(Repel not those who call upon their Lord at morn and evening, seeking His Countenance…) [6:52].
Abu 'Abd al-Rahman Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Ja'far informed us> Zahir ibn Ahmad> al-Husayn ibn Muhammad ibn Mus'ab> Yahya ibn Hakim> Abu Dawud> Qays ibn al-Rabi'> al-Miqdam ibn Shurayh> his father> Sa'd who said: “This verse was revealed about six of us: it was revealed about me, ['Abd Allah] ibn Mas'ud, Suhayb [al-Rumi], 'Ammar [ibn Yasir], al-Miqdad [ibn 'Amr] and Bilal [ibn Rabah]. The Quraysh said to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace: 'We do not accept to be followers of these, so repel them'. Some of what they said entered the heart of Allah's Messenger, Allah bless him and give him peace, as much as Allah willed it to enter. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Repel not those who call upon their Lord at morn and evening, seeking His Countenance…)”. This was narrated by Muslim from Zuhayr ibn Harb from 'Abd al-Rahman from Sufyan from al-Miqdam.
Abu 'Abd al-Rahman informed us> Abu Bakr ibn Abu Zakariyya al-Shaybani> Abu'l-'Abbas Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rahman> Abu Salih al-Husayn ibn al-Faraj> Muhammad ibn Muqatil al-Marwazi> Hakim ibn Zayd> al-Suddi> Abu Sa'id>> Abu'l-Kanud> Khabbab ibn al-Aratt who said: “This verse was revealed about us. We were weak and stayed at the Prophet's, Allah bless him and give him peace, in the morning and evening. He taught us the Qur'an and goodness and instilled fear in us through the mention of hellfire and the Garden and also through that which benefits us and by means of mention of death and the Resurrection. One day, al-Aqra' ibn Habis al-Tamimi and 'Uyaynah ibn Hisn al-Fazari came to the Prophet and said: 'We are among the nobles of our people and we dislike that we be seen with them, so could you repel them when we sit with you?' The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, agreed, but they said: 'We will not be pleased until you write an agreement between us'. When skin and ink were brought, these verses were revealed (Repel not those who call upon their Lord at morn and evening, seeking His Countenance) up to His words (And even so do We try some of them by others) [6:53]”.
Abu Bakr al-Harithi informed us> Abu Muhammad ibn Hayyan> Abu Yahya al-Razi> Sahl ibn 'Uthman> Asbat ibn Muhammad> Ash'ath> Kurdus> Ibn Mas'ud who said: “A group of people from Quraysh passed by the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, while he had with him Khabbab ibn al-Aratt, Suhayb, Bilal and 'Ammar, and they said: 'O Muhammad, are you pleased with these? Do you want us to be followers of these?' And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Repel not those who call upon their Lord at morn and evening, seeking His Countenance)”.
And with the same chain of transmission, 'Ubayd Allah related to us> Abu Ja'far> al-Rabi' who said: “There were some men who were always forerunners to the assembly of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. Among these men were Bilal, 'Ammar, Suhayb and Salman [al-Farisi]. The nobles and chiefs of his people would come to see him and find all the aforementioned already sitting with him. In one occasion they said: 'Suhayb is a Byzantine, Salman a Persian, Bilal an Abyssinian: they all come and sit close to him whereas when we come we sit on the side'. And then they mentioned this to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. They said to him: 'We are the nobles and chiefs of your clan, why do you not sit closer to us when we come to see you'. He was about to do just that when Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse”.
Said 'Ikrimah: “A group of unbeliever nobles from Banu 'Abd Manaf headed by 'Utbah ibn Rabi'ah, Shaybah ibn Rabi'ah, Mut'im ibn 'Adiyy, al-Harith ibn Nawfal went to Abu Talib and said: 'If only your nephew Muhammad repels from him our clients, slaves and downtrodden, it would please us, mean a great deal to us and would be a step forward for us to follow him and believe in him'. Abu Talib went and conveyed to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, what they said. 'Umar ibn al-Khattab commented: 'Why do you not do as they ask so that we consider what they want and verify whether they are truthful?' Then Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse. When it was revealed, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab went and apologized for what he had said”.
Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi , trans. Mokrane Guezzou