This is the 97th surah of the Qur'an with 5 Aayah.
THEME
Its theme is to acquaint man with the value, worth and importance of the Qur'an.
Its being placed just after Surah Al-'Alaq in the Qur'an explains that the Book, the revelation of which began with the first five aayah of Surah Al-'Alaq, was sent down in a destiny making night.
SUBJECT MATTER
At the outset, Allah says: "We have sent it down." That is, it is not a composition of Muhammad (SalAllaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) himself, but We Ourself have revealed it.
Then, it is said that "We sent it down in the Night of Destiny." Night of Destiny gives two meanings and both are implied here:
1. First, that it is the night during which destinies are decided; or, in other words, it is not an ordinary night like the other nights, but a night in which destinies are made, not only for the people of Quraysh or Arabia, but of the whole world.
2. Second, that this is a night of unique honor, dignity and glory; so much so that it is better than a thousand months.
In conclusion, it has been stated that in this night the angels and Jibra'eel ('alaihis salaam) descend with every decree by the leave of their Lord, and it is all peace from evening till morning; that is, there is no interference of evil in it, for all decrees of Allah are intended to promote good and not evil. So much so that even if a decision to destroy a nation is taken, it is taken for the sake of ultimate good, not evil.
(العلق - "The Clot"). It is sometimes also known as Sūrah Al-Iqrā (إقرا - "Read")
This is the 96th surah of the Qur'an. It is composed of 19 Aayaat.
PERIOD OF REVELATION
It is traditionally believed to have been revealed at Makkah at cave Hira.
This Surah has two parts:
1. The first part consists of Aayaah 1-5, and the second of ayaah 6-19.
About the first part, a great majority of the Islamic scholars are agreed that it forms the very first Revelation to be sent down to the Prophet (SalAllaahu 'alaihi wa sallam).
2. The second part was sent down afterwards when the Prophet (SalAllaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) began to perform the prescribed Prayer in the precincts of the Ka'bah and Abu Jahl tried to prevent him from this with threats.
For more detailed tafseer of this surah please click on this link👇🏻
This is the 95th surah of the Qur'an. This surah has 8 Aayah in it.
THEME AND SUBJECT MATTER
Its theme is the rewards and punishments of the Hereafter. For this purpose first swearing an oath by the habitats of some illustrious Prophets, it has been stated that Allah has created man in the most excellent of molds.
This statement signifies that mankind has been blessed with such an excellent mold and nature that it gave birth to men capable of attaining to the highest position of Prophethood, a higher position than which has not been attained by any other creature of Allah.
Then, it has been stated that there are two kinds of men.
1. Those who in spite of having been created in the finest of molds, become inclined to evil and their moral degeneration causes them to be reduced to the lowest of the low, and
2. Those who by adopting the way of faith and righteousness remain secure from the degeneration and consistent with the noble position, which is the necessary demand of their having been created in the best of molds.
The existence among mankind of both these kinds of men is such a factual thing which no one can deny, for it is being observed and experienced in society everywhere at all times.
In conclusion, this factual reality has been used as an argument to prove that when among the people there are these two separate and quite distinct kinds, how can one deny the judgment and retribution for deeds. If the morally degraded are not punished and the morally pure and exalted are not rewarded and both end in the dust alike, it would mean that there is no justice in the Kingdom of God;
Whereas human nature and common sense demand that a judge should do justice. How then can one conceive that Allah, Who is the most just of all judges, would not do justice?
This is the 94th surah of the Qur'an with 8 Aayaat.
THEME
The aim and object of this Surah too is to console and encourage the Messenger (SalAllaahu 'alaihi wa sallam). Before his call he never had to encounter the conditions which he suddenly had to encounter after it when he embarked on his mission of inviting the people to Islam.
No sooner had he (SalAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam) started preaching the message of Islam than the same society which had esteemed him with unique honor, turned hostile to him. The same relatives and friends, the same clansmen and neighbours, who used to treat him with the highest respect, began to shower him with abuse and invective.
