In the Shade of the Qur'an by Sayyid Qutb

It is practically impossible to date the revelation of this surah, and this applies to its opening as well as to the surah as a whole. Nor is it possible to say for certain that its opening was revealed first and the rest after the lapse of some time. We cannot even say that this was more probable, because the opening and the ending of the surah tackle the same point, namely, the unbelievers’ rude claims about the Prophet, denouncing him as a madman.

There are many reports that suggest that this was the second surah to be revealed after Surah 96. Where different editions of the Qur’an mention an order of revelation, they all suggest that this is the second surah. Yet the style of the surah, the way it tackles its subject matter and its drift point to something else. In fact, these aspects almost confirm that it was revealed sometime after the call to Islam went public. It is well known that for three years the Prophet addressed his message to people privately, on an individual basis. In other words, this surah was most probably revealed during that time, when the Quraysh was determinedly opposed to the new message of Islam, resorting to all means to prevent it, including levelling defamatory allegations against the Prophet.

Byway of response, the Qur’an began to denounce such tactics, repelling unfounded allegations and issuing threats and warnings of the type this surah includes.

As we have said, it has been suggested that only the opening of the surah was revealed early on, soon after the first revelation of Surah 96.

It is further suggested that the negation of any madness attributed to the Prophet, which occurs in the opening, “you are not, by your Lord's grace, a madman? was in order to calm his own fears about whether such revelations were signs of madness. This is again unlikely, because the reports mentioning any such fears the Prophet may have had are exceedingly lacking in authenticity. Moreover, the way the surah is built as a single whole makes it clear that this negation is meant to refute the allegation mentioned at its conclusion: “ The unbelievers well-nigh trip you up with their eyes when they hear this reminder. They say, 'He is surely mad?' (Verse 51) It is this allegation that is negated at the surah's very outset. This is clearly understood when we read all the surah and appreciate how closely interlinked it is throughout.

Some reports also suggest that certain passages, specifically verses 17-23 and 42-52, were revealed in MadTnah. The first of these passages mentions the test endured by the owners of the garden, and the second refers to the Prophet Jonah. Again, we believe this not to be the case.

Instead, we suggest that the whole surah was revealed in Makkah, because its style is very much Makkan. Indeed, this is more likely, considering the style, the features and the overall unity of the surah.

Our own stance, therefore, is that the surah was not the second to be revealed, but rather that its revelation took place after the lapse of some considerable time after the start of the Prophets mission. It was certainly after the divine instruction was given to the Prophet to “warn your nearest kindred? (26: 214), and after the revelation of a substantial portion of the Qur’an speaking about earlier communities. Such reports have been described by some unbelievers as ‘fables of the ancients’.

It was clearly revealed then at a time when the Quraysh had already been called upon to accept Islam and whence it started its resistance to the call. Indeed, so determined had it become in its opposition at this point that it did not hesitate to level false allegations against the Prophet and his mission. It is such opposition that necessitated the very strong denunciation the surah makes of the unbelievers and the strong warnings it issues both early on and towards its end. Such timing of its revelation is also confirmed by the last image it portrays: “ The unbelievers well-nigh trip you up with their eyes when they hear this reminder. They say 'He is surely mad'" (Verse 51) This is an image of a public address calling on large groups of people to accept the message. Such gatherings most certainly did not take place during the early years of the Islamic message. Indeed, the first such public address was only made three years after the Prophet began to receive Quranic revelations.

The surah refers to some of the offers the unbelievers made to the Prophet, suggesting a compromise over the central issue in dispute, namely that of faith. It says: "They would love that you compromise with them, so that they will also compromise." (Verse 9) Needless to say, such an offer would not have been made at a time when the message was only advocated in private, presented to a few individuals. In such circumstances, it would not have been felt to represent any danger. It is more likely that such offers would only have been made later, when the message advocated itself in public and when the unbelievers realized its far-reaching significance.

We see how several indications confirm that the surah was not revealed in the very early days of the Islamic message, and that at least three years had passed before its revelation. It is highly unlikely that no Qur’anic revelations were made during these three years. On the contrary, it is much more likely that many surahs and passages were revealed in the intervening period, presenting the Islamic faith without strongly denouncing the unbelievers in the way we find in this surah. Having said all this, however, one can still not say that this surah, as well as Surahs 73 and 74, were revealed late into the Islamic period.

The tree of the Islamic faith, in its real, clean and pure form, was being planted on earth. It was totally unfamiliar to the prevailing state of ignorance, or jahiliyyah, not only in the Arabian Peninsula but throughout the globe. Indeed there was a great gulf between it and the deviant and colourless form of the Abrahamic faith, mixed with local superstitions, which the Arab idolaters upheld. What Muhammad (peace be upon him) advocated was a clear, straightforward, simple, yet comprehensive and profound faith that was fully in line with the original pure faith preached by Abraham, but to a standard of perfection that fits its being the last message to mankind, addressing them in their stage of maturity and remaining intact to the end of time. Take, for example, the notion of multiple deities that assigns partners to God: in this respect, the Arabs worshipped angels, statues, the jinn and spirits. Their beliefs were a medley of corrupt and hollow notions. Compare these with the noble picture the Qur’an paints of God and His majestic power that takes care of every creature. The gulf between the two is immense.

Similarly wide is the gulf between the class system that prevailed in Arabia, the clerical nature of its religion and the monopoly of privileges, such as custodianship of the Ka(bah, on the one hand and the equality of all people preached by Islam and every individual’s direct relation with God as explained in the Qur’an on the other. Likewise, the morality advocated by the Prophet Muhammad was a world apart from the values that prevailed in Arabia’s jahiliyyah society.

