Allah commanded His Prophet ﷺ to recite Surah Al-Bayyinah (“Lam yakun”) to Ubayy ibn Ka’b; when Ubayy learned that Allah had named him, he wept, as narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim. An-Nawawi saw in this a merit of the surah, and Al-Qurtubi explained the choice: despite its brevity, it gathers monotheism, the message, sincerity, prayer, zakah and the return to Allah.
Allah commanded His Prophet ﷺ to recite this surah to Ubayy ibn Ka’b, who wept on learning that Allah had named him. An-Nawawi: this is an honour for Ubayy and a merit of the surah “Lam yakun”.
According to Al-Qurtubi, this surah was chosen because, despite its brevity, it gathers the oneness of Allah, the message, sincerity, the scriptures and Books revealed to the prophets, prayer, zakah, the return to Allah, and the description of the people of Paradise and of Hell.
It belongs to the Mufassal, given to the Prophet ﷺ as an extra gift and by which he was favoured over the other prophets, according to the hadith of Wathilah ibn al-Asqa’: “… and I was favoured with the Mufassal.”
Arabic text, translation, reference and authenticity grade of each hadith.
إن الله أمرني أن أقرأ عليك ﴿لَمْ يَكُنِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ﴾. قال: وسماني لك. قال: نعم، فبكى
The Prophet ﷺ said to Ubayy ibn Ka’b: “Allah has commanded me to recite to you ‘Those who disbelieved among the People of the Book were not…’ (Lam yakun).” He asked: “He named me to you?” He said: “Yes.” And Ubayy wept.
إن الله ليسمع قراءة ﴿لَمْ يَكُنِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا﴾ فيقول: أبشر عبدي، فوعزتي لأمكنن لك في الجنة حتى ترضى
Allah hears the recitation of “Lam yakuni-lladhina kafaru” and says: “Rejoice, My servant! By My might, I will establish you in Paradise until you are pleased.”
Main purpose: To show the perfection and clarity of the message of Muhammad ﷺ.
Al-Bayyinah is the 98th surah in the order of the Qur’an and has eight verses. It is also called “Lam yakun”, “Al-Munfakkin”, “Al-Qayyimah” and “Al-Bariyyah”. Al-Alusi held it to be Medinan and considered this the soundest view; As-Suyuti listed it among the Medinan surahs, revealed after At-Talaq and before Al-Hashr. “Al-Bayyinah” means the clear proof that distinguishes truth from falsehood.
Tafsir of Surah Al-Bayyinah Listen to Al-Bayyinah by other reciters
The full Arabic text: introduction, virtues, themes, and a study of the chain and authenticity of each hadith.