No one in Makkah was prepared to listen to him; he began to be ridiculed and mocked in the street and on the road; and at every step he had to face new difficulties. That is why first Surah Ad-Dhuha was sent down to console him, and then this Surah.
SUBJECT MATTER
In it, Allah says: "We have favored you, O Prophet, with three great blessings; therefore you have no cause to be disheartened.
*The first is the blessing of Sharh Sadr (opening up of the breast),*
*The second of removing from you the heavy burden that was weighing down your back before the call,* and
*The third of exalting your renown the like of which has never been granted to any man before.*
After this, the Lord and Sustainer of the universe has reassured His Servant and Messenger (SalAllaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) that the period of hardships which he is passing through, is not very long, but following close behind it there is also a period of ease.
This same thing has been described in Surah Ad-Dhuha, saying: "Every later period is better for you than the former period, and soon your Lord will give you so much that you will be well pleased."
In conclusion, the Prophet (SalAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam) has been instructed, so as to say, "You can develop the power to bear and resist the hardships of the initial stage only by one means, and it is this:
"When you are free from your occupations, you should devote yourself to the labor and toil of worship, and turn all your attention exclusively to your Lord"
(Arabic: الضحى, The Morning Hours, Morning Bright)
This is the 93rd surah of the Qur'an with 11 Aayaat.
PERIOD OF REVELATION
Its subject matter clearly indicates that it belongs to the earliest period at Makkah. The revelations were suspended for a time, which caused the Prophet (salAllaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) to be deeply distressed and grieved. On this account, he felt very anxious that perhaps he had committed some error because of which his Lord had become angry with him and had forsaken him.
Thereupon he was given the consolation that revelation had not been stopped because of some displeasure but this was necessitated by the same expediency as underlies the peace and stillness of the night after the bright day, as if to say:
"If you had continuously been exposed to the intensely bright light of Revelation (Wahi) your nerves could not have endured it. Therefore, an interval was given in order to afford you peace and tranquility."
This state was experienced by the Prophet (salAllaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) in the initial stage of the Prophethood when he was not yet accustomed to hear the intensity of Revelation. So a pause in between was necessary.
THEME AND SUBJECT MATTER
Its theme is to console the Prophet (salAllaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) and its object is to remove his anxiety and distress, which he had been caused by the suspension of Revelation.
First of all, swearing an oath by the bright morning and the stillness of night, he has been reassured, so as to say:
"Your Lord has not at all forsaken you, nor is he displeased with you." Then, he has been given the good news that the hardships that he was experiencing in the initial stage of his mission, would not last long, for every later period of life for him would be better than the former period, and before long Allah would bless him so abundantly that he would be well pleased.
Then, addressing His Prophet (salAllaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) Allah says:
"O My dear Prophet, what has caused you the anxiety and distress that your Lord has forsaken you, and that We are displeased with you? Whereas the fact is that We have been good to you with kindness after kindness ever since the day of your birth. You were born an orphan, We made the best arrangement for your upbringing and care. You were unaware of the Way, We showed you the Way; you were indigent, We made you rich. All this shows that you have been favored by Us from the very beginning and Our grace and bounty has been constantly focused on you."
In conclusion, Allah has instructed His Prophet (salAllaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) telling him how he should treat the creatures of God to repay for the favors He has done him and how he should render thanks for the blessings He has bestowed to him.
This is the 92nd surah of the Qur'an, containing 21 ayāt.
PERIOD OF REVELATION
Its subject matter so closely resembles that of Surah Ash-Shams, that each Surah seems to be an explanation of the other. This indicates that both these Surahs were sent down in about the same period.
THEME AND SUBJECT
Its theme is to distinguish between the two different ways of life and to explain the contrast between their ultimate ends and results. In view of the subject matter this Surah consists of two parts :
In the first part (ayaah 1-11), at the outset it has been pointed out that the strivings and doings that the individuals, nations and groups of mankind are engaged in, in this world, are, in respect of their moral nature, as divergent as the day is from the night, and the male from the female.