This great gulf between the new faith and the Quraysh’s beliefs, values and practices was sufficient to bring about direct conflict between the two camps. There were, however, other factors which perhaps were, to the Quraysh, more serious than the issue of faith. There were, for example, social factors, some of which prompted them to suggest what is reported in the Qur’an: “ They also say, 'Why was not this Quran revealed to some great man of the two cities?”' (43: 31) The two cities mentioned here are Makkah and Ta’if. Despite the fact that the Prophet was a descendent of the noblest family in the Quraysh, the very fact that he was not the chief of his clan made it very difficult for their chiefs to accept his leadership. In that social environment, position in one’s clan was of paramount importance.

Family factors also played their part. We see such significance in the fact that ‘Amr ibn Hisham, better known as Abu Jahl, stubbornly refused to accept the truth of the Islamic message, despite his being certain of it, because the Prophet preaching it belonged to the ‘Abd Manaf clan.

This is recounted in the story ofAbu Jahl, Abu Sufyan and al-Akhnas ibn Shariq who each went out individually, on three consecutive nights, to listen to the Qur’an being recited by the Prophet. Every morning, they met on their way back home and started blaming each other, pledging that they would never do this again, lest their actions encourage others to listen to the Qur’an. When al-Akhnas asked Abu Jahl what he thought of what he heard Muhammad reciting, the latter answered: “We have competed with the clan of (Abd Manaf for honours: they fed the poor, and we did the same; they provided generous support to those who needed it and we did the same. When we were together on the same level, like two racehorses running neck and neck, they said that one of their number was a Prophet receiving revelations from on high! When can we attain such an honour? By God, we shall never believe in him.”1

There were also other interests and psychological factors determined to uproot this new tree before it could firmly establish its roots and stretch forth its branches. Such efforts were particularly heightened once the new message had moved on from private and individual advocacy to the open, public stage, outlining the essential features of the new faith, Islam. The Qur’an spoke in clear terms, showing the absurdity of polytheism and its deviant concepts and traditions.

His position as a Prophet receiving revelations from on high notwithstanding, Muhammad was a man who experienced normal human feelings. He was at the receiving end of such determined opposition that culminated in an all out fight against him, his message and the small band of his followers. He and his Companions could not help but hear the false allegations the unbelievers levelled at him. “ They say, ‘He is surely mad. (Verse 51) This was but one of the many types of ridicule they levelled on him, as is reported in the Qur’an. Such ridicule, added to the abuse and persecution many of his followers suffered at the hands of their own relatives and clansmen, pained Muhammad, God’s Messenger, greatly.

We see in Makkan surahs how God bestows His abundant care on His Messenger and this small group of followers, consoling and commending him and those who accepted his message. In this respect, God gives prominence to the moral aspect embodied in the Islamic message and its bearer, Muhammad (peace be upon him). He refutes what the unbelievers alleged about him. He reassures the persecuted believers that He is on their side, so they do not have to think about their enemies, powerful and wealthy as they may seem.

We find in this surah many examples of how God comforts and reassures the Prophet: “Nun. By the pen, by all they write, you are not, by your Lord's grace, a madman. And indeed you shall have a never-ending reward. Most certainly, yours is a sublime character." (Verses 1—4) He also says of the believers: “For the God-fearing there shall be gardens of bliss with their Lord. Should We treat those who submit themselves to Us as We treat the guilty? What is the matter with you? On what basis do you judge?" (Verses 34-36) Of one of the Prophet s more prominent enemies, God says: “Pay no heed to any contemptible swearer, slanderer, going about with defaming tales, hinderer of good, aggressor, sinful, cruel and, on top of all that, given to evil. Just because he has wealth and children, when Our revelations are recited to him, he says, Fables of the ancients!' We shall brand him on the snout." (Verses 10-16) The Almighty then speaks about the war against those who deny the truth generally: “ Therefore, leave to Me those who deny this revelation. We shall bring them low, step by step, in ways beyond their knowledge. I will allow them more time: My scheme is truly firm." (Verses 44-^45) This is different from the punishment of the hereafter when the arrogant will be humiliated: “On the day when matters become so dire, they will be asked to prostrate themselves, but they will not be able to do so. Their eyes will be downcast, with ignominy overwhelming them. They were invited to prostrate themselves when they were safe." (Verses 42-43)

The surah cites the example of those people who had a garden, but were too greedy. This serves as a warning directed against the elders of the Quraysh who, feeling powerful on account of their wealth and families, schemed against the new message, trying to bring it down. At the end, the surah enjoins the Prophet to remain steadfast in adversity:

“So, await in patience your Lord's judgement; and do not be like the man in the whale..(Verse 48)

Through such comforting, praise and reassurance, coupled with fearsome warnings and an uncompromising attack on the unbelievers, God Himself takes up the fight. We can discern the features of that period when the believers were few, weak, suffering persecution and hardship and facing a determined effort to uproot the tree of their new faith. In the surah's style, the words it uses and in its themes we identify certain features of the environment in which the new message functioned.

Essentially, it was characterized by naive concepts, petty concerns, and the lack of any profound thinking.

Such naivety is seen in the unbelievers’ crude methods to counter the Prophets message. They describe him as a madman, but this is an allegation that lacks even elementary tact. It is crude abuse levelled by uncouth, unrefined and ill-mannered people.

Their naivety is brought into focus by the way God refutes their false allegations. First of all, the line it takes is the most suited to their own conditions: “You are not, by your Lord's grace, a madman. And indeed you shall have a never-ending reward. Most certainly, yours is a sublime character. You shall before long see, as they will see, which of you is the one afflicted." (Verses 2-6) Secondly, the surah adds a clear warning: “So pay no