2/132. Chapter:
Sunan Abi Dawud 786 — Why No Bismillah Before Bara'ah
Those Who Recited It Out Loud
Why There Is No Bismillah Before Surah Bara'ah
Sunan Abi Dawud : 786
Sunan Abi DawudHadith Number 786
أَخْبَرَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَوْنٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا هُشَيْمٌ، عَنْ عَوْفٍ، عَنْ يَزِيدَ الْفَارِسِيِّ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ قُلْتُ لِعُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ مَا حَمَلَكُمْ أَنْ عَمَدْتُمْ، إِلَى بَرَاءَةَ وَهِيَ مِنَ الْمِئِينَ وَإِلَى الأَنْفَالِ وَهِيَ مِنَ الْمَثَانِي فَجَعَلْتُمُوهُمَا فِي السَّبْعِ الطُّوَلِ وَلَمْ تَكْتُبُوا بَيْنَهُمَا سَطْرَ { بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ } قَالَ عُثْمَانُ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِمَّا يَنْزِلُ عَلَيْهِ الآيَاتُ فَيَدْعُو بَعْضَ مَنْ كَانَ يَكْتُبُ لَهُ وَيَقُولُ لَهُ " ضَعْ هَذِهِ الآيَةَ فِي السُّورَةِ الَّتِي يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا كَذَا وَكَذَا " . وَتَنْزِلُ عَلَيْهِ الآيَةُ وَالآيَتَانِ فَيَقُولُ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ وَكَانَتِ الأَنْفَالُ مِنْ أَوَّلِ مَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ بِالْمَدِينَةِ وَكَانَتْ بَرَاءَةُ مِنْ آخِرِ مَا نَزَلَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ وَكَانَتْ قِصَّتُهَا شَبِيهَةً بِقِصَّتِهَا فَظَنَنْتُ أَنَّهَا مِنْهَا فَمِنْ هُنَاكَ وَضَعْتُهُمَا فِي السَّبْعِ الطُّوَلِ وَلَمْ أَكْتُبْ بَيْنَهُمَا سَطْرَ { بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ } .
Ibn 'Abbas Narrated from:
I asked Uthman ibn Affan: What moved you to put the (Surah) al-Bara'ah which belongs to the mi'in (surahs) (containing one hundred verses) and the (Surah) al-Anfal which belongs to the mathani (Surahs) in the category of as-sab'u at-tiwal (the first long surah or chapters of the Qur'an), and you did not write "In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful" between them?Uthman replied: When the verses of the Qur'an were revealed to the Prophet (ﷺ), he called someone to write them down for him and said to him: Put this verse in the surah in which such and such has been mentioned; and when one or two verses were revealed, he used to say similarly (regarding them).(Surah) al-Anfal is the first surah that was revealed at Medina, and (Surah) al-Bara'ah was revealed last in the Qur'an, and its contents were similar to those of al-Anfal. I, therefore, thought that it was a part of al-Anfal. Hence I put them in the category of as-sab'u at-tiwal (the seven lengthy surahs), and I did not write "In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful" between them.
[1] The first few Sūrahs are called 'The Seven Long Ones', due to their length. These are followed by the Mi'in Sūrahs of the Qur'ān, so called since they each number around a hundred verses in length. These are followed by the Mathānī , so called since they are frequently recited (during the prayers). All Sūrahs of the Qur'ān have the Basmalah written at the beginning of them, except for the ninth Sūrah , known as Sūrah Barā'ah or Surat At-Tawbah . In this narration, Ibn 'Abbas asked 'Uthmān why he joined Barā'ah with Al-Anfāl (meaning why he placed them next to each other in order), even though in his opinion each was of a different category of Sūrah . 'Uthmān replied that the content of the two Sūrahs resembled one other, and the Prophet ﷺ passed away before explaining where to place them (in contrast to other Sūrahs and Verses, which were placed in specific sections by the explicit command of the Prophet ﷺ), hence he placed them together.Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 786In-book reference : Book 2, Hadith 396English translation : Book 3, Hadith 785
Summary of Sunan Abi Dawud Hadith 786
This hadith discusses Qur'an arrangement and the absence of Bismillah between Surah Al-Anfal and Surah Bara'ah. Ibn Abbas asked Uthman why Al-Bara'ah and Al-Anfal were placed together among the long surahs, and why Bismillah was not written between them. Uthman answered that when verses were revealed, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم would call a scribe and tell him where to place them in a surah. He also explained that Al-Anfal was among the early Madinan revelations, while Bara'ah was among the later Qur'anic revelations, and their subject matter was similar. Uthman said he thought Bara'ah was part of Al-Anfal, so he placed them among the seven long surahs and did not write Bismillah between them. The hadith focuses on placement, writing, and careful handling of revelation.
What we learn from this hadith
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم directed scribes where to place revealed verses.
- Uthman explained why Bismillah was not written between Al-Anfal and Bara'ah.
- Similarity in subject matter is mentioned as part of Uthman's explanation.
- The narration shows care in arranging Qur'anic text.