After this, three moral characteristics of one kind and three moral characteristics of the other kind have been presented as an illustration from among a vast collection of the strivings and activities of man. Both these styles have been described in such brief, elegant and pithy sentences that they move the heart and go down into memory as soon as one hears them.
Characteristics of the first kind are that one should spend one's wealth, adopt God-consciousness and piety, and acknowledge the good as good.
The second kind of the characteristics are that one should be miserly, should least care for Allah's pleasure and His displeasure, and should repudiate what is good and right.
Then it has been stated that these two modes of action which are clearly divergent, cannot be equal and alike in respect of their results. But, just as they are divergent in their nature, so they are divergent in their results.
The person (or group of persons) who adopts the first mode of action, Allah will make easy for him the correct way of life, so much so that doing good will become easy for him and doing evil difficult. On the contrary, he who adopts the second mode of life, Allah will make easy for him the difficult and hard way of life, so much so that doing evil will become easy for him and doing good difficult.
This passage has been concluded with a most effective and touching sentence, saying: "This worldly wealth for the sake of which man is even prepared to risk his life will not go down with him into the grave; therefore, what will it avail him after death❓"
In the second part (ayaah 12-21) also three truths have been stated equally briefly:
First, that Allah has not left man uninformed in the examination hall of the world, but He has taken on Himself the responsibility to tell him which one is the straight and right way out of the different ways of life.
Second, that the Master of both the world and the Hereafter is Allah alone. If you seek the world, it is He Who will give it, and if you seek the Hereafter, again it is He Who will give it. Now, it is for you to decide what you should seek from Him.
The third truth that has been stated is that the wretched one who rejects the good, which is being presented through the Messenger and the Book, and turns away from it, will have a blazing fire ready for him. As for the God fearing person who spends his wealth in a good cause, without any selfish motive, only for the sake of winning his Lord's good pleasure, his Lord will be pleased with him and will bless him with so much that he will be well pleased with Him.
This is the 91st surah of the Qur'an. It has 15 aayahs.
THEME AND SUBJECT
Its theme is to distinguish the good from the evil and to warn the people, who were refusing to understand this distinction and insisting on following the evil way, of the evil end. In view of the subject matter this Surah consists of two parts.
The first part (ayaah 1-10) deals with three things:
That just as the sun and the moon, the day and the night, the earth and the sky, are different from each other and contradictory in their effects and results, so are the good and the evil different from each other and contradictory in their effects and results; they are neither alike in their outward appearance nor can they be alike in their results.
That Allah after giving the human self powers of the body, sense and mind has not left it uninformed in the world, but has instilled into his unconscious by means of a natural inspiration, the distinction between good and evil, right and wrong, and the sense of the good to be good and of the evil to be evil.
That the future of man depends on how by using the powers of discrimination, will and judgment that Allah has endowed him with, he develops the good and suppresses the evil tendencies of the self. If he develops the good inclination and frees his self of the evil inclinations, he will attain to eternal success, and if, on the contrary, he suppresses the good and promotes the evil, he will meet with disappointment and failure.
In the second part (ayaah 11-15) citing the historical precedent of the people of Thamuud the significance of Prophethood has been brought out. A Messenger is raised in the world, because the inspirational knowledge of good and evil that Allah has placed in human nature, is by itself not enough for the guidance of man.
That is why Allah sent down clear and definite Revelation to the Prophets to augment man's natural inspiration so that they may expound to the people as to what is good and what is evil.
Likewise, the Prophet Saalih ('alaihis salaam) was sent to the people of Thamuud, but the people overwhelmed by the evil of their self, had become so rebellious that they rejected him. And when he presented before them the miracle of the she camel, as demanded by themselves, the most wretched one of them, in spite of his warning, hamstrung it, in accordance with the will and desire of the people.
Consequently, the entire tribe was overtaken by a disaster. While narrating this story of the Thamuud nowhere in the Surah has it been said "O people of Quraysh, if you rejected your Prophet Muhammad (salAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam), as the Thamuud had rejected theirs, you too would meet with the same fate as they met."
