Name

The Sūrah takes its name from the word nasr occurring in the first verse.

Period of Revelation

Hadrat 'Abdullah bin 'Abbās states that this is the last Sūrah of the Qur'ān to be revealed, i.e. no complete Sūrah was sent down to the Holy Prophet after it.¹ (Muslim, Nasā'i, Ṭabarānī, Ibn Abi Shaibah, Ibn

1. Different traditions show that certain verses were sent down after it, but there is a difference of opinion as to which verse was revealed last of all. Bukhārī and Muslim have related a tradition from Hadrat Barā' bin 'Āzib, saying that it was the last verse of Sūrah An-Nisā', viz Yastaftūnake ... Imām Bukhārī has cited Ibn

Mardūyah). According to Ḥadrat 'Abdullah bin 'Umar, this Sūrah was sent down on the occasion of the Farewell pilgrimage in the middle of the Tashrīq Days at Minā, and after it the Holy Prophet rode his she-camel and gave his well-known Sermon. (Tirmidhī, Bazzār, Baihaqī, Ibn Abī Shaibah, 'Abd bin Humaid, Abū Ya'lā, Ibn Mardūyah). Baihaqi in Kitāb al-Ḥajj has related from the tradition of Hadrat Sarrā' bint-Nabhān the Sermon which the Holy Prophet gave on this occasion. She says:

"At the Farewell pilgrimage I heard the Holy Prophet Say: O People, do you know what day it is? They said: Allah and His Messenger have the best knowledge. He said: This is the middle day of the Tashrīq Days. Then he said: Do you know what place it is? They said: Allah and His Messenger have the best knowledge. He said: This is Mash'aril-Harām. Then he said: I do not know, I might not meet you here again. Beware, your bloods and your honours are forbidden, until you appear before your Lord, and the questions you about your deeds. Listen: let the one who is near convey it to him who is far away. Listen: have I conveyed the message to you? Then, when we returned to Madīnah, the Holy Prophet passed away not many days after that."

'Abbās's view that the Āyat Ribā (i.e. the verse enjoining prohibition of interest) was the last verse of the Qur'ān to be revealed. This is also supported by those traditions which Imām Aḥmad, Ibn Mājah and Ibn Mardūyah have related from Hadrat 'Umar but they do not explicitly state that it was the last verse. What Hadrat 'Umar meant was that it was one of the verses revealed last of all. Abū 'Ubaid in his Faḍā'il al-Qur'ān has cited the view of Imām Zuhrī, and Ibn Jarīr in his commentary the view of Hadrat Sa'īd bin al-Musayyab, that the Āyat Ribā and the Āyat Dayn (Al-Baqarah: 282) were the last verses of the Qur'ān to be revealed. Nasā'ī Ibn Mardūyah and Ibn Jarīr have cited another view of Hadrat 'Abdullah bin 'Abbās saying that Wattaqū yawm-an turja'ūna fī-hi (Al-Baqarah: 281) was the last verse of the Qur'ān to be revealed. The view of Ibn 'Abbās that Al-Firyābī has cited in his commentary adds that this verse was sent down 81 days before the Holy Prophet's death, and according to Sa'īd bin Jubair's view which Ibn Abī Ḥātim has cited, there was an interval of only 9 days between the revelation of this verse and the Holy Prophet's death. The Musnad of Imām Aḥmad and Al-Mustadrak of Imām Ḥākim contain a tradition from Hadrat Ubayy bin Ka'b, saying that vv. 128, 129 of Sūrah At-Taubah were the last verses of the Qur'ān to be revealed.

If both these traditions are read together, it appears that there was an interval of three months. and some days between the revelation of Sūrah An-Naṣr and the Holy Prophet’s death, for historically the same was the interval between the Farewell Pilgrimage and the passing away of the Holy Prophet.

Ibn ‘Abbās says that when this Sūrah was revealed, the Holy Prophet said that he had been informed of his death and his time had approached. (Musnad Aḥmad, Ibn Jarīr, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Mardūyah). In the other traditions related from Ḥaḍrat ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbās, it has been stated that at the revelation of this Sūrah the Holy Prophet understood that he had been informed of his departure from the world. (Musnad Aḥmad, Ibn Jarīr, Ṭabarānī, Nasā’ī, Ibn Abī Ḥātim, Ibn Mardūyah).

