Sūrat al-Bayyinah is also called Sūrat al-Bariyyah, Sūrat al-Qayyimah, Sūrat Lam Yakun, and Sūrat al-Munfakkīn. Suyūṭī has mentioned that it has moreover been named as Sūrat Ahl al-Kitāb and that in the codex of Ubayy it is also named as Sūrat al-Infikāk in addition to some of the names we have already mentioned. Subḥānī muses that such variation is clear evidence that the names of the surahs were not divinely instructed (tawqīfī).
It should be a Medinan Surah, although some have claimed it is Meccan. This is probably based on it being a short surah. However, the length of its verses (with the exception of verse 3) are more in line with the Medinan style. The reference to ahl al-kitāb (People of the Book) is also strongly suggestive of it being Medinan.
It is reported from Anas ibn Mālik that the Prophet said to Ubayy ibn Kaʿb: ‘The mighty and glorious God has commanded me to read to you lam yakun alladhīna kafarū.’ Ubayy said: ‘He mentioned my name?!’ The Prophet replied: ‘Yes,’ at which Ubayy began to weep. If this hadith is accepted it is highly suggestive that the surah is Medinan. However, it is possible that the Prophet was simply ordered to read it to Ubayy even though it had been revealed earlier.
The main theme of the surah deals with the topic of definitive divine proof (bayyinah) and how a person’s spiritual status is determined by their relationship with that proof. Both faith (īmān) and disbelief (kufr) are defined according to this relationship. Rejection of the divine proof makes one a kāfir and this brings with it the result of being distanced from divine mercy. Acceptance of the divine proof on the other hand draws one near to divine mercy.
[1] See Tabrisi, 10/791; Tantawi, 15/467.
[2] Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī, al-Itqān fī ʿUlūm al-Qurʾān (Beirut: Dār al-Fikr, 1996), 1/155. He also mentions Sūrat al-Qiyāmah, but this name does not fit the surah.
[3] Munyah, 30/206.
[4] Tibyan, 10/387; Tabrisi, 10/793; Thalabi, 10/285; Razi, 32/237; Ibn Kathir, 8/435; Alusi, 15/424; Mizan, 20/336; Nemuneh, 27/196; Tantawi, 15/467. This is reported from Ibn Abbas (Suyuti, 6/377).
[5] Baghawi, 5/290; Zamakhshari, 4/781; Muhit, 41/518. This is reported from ʿĀʾishah (Suyuti, 6/377). Abū Ḥayyān mistakenly claims that this is the majority opinion.
[6] Nemuneh, 27/196; Tantawi, 15/467; Munyah, 30/206.
[7] Thalabi, 10/260. With some variations: Ibn Kathir, 8/435-436; Suyuti, 6/377-378; Ahmad, 3/130, 137, 185, 215, 235, 273, 284; Bukhari, 4/228, 6/90; Muslim, 2/195; Tirmidhi, 5/330. In other versions of this report Sūrat al-Bayyinah is not mentioned, but rather the Quran in general. See for example Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Nasāʾī, Faḍāʾil al-Ṣaḥābah (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, n.d.), pp. 40-41. Subḥānī writes that he finds some objection in his heart with regards to this hadith, wondering why should Ubayy be specified in this way? If the reason was that Ubayy should be sent to debate with the People of the Book, then there were many similar cases and individuals (Munyah, 30/206). The reason seems obvious though, Ubayy was distinguished as one of the best reciters (qurrāʾ) and memorisers (ḥuffāẓ) amongst the companions of the Prophet, second only to Imam Ali (a). The purport of the hadith is that his station and his great service to the Quran had earned him special divine distinction.
[8] This is the conclusion reached by Ibn Kathir, 8/435-436.