Part 1 · Page 272
The Group Spreads Its Claims about the Messenger
English rendering of the source section
Local English translation from the Arabic text; variants and editorial abridgements are noted.
This local English rendering may condense the Arabic narration and editorial notes. It is not a complete published English edition. Consult the Arabic source for exact wording and context.
Read the corresponding Arabic sectionIbn Ishaq said: Allah also revealed concerning the men who devised this description: “As We sent down upon the dividers, who made the Qur’an into fragments. By your Lord, We will question them all about what they used to do” (Qur’an 15:90–93). Ibn Hisham explains that the singular of “fragments” is a word meaning a piece: they divided the message. The men spread their claims among everyone they met, and the Arabs left the season knowing of the Messenger. Abu Talib feared that the Arabs might attack his people, so he composed a poem seeking Quraysh’s support and protection, while declaring that he would never surrender the Messenger.
Ibn Hisham notes a variant attribution for the wording of the revelation and explains “fragments” as dividing something into parts. The notes identify the sword’s possible royal provenance and gloss the poetic terms for hostility and the severing of social ties.