Mother of the Believers, Ḥaḍrat Umm Ḥabībah, says that when this Sūrah was revealed the Holy Prophet said that he would leave the world that year. Hearing this Ḥaḍrat Fāṭimah wept. Thereat he said: “From among my family you will be the first to join me.” Hearing this she laughed. (Ibn Abī Ḥātim, Ibn Mardūyah). A tradition containing almost the same theme has been related by Baihaqī from Ibn ‘Abbās.

Ibn ‘Abbās says: “Ḥaḍrat ‘Umar used to invite me to sit in his assembly along with some of the important elderly, Companions who had fought at Badr. This was not liked by some of them. They complained that they also had sons who were like the boy. Why then was he in particular invited to sit in the assembly? (Imām Bukhārī and Ibn Jarīr have pointed out that such a thing was said by Ḥaḍrat ‘Abdur Raḥmān bin ‘Auf). Ḥaḍrat ‘Umar said that the boy enjoyed the position and distinction because of his knowledge. Then one day he invited the Companions of Badr and called me also to sit with them. I understood that he had invited me to the assembly to prove his contention. During the conversation Ḥaḍrat ‘Umar asked the Companions of Badr: ‘What do you say about Idhā jā’a naṣrullāhi wal-fath?’ Some said: ‘In it we have been enjoined to praise Allah and ask for His forgiveness when His succour comes and we attain victory.’ Some others said that it implied the conquest of cities and forts. Some kept quiet. Then Ḥaḍrat ‘Umar said: ‘Ibn ‘Abbās, do you also say the same?’ I said: No. He asked: ‘What then is your view?’ I submitted that it implied the last hour of Allah’s Messenger (upon whom be peace); in it he was informed that

fathu.” (Musnad Aḥmad, Muslim, Ibn Jarīr, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Mardūyah). In some other traditions on the same subject Ḥadrat ʿĀʾishah has reported that the Holy Prophet often recited the following words in his rukū‘ and sajdah; Subḥānak-Allāhumma wa-bi ḥamdika, Allāhumma-aghfirlī. This was the interpretation of the Qur’ān (i.e. of Sūrah An-Naṣr) that he had made. (Bukhāri, Muslim, Abū Da’ūd, Nasā’ī, Ibn Mājah, Ibn Jarīr).

Hadrat Umm Salamah says that the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) during his last days very often recited the following words sitting and standing, going out of the house and coming back to it: Subḥān Allāhi wa-bi ḥamdi-hī. I one day asked: “Why do you recite these words so often? O Messenger of Allah”. He replied: I have been enjoined to do so. Then he recited this Sūrah.” (Ibn Jarīr).

According to Ḥadrat ʿAbdullah bin Masʿūd, when this Sūrah was revealed, the Messenger of Allah (upon whom be peace) frequently began to recite the words Subḥānak-Allāhumma wa bi-ḥamdik, Allāhumm-aghfirlī, subḥānaka Rabbanā wa bi-ḥamdika, Allahumma aghfirlī, innaka anta at-Tawwāb al-Ghafūr. (Ibn Jarīr, Musnad Aḥmad, Ibn Abī Ḥātim).

Ibn ʿAbbās has stated that after the revelation of this Sūrah the Holy Messenger (upon whom be peace) began to labour so intensively and devotedly hard for the Hereafter as he had never done before. (Nasā’ī, Ṭabarānī, Ibn Abī Ḥātim, Ibn Mardūyah).

When Allah's help comes and victory is attained,¹ and (O Prophet,) you see that the people are entering into Allah's Religion in crowds,² Then glorify your Lord with His praise,³ and pray for His forgiveness.⁴ Indeed, He is ever inclined to accept repentance.

