“The Messenger of Allah ordered burning and cutting down the date palms of Banu An-Nadir, and that (place was called Al-Buwairah. So Allah revealed: What you cut down of the Linah, or you left of them standing on their trunks, it was by the leave of Allah, and in order that He might disgrace the rebellious.”  

حَرَّقَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ نَخْلَ بَنِي النَّضِيرِ وَقَطَّعَ وَهِيَ الْبُوَيْرَةُ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ (ما قَطَعْتُمْ مِنْ لِينَةٍ أَوْ تَرَكْتُمُوهَا قَائِمَةً عَلَى أُصُولِهَا فَبِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَلِيُخْزِيَ الْفَاسِقِينَ )  

“Habib bin Abi Amrah narrated to us, from Sa’eed bin Jubair, from Ibn Abbas, regarding the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime: What you cut down of the Linah, or you left of them standing on their trunks – he said: ‘The Linah is the date-palms.’ That He might disgrace the rebellious. He said: ‘They were forced from their forts.’ And they were ordered to cut down the date-pals, that caused some hesitation in their chests, so the Muslims said: “We cut some of them, and we left some of them, so let us ask the Messenger of Allah is we are to be rewarded for those that we cut down, and if we will be burdened for what we left?” So Allah [Most High] revealed the Ayah: What you cut down of the Linah, or you left of them standing on their trunks.”  

وَأَمَرُوا بِقَطْعِ النَّخْلِ فَحَكَّ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ فَقَالَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ قَدْ قَطَعْنَا بَعْضًا وَتَرَكْنَا بَعْضًا فَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ هَلْ لَنَا فِيمَا قَطَعْنَا مِنْ أَجْرٍ وَهَلْ عَلَيْنَا فِيمَا تَرَكْنَا مِنْ وِزْرٍ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى (ما قَطَعْتُمْ مِنْ لِينَةٍ أَوْ تَرَكْتُمُوهَا قَائِمَةً عَلَى أُصُولِهَا ) الآيَةَ  

That a man from the Ansar had a guest spend the night with him, but he did not have anything to eat but his meal and the meal for his children, so he said to his wife: ‘Put the children to sleep, extinguish the torches, and give me whatever you have with you for the guest.’ So this Ayah was revealed: And they give preference over themselves even though they were in need of that.”  

أَنَّ رَجُلاً مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ بَاتَ بِهِ ضَيْفٌ فَلَمْ يَكُنْ عِنْدَهُ إِلاَّ قُوتُهُ وَقُوتُ صِبْيَانِهِ فَقَالَ لاِمْرَأَتِهِ نَوِّمِي الصِّبْيَةَ وَأَطْفِئِي السِّرَاجَ وَقَرِّبِي لِلضَّيْفِ مَا عِنْدَكِ فَنَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الآيَةُُ ( ويؤْثِرُونَ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ ) هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