(All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth glorifieth Allah… Allah is Able to do all things) [59:1-6].
The commentators of the Qur'an said: “This verse was revealed about Banu'l-Nadir. When the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, moved to Medina, they signed a treaty with him in which they agreed not fight against him or with him and the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, consented. Then when the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, defeated the idolaters at Badr, Banu'l-Nadir said: 'By Allah, he is the Prophet whose description we find in the Torah; he will not be defeated'. However, when the Muslims were defeated at Uhud, they broke their pledge and showed enmity toward the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and Muslims. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, surrounded them and then they signed a settlement treaty in which it was agreed that they leave Medina”.
Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Farisi informed us> Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn al-Fadl al-Tajir> Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Hafiz> Muhammad ibn Yahya> 'Abd al-Razzaq> Ma'mar> al-Zuhri> Ibn Ka'b ibn Malik> one of the Companions of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who related that the unbelievers of Quraysh wrote the following to the Jews after the Battle of Badr: “You are people of armaments and fortresses. Verily, you either fight our man or we shall do this and that, such that nothing will prevent us from the bracelets on your women's anklets”. When their letter reached the Jews, the Banu'l-Nadir were unanimously in favour of treason. They sent to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, saying: “Come with thirty of your men and we will send thirty of our men. Let us meet in a location halfway between you and us so that our men hear you and if they believe in you, we will all believe in you”. However, when they reached a certain location, some Jews said: “How are you going to get to him when he has with him thirty of his Companions who all desire to die before him? Send to him and say: 'How are we going to understand [what you are going to say to us] when there are sixty of us? Come along with three of your Companions and three of our scholars will meet you. If they believe in you, we will all believe in you and follow'. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, proceeded with three of his Companions. On the other side, three Jews proceeded armed with knives, intending to kill the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. A sincere woman advisor from Banu'l-Nadir sent a message to her brother, a Muslim from the Helpers, informing him of the treachery which the Banu'l-Nadir were planning against the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. Her brother hurriedly set off to see the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace. He caught up with him and informed him of the plan, and so the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, went back. The following day, he sent troops to them. He besieged their fortress and fought them until they agreed to move out of Medina, carrying with them anything their camels could carry, except for armaments. They proceeded to destroy their own houses and take whatever wood they could take with them. Allah, exalted is He, therefore, revealed (All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth glorifieth Allah… Allah is Able to do all things)”.
(Whatsoever palm-trees ye cut down…) [59:5].
When the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, headed toward Banu'l-Nadir and they took refuge in their fortresses, he ordered the cutting down and burning of their palm-trees. The enemies of Allah were alarmed. They said: “You claim, O Muhammad, that you seek goodness, is there any goodness in damaging productive trees and cutting down palm-trees?” They also said to him: “Is corruption in the earth part of what you claim has been revealed to you?” The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, was distressed upon hearing this, and the Muslims were affected and feared that this may be an act of corruption. And they disagreed amongst themselves. Some said: “Do not cut the palm-trees down for it is part of what Allah has given us as spoils”. Others said: “We should rather cut them down!” And so Allah, glorified and exalted is He, revealed (Whatsoever palm-trees ye cut down…) confirming the opinion of those who warned against cutting the palm-trees down and, at the same time, stating the lawfulness of cutting them down. He informed that the cutting down of trees or leaving them standing is only by the leave of Allah, exalted is He.
Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Muzakki informed us> his father> Muhammad ibn Ishaq al-Thaqafi> Qutaybah> al-Layth ibn Sa'd> Nafi'> Ibn 'Umar who related that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, burnt and cut down the palm-trees of Banu'l-Nadir which were at al-Buwayrah. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Whatsoever palm-trees ye cut down or left standing on their roots, it was by Allah's leave, in order that He might confound the evil-livers). This was narrated by Bukhari and Muslim from Qutaybah.
Abu Bakr ibn al-Harith informed us> 'Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Ja'far> Abu Yahya al-Razi> Sahl ibn 'Uthman> 'Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak> Musa ibn 'Uqbah> Nafi'> Ibn 'Umar who related that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, burnt and cut down the palm-trees of Banu'l-Nadir at al-Buwayrah, and it is about this that Hassan said:
The trees of Banu Lu'ayy were deemed unworthy
In front of the raging fire at al-Buwayrah.
It is also about this that this verse (Whatsoever palm-trees ye cut down or left standing on their roots, it was by Allah's leave…). This was narrated by Muslim> Sa'id ibn Mansur> Ibn al-Mubarak.
Abu Bakr informed us> 'Abd Allah> Salm ibn 'Isam> Rustah> 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi> Muhammad ibn Maymun ibn al-Tammar> Jurmuz> Hatim al-Najjar> 'Ikrimah> Ibn 'Abbas who said: “A Jew came to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said: 'I will stand up and pray', The Prophet said to him: 'Allah has decreed for you that you pray'. The man said: 'I will sit down', and the Prophet said to him: 'Allah has decreed for you that you sit down'. The Jew said: 'I will proceed to this tree and cut it down', and the Prophet said: 'Allah has decreed for you that you cut it down'. Gabriel, peace be upon him, then came and said: 'O Muhammad, you have been taught your proof just as Abraham, peace be upon him, was taught it'. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Whatsoever palm-trees ye cut down or left standing on their roots, it was by Allah's leave, in order that He might confound the evil-livers), i.e. the Jews”.
Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi , trans. Mokrane Guezzou