Verse of Feeding are verses 7 to 9 of the Al-Insan, which is the 76th chapter (surah) of the Quran. The verse talks about the righteous and the servants of God, their keeping of vows, their fear of the Day of Judgment, and the story of feeding the poor, orphans, and captives.
Background All Shi'a commentaries and most Sunni commentaries say that the Verse of Feeding, and even the whole Surah Al-Insan, was revealed about Ali ibn Abi Talib, Fatimah al-Zahra, Hasan, and Husayn. However, some Sunni commentaries say that these verses are not limited to them and also include the Prophet's family among the righteous, along with other believers. Some opponents of this account point to reports about when the Quranic surahs were revealed. Based on these reports, early commentators such as Qatadah, al-Nahhas, and al-Tabari considered Surah Al-Insan to be Meccan and did not see it as a special virtue of the Prophet's family. In addition to the criticism of this view about whether the surah is Meccan or Medinan, some early commentators, such as Ibn Abbas, Ikrimah, and Ibn al-Jawzi, as well as some narrators from the Companions and Followers, such as Ibn Shahr Ashub and Abu Hamza al-Thumali, considered the surah Medinan. Others believed that the wording of the verse points to a specific person and a specific occasion of revelation. There are also many reports in Shi'a and Sunni commentaries about Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatimah al-Zahra feeding the poor, along with Hasan, Husayn, and their servant, Fiddah. A third view is that Surah Al-Insan is partly Meccan and partly Medinan. According to this view, the last part of the surah, from verse 21 to the end, is Meccan, while the rest is Medinan.
Javadi Amoli says that in the opening verses of Surah Al-Insan, the righteous (abrar) are described as if they are already enjoying the blessings of Paradise before carrying out their good deeds in this world. He gives three possible explanations: the verses may refer to their good deeds taking the form of heavenly blessings, the righteous may already be in Paradise in some sense, or their life and actions in this world may be described as a scene of Paradise. In these verses, drinking from heavenly cups and springs is mentioned alongside acts such as keeping their vows and giving food to the needy, orphans, and captives. The surah then describes their rewards in the afterlife and the blessings they will receive in Paradise.
One detail discussed by commentators is the pronoun in the phrase “ʿalā ḥubbihi.” They disagree about what the pronoun refers to. Some say it refers to God, while others say it refers to the food or to the act of feeding. These different views lead to different interpretations of the verse. Another point in the verse is the use of the present tense, which shows that these actions continue over time. This suggests that the righteous and servants of God are rewarded both in this world and in the hereafter, and that good qualities should become part of a person's character.
Shi'a scholar Abd al-Husayn Amini cited 34 Sunni sources in al-Ghadir that reported the revelation of Surah al-Insan about Ali, Fatimah, Hasan, and Husayn.
Content and structure
Text and translation The text of the verses that directly refer to the event of feeding is as follows:
يُوفُـونَ بِالنَّذْرِ وَيَخَافُونَ يَوْماً كَانَ شَرُّهُ مُسْـتَطِيـراًThey fulfill vows and fear a day the evil of which shall be spreading far and wide. (76:7).وَيُطْعِمُونَ الطَّعَامَ عَلىٰ حُبِّهِ مِسْكِيناً وَيَتِيماً وَأَسِيراًAnd they give food out of love for Him to the poor and the orphan and the captive. (76:8).إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ اللهِ لاَ نُرِيدُ مِنْكُمْ جَزَاءً وَلاَ شُكُوراًWe only feed you for Allah‘s sake; we desire from you neither reward nor thanks. (76:9).
Content The creation of man before he was mentioned is the opening theme of Surah Al-Insan. The opening verses of the surah discuss human nature, encourage people to think and reflect, describe the tests people face in this world, and explain God’s guidance for His servants. These verses stress that each person chooses their own way in life, and on this path they will either be grateful or ungrateful. The following verses mention good deeds and describe the qualities of the righteous. It then refers to those who fulfilled their vows and praises them for giving their food to the poor, orphans, and captives, hoping to receive God's love, even when they needed the food themselves, and describes them as among the righteous. It then describes their intentions or words, saying that their goal is to please God. Finally, it mentions their fear of the Day of Judgment. It also describes their other rewards in the following eighteen verses and mentions the blessings of Paradise they will receive. The messages of this verse include the value of keeping one's vows, the importance of helping those in need, doing good deeds with a sincere intention, and helping everyone regardless of their status or beliefs.
