wives. He did not come to us to lead the night prayer until one third of the night had elapsed. When he came and found some of us lying down and some praying, he gave us the good news, saying: ‘None of the people of the book perform this prayer’. And the verse (They are not all alike. Of the People of the Scripture there is a staunch community who recite the revelations of Allah in the night season, falling prostrate (before Him)) was revealed”.
Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi , trans. Mokrane Guezzou