The conditions at that time in Makkah were similar to those that had been created by the wicked among the people of Thamuud against the Prophet Saalih ('alaihis salaam). Therefore, the narration of this story in those conditions was by itself enough to suggest to the people of Makkah how precisely this historical precedent applied to them.
This is the 90th surah of the Qur'an with 20 ayaat.
THEME AND SUBJECT
In this Surah a vast subject has been compressed into a few brief sentences, and it is a miracle of the Qur'an that a complete ideology of life which could hardly be explained in a thick volume has been abridged most effectively in brief sentences of this short Surah.
Its theme is to explain the true position of man in the world and of the world in relation to man and to tell that Allah has shown to man both the highways of good and evil, has also provided for him the means to judge and see and follow them, and now it rests upon man's own effort and judgment whether he chooses the path of virtue and reaches felicity or adopts the path of vice and meets with doom.
SUMMARY
First, the city of Makkah and the hardships being faced therein by the Prophet (salAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam) and the state of the children of Adam ('alaihis-salaam) have been cited as a witness to the truth that this world is not a place of rest and ease for man, where he might have been born to enjoy life, but here he has been created into toil and struggle.
After this, man's misunderstanding that he is all alone in this world and that there is no superior power to watch what he does and to call him to account, has been refuted. The person who, for ostentation and display, squanders heaps of wealth, not only himself prides upon his extravagances but the people also admire him, whereas the Being Who is watching over his deeds, sees by what methods he obtained the wealth and in what ways and intention he spent it.
Then Allah says: We have given man the means of knowledge and the faculties of thinking and understanding and opened up before him both the highways of virtue and vice:
One way leads down to moral depravity, and it is an easy way pleasing for the self;
The other way leads up to moral heights, which is steep like an uphill road, for scaling which man has to exercise self- restraint.
Then, Allah has explained what the steep road is by following which man can ascend to the heights.
It is that he should give up spending for ostentation, display and pride and should spend his wealth to help the orphans and the needy,
Should believe in Allah and His Religion and joining the company of believers,
Should participate in the construction of a society which should fulfill the demands of virtue and righteousness patiently and should be compassionate to the people.
The end of those who follow this way is that they would become worthy of Allah's mercies. On the contrary, the end of those who follow the wrong way, is the fire of Hell from which there is no escape.
This is the 89th surah of the Quran. It has 30 ayaah.
TOPIC
The surah describes destruction of disbelieving people: the Ancient Egyptians, the people of Iram of the Pillars, and Mada'in Saleh.
THEME AND SUBJECT MATTER
Its theme is to affirm the meting out of rewards and punishments in the Hereafter, which the people of Makkah were not prepared to acknowledge.
First of all, swearing oaths by the dawn, the ten nights, the even and the odd, and the departing night, the listeners have been asked:
"Are these things not enough to testify to the truth of that which you are refusing to acknowledge?"
Even after witnessing this wise system established by Allah, do you still need any other evidence to show that it is not beyond the power of Allah Who has brought about this system to establish the Hereafter, and He should call man to account for his deeds?
Then, reasoning from man's own history, the evil end of the 'Aad and the Thamuud and Fir'awn has been cited as an example to show that when they transgressed all limits and multiplied corruption in the earth, Allah laid upon them the scourge of His chastisement.
After this, two aspects in particular have been criticized:
First, the materialistic attitude of the people has been mentioned. Allah is trying man in both conditions to see what attitude he adopts when blessed with wealth and how he behaves when afflicted by poverty.
Second, the people's attitude under which the orphan child in their society was left destitute on the death of the father. Nobody asked after the poor; The discourse has been concluded with the assertion that accountability shall certainly be held and it will be held on the Day when the Divine Court will be established.
The denier will regret and say, "Would that I had provided for this Day beforehand while I lived in the world." But his regrets will not save him from Allah's punishment.
However, as for the people who would have accepted the Truth, Allah will be pleased with them and they will be well pleased with the rewards bestowed by Allah. They will be called upon to join the righteous and enter Paradise.