Occasions of revelation
Occasions of revelation According to the Shi'a exegete al-Tabrisi (d. 548 AH), most exegete agreed that the “righteous” (abrār) referred to Ali, Fatimah, and Hasan and Husayn. Ibn Mardawayh (d. 410 AH), a Sunni hadith scholar, cited a narration from Ibn Abbas (d. 68 AH), identifying the Prophet Muhammad's Ahl al-Bayt as the occasion of revelation of the Feeding Verse. The Sunni exegete al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH) also cited a narration by Ibn Mardawayh and identified Ali and Fatimah as the occasion of revelation. Al-Tha'labi (d. 427 AH), a Sunni Quran commentator and hadith scholar, says in his tafsir that verses 5 to 10, and even the whole of Surah al-Insan, were revealed about the Ahl al-Bayt. He supports this with a story from Ibn Abbas about the vow made by Muhammad's family and how they kept it. He also cites another narration from Ibn Abbas, saying that the whole of Surah al-Insan was revealed about Ali and Fatimah. He also mentions a poem attributed to Khuzayma ibn Thabit:
Other sources, including the Sunni commentator al-Zamakhshari (d. 538 AH), also said that verses 5–23 (18 verses) were revealed after Ali ibn Abi Talib and his family made and fulfilled a vow. Another Sunni commentator, Fakhr al-Razi (d. 606 AH), also discussed the narration mentioned in al-Kashshaf in his Tafsir al-Kabir. He said that since the verses use plural forms, they refer to all righteous people, not just one person such as Ali ibn Abi Talib. He also considered limiting the verses to Ali to be inconsistent with the wording of the verses. He stressed that this does not mean Ali ibn Abi Talib is excluded from the righteous, and said that all believers who follow this kind of behavior are included in the verse. The Shia commentator Abdollah Javadi Amoli disagreed with al-Razi, who believed that these verses apply to everyone. He said that the verses give a general rule that anyone can follow. However, he said that the only people known to have followed it were Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn. He added that if others had done the same, it would have been mentioned in the sources. Javadi Amoli also stressed the intention behind this act of feeding, which is mentioned in the verse. He considered it a great act that only the Prophet’s family could have carried out. The Sunni commentator al-Qurtubi (d. 671 AH), in his Tafsir, quoted al-Tha'labi, al-Naqqash, and al-Qushayri, all Sunni commentators, who said that the surah was revealed about Ali ibn Abi Talib. However, they understood its message as general and said that it sets out a general rule. However, al-Qushayri, a Shafi'i commentator, also mentioned other possible reasons for the revelation of the verse. One of them was the story of the vow made by Mu'tam ibn Warqa al-Ansari. Other reports say that the verse was revealed about the hardships faced by the Muhajirun after the Battle of Badr, or about an unknown person from the Ansar. Another Sunni commentator, al-Biqa'i (d. 1408 AH), also considered the story of Ali ibn Abi Talib and his family feeding others to be the reason for the revelation of this surah, based on several reports.
Among Shia commentators, Ali ibn Ibrahim (d. 307 AH) said, based on a narration from Ja'far al-Sadiq in Tafsir al-Qummi, that the verses about feeding were revealed about the Prophet's family. Al-Shaykh al-Saduq (d. 381 AH) also held this view, based on a narration from Muhammad al-Baqir. Tabataba'i (d. 1401 AH) also reached the same conclusion based on several narrations, including one quoted by al-Shaykh al-Saduq from Ja'far al-Sadiq in his Amali. In that narration, ﴾ يُوفُونَ بِالنَّذْرِ ﴿ refers to Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn.
Time and place of revelation There are different views about when and where Surah al-Insan was revealed. Among the early sources, the Shia scholar Ibn Shahrashub reported that Ali ibn Abi Talib and his family fed others on 25 Dhu al-Hijjah and said that Surah al-Insan, also known as “Hal Ata,” was revealed on the same day. Abu Hamza al-Thumali, a Shia disciple of Ali ibn al-Husayn, also reported that the entire Surah al-Insan was revealed in Medina. Ibn Abbas also considered Surah al-Insan to have been revealed in Medina. The report from Ibn Abbas has been narrated through three people: Uthman ibn Ata, Ibn Jurayj, and Mujahid. Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib, a Tabi'i, is another person who reported that the surah was revealed in Medina. Other reports from early Sunni sources are attributed to Ikrimah, al-Zuhri, Ata, Husayn ibn Waqid, and Ibn al-Jawzi, all of whom considered Surah al-Insan to have been revealed in Medina. On the other hand, other Sunni sources, including Qatada, Ali ibn Abi Talha, al-Nahhas, and al-Tabari, considered the surah to have been revealed in Mecca.
Among Sunni commentators, some, such as Fakhr al-Razi, considered the entire Surah al-Insan to have been revealed in Mecca. However, the Sunni commentator al-Suyuti cited reports that say some polytheist prisoners were in Medina when the verses about feeding were revealed. Tabataba'i, a Shia commentator, also considered this verse to have been revealed in Medina based on this report. The Sunni commentators al-Shawkani and Siddiq Hasan Khan said that most commentators and Quran reciters considered the surah to be Medinan, while Muqatil and al-Kalbi considered it Meccan. Sayyid Qutb, a Sunni writer, considered the surah to be Meccan based on its wording and overall context. He believed that the surah’s mention of severe punishment and its call for the Prophet to be patient point to the Meccan period. The Shia commentator al-Tabarsi, in response to the view that Surah al-Insan, especially the verse about feeding, was revealed in Mecca, described this view as biased and referred to sources that considered Surah al-Insan to have been revealed in Medina. He quoted a narration from the Sunni scholar al-Haskani, who narrated it from Ali ibn Musa al-Rida. According to this narration, Surah al-Insan was revealed in Medina. Al-Tabarsi also cited reports from Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib and Ibn Abbas, who said that the surah was revealed in Medina. He also cited a report from Ibn Abbas to support the view that Surah al-Insan was revealed in Medina. It says: “Some surahs began to be revealed in Mecca, and were therefore listed as Meccan at the beginning, but the rest of the surah was revealed in Medina. Surah al-Insan is one of them.”