Period of Revelation
According to a tradition of Ibn Abbas
the whole of the Sura was revealed at one sitting at Makkah. Asma
a daughter of Yazld and a first cousin of Hadrat Mu'az-bin Jabl
says
. "During the revelation of this Sura
the Holy Prophet was riding on a she-camel and I was holding her nose-string. The
she-camel began to feel the weight so heavily that it seemed as if her bones would
break under it."We also learn from other traditions that the Holy Prophet dictated the
whole of the Sura the same night that it was revealed. Its subject-matter clearly shows
that it must have been revealed during the last year of the Holy Prophet's life at
Makkah. The tradition of Asma
daughter of Yazid
also confirms this. As she belonged to the Ansar and embraced Islam after the
migration of the Holy Prophet to Yathrab
her visit to the Holy Prophet at Makkah must have taken place during the last year of
his life there. For before this
his relations with those people were not so intimate that a woman from there might
have come to visit him at Makkah.Occasion of Revelation
After determining the period of its revelation
it is easier to visualize the background of the Sura. Twelve years had passed since the
Holy Prophet had been inviting the people to Islam. The antagonism and persecution by
the Quraish had become most savage and brutal
and the majority of the Muslims had to leave their homes and migrate to Habash
(Abyssinia). Above all
the two great supporters of the Holy Prophet. Abu Talib and Hadrat Khadijah
were no more to help and give strength to him. Thus he was deprived of all the worldly
support. But in spite of this
he carried on his mission in the teeth of opposition. As a result of this
on the one hand
all the good people of Makkah and the surrounding clans gradually began to accept
Islam ; on the other hand
the community as a whole
was bent upon obduracy and rejection. Therefore
if anyone showed any inclination towards Islam
he was subjected to taunts and derision
physical violence and social boycott. It was in these dark circumstances that a ray of
hope gleamed from Yathrab
where Islam began to spread freely by the efforts of some influential people of Aus and
Khazraj
who had embraced Islam at Makkah. This was a humble beginning in the march of
Islam towards success and none could foresee at that time the great potentialities that
lay hidden in it. For
to a casual observer
it appeared at that time as if Islam was merely a weak movement it had no material
backing except the meager support of the Prophet's own family and of the few poor
adherents of the Movement. Obviously the latter could not give much help because
they themselves had been cast out by their own people who had become their enemies
and were persecuting them.Topics
These were the conditions
when this discourse was revealed. The main topics dealt with in this discourse may be
divided under seven headings: (1) Refutation of shirkand invitation to the creed of
Tawhid.. (2) Enunciation of the doctrine of the "Life-after- death." and refutation of the
wrong notion that there was nothing beyond this worldly life. (3) Refutation of the
prevalent superstitions. (4) Enunciation of the fundamental moral principles for the
building up of the Islamic Society. (5) Answers to the objections raised against the
person of the Holy Prophet and his mission. (6) Comfort and encouragement to the
Holy Prophet and his followers who were at
that time in a state of anxiety and despondency because of the apparent failure of the
mission. (7) Admonition
warning and threats to the disbelievers and opponents to give up their apathy and
haughtiness. It must
however
be noted that the above topics have not been dealt with one by one under separate
headings
but the discourse goes on as a continuous whole and these topics come under
discussion over and over again in new and different ways.The Background of Makki Suras
As this is the first long Makki Sura in the order of the compilation of the Quran
it will be useful to explain the historical background of Makki Suras in general
so that the reader may easily understand the Makki Suras and our references to its
different stages in connection with our commentary on them. First of all
it should be noted that comparatively very little material is available in regard to the
background of the revelation of Makki Suras whereas the period of the revelation of all
the Madani Suras is known or can be determined with a little effort. There are authentic
traditions even in regard to the occasions of the revelation of the majority of the verses.
On the other hand
we do not have such detailed information regarding the Makki Suras. There are only a
few Suras and verses which have authentic traditions concerning the time and occasion
of their revelation. This is because the history of the Makki period had not been
compiled in such detail as that of the Madani period. Therefore we have to depend on
the internal evidence of these Suras for determining the period of their revelation: for
example
the topics they discuss
their subject. matter
their style and the direct or indirect references to the events and the occasions of their
revelation. Thus it is obvious that with the help of such evidence as this
we cannot say with precision that such and such Sura or verse was revealed on such
and such an occasion. The most we can do is to compare the internal evidence of a
Sura with the events of the life of the Holy Prophet at Makkah
and then come to a more or less correct conclusion as to what particular stage a certain
Sura belongs. If we keep the above things in view
the history of the mission of the Holy Prophet at Makkah can be divided into four
stages. The first stage began with his appointment as a Messenger and ended with the
proclamation of Prophethood three years later. During this period the Message was
given secretly to some selected persons only
but the common people of Makkah were not aware of it. The second stage lasted for
two years after the proclamation of his Prophethood. It began with opposition by
individuals: then by and by
it took the shape of antagonism
ridicule
derision
accusation
abuse
and false propaganda then gangs were formed to persecute those Muslims who were
comparatively poor
weak' and helpless. The third stage lasted for about six years from the beginning of the
persecution to the death of Abu Talib and Hadrat Khadijah in the tenth year of
Prophethood. During this period
the persecution of the Muslims became' so savage and brutal that many of them were
forced to migrate to Habash. Social and economic boycott was applied against the Holy
Prophet and the members of his family
and those Muslims who continued to stay in Makkah were forced to take refuge in
Shi'b-i-A'bi Talib which was besieged. The fourth stage lasted for about three years
from the tenth to the thirteenth year of Prophethood. This was a period of hard trials
and grievous sufferings for the Holy Prophet and his followers. Life had become
unendurable at Makkah and there appeared to be no place of refuge even outside it. So
much so that when the Holy Prophet went to Ta'if
it offered no shelter or protection. Besides this
on the occasion of Hajj
he would appeal to each and every Arab clan to accept his invitation to Islam but met
with blank refusal from every quarter. At the same time
the people of Makkah were holding counsels' to get rid of him by killing or imprisoning
or banishing him from their city. It was at that most critical time that Allah opened for
Islam the hearts of the Ansar of Yathrab where he migrated at their invitation. Now that
we have divided the life of the Holy Prophet at Makkah into four stages
it has become easier for us to tell
as far as possible
the particular stage in which a certain Makki Sarah was revealed. This is because the
Suras belonging to a particular stage can
Subject :Islamic Creed.
This Sura mainly discusses the different aspects of the major articles of the Islamic
Creed: Tawhid
Life-after- death
Prophethood an' their practical application to human life. Side by side with this
it refutes the erroneous beliefs of the "opponents and answers their objections
warns and admonishes them and comforts the Holy Prophet and his followers
who were then suffering from persecution. of course
these themes have not been dealt with under separate heads but have been blended in
an excellent manner.