1. Victory here does not imply victory in any one particular campaign but the decisive victory after which there remained no power in the land to resist and oppose Islam, and it became evident that Islam alone would hold sway in Arabia. Some commentators have taken this to imply the Conquest of Makkah. But the conquest of Makkah took place in A.H. 8, and this Sūrah was revealed towards the end of A.H. 10, as is shown by the traditions related on the authority of Ḥadrat ʿAbdullah bin ʿUmar and Ḥadrat Sarrā’ bint Nabhān, which we have cited in the Introduction. Besides, the statement of Ḥadrat ʿAbdullah bin ʿAbbās that this is the last Sūrah of the Qur’ān to be revealed, also goes against this commentary. For if the victory implied the conquest of Makkah, the whole of Sūrah at-Tawbah was revealed after it; then it could not be the last Sūrah. There is no doubt that the conquest of Makkah was decisive in that it broke the power of the Arabian pagans, yet even after this, they showed clear signs of resistance. The battles of Ṭā’if and Hunain were fought after it, and it took Islam about two years to attain complete control over Arabia.

2. “You see ... in crowds”: “When the time for the people to enter Islam in one’s and two’s comes to an end, and when whole tribes and people belonging to large tracts start entering it in crowds, of their own free will, and without offering battle or resistance.” This happened from the beginning of A.H. 9, because of which that year has been described as the year of deputations. Deputations from every part of Arabia started coming before the Holy Messenger (upon whom be peace), entering Islam and taking the oath of allegiance to him, until when he went for the Farewell Pilgrimage to Makkah, in A.H. 10, the whole of Arabia had become Muslim, and not a single polytheist remained anywhere in the country.

3. Ḥamd implies praising and hallowing Allah Almighty as well as thanking and paying obeisance to Him; tasbīḥ means to regard Allah as pure and free from every blemish and weakness. The Holy Prophet was enjoined to do ḥamd and tasbīḥ of Allah when he witnessed this manifestation of His power. Here, ḥamd means that in respect of his great success he should never entertain even a tinge of the idea that it was the result of any excellence of his own, but he should attribute it to Allah's favour and mercy, thank Him alone for it, and acknowledge with the heart and tongue that praise and gratitude for the victory and success belonged to Him alone. And tasbīḥ means that he should regard Allah as pure and free from the limitation that exaltation of his Word stood in need of his effort and endeavour, or was dependent on it. On the contrary, his heart should be filled with the faith that the success of his effort and struggle was dependent upon Allah's support and succour. He could take this service from any of His servants He pleased, and it was His favour that He had taken it from him, and made His religion meet success through him. Besides, there is an aspect of wonder also in pronouncing the tasbīḥ, i.e. Subḥān-Allah. When a wonderful incident takes place, one exclaims subḥān-Allah, thereby implying that only by Allah's power such a wonderful thing had happened; otherwise no power of the world could have caused it to happen.

4. “Pray for His forgiveness”: “Pray to your Lord to overlook; and pardon whatever error or weakness you might have shown inadvertently in the performance of the service that He had entrusted to you.” This is the etiquette that Islam has taught to man. A man might have performed the highest possible service to Allah's Religion, might have offered countless sacrifices in its cause, and might have exerted himself extremely hard in carrying out the rites of His worship, yet he should never entertain the thought that he has fulfilled the right his Lord had on him wholly. Rather he should always think that he has not been able to fulfil what was required of him, and he should implore Allah, saying: “Lord, overlook and forgive whatever weakness I might have shown in rendering Your right, and accept the little service that I have been able to perform.” When such an etiquette was taught to the Holy Messenger (upon whom be peace), none in the world conceivably has toiled and struggled so hard in the cause of Allah as he did, how can another person regard his work as superb and be involved in the misunderstanding that he has fulfilled the right Allah had imposed on him? Allah's right, in fact, is so supreme that no creature can ever fulfil and render it truly and fully.

Allah in this Command has taught Muslims an eternal lesson: “Do not regard any of your worship, devotion or religious service as something superb; even if you have expended your entire life in the cause of Allah, you should always think that you could not do all that was required of you by your Lord. Likewise, when you attain some victory, you should not regard it as a result of some excellence in yourselves but as a result of only Allah's bounty and favour. Then bowing humbly before your Lord, you should praise and glorify Him, and should repent and beg for His forgiveness instead of boasting and bragging of your success and victory.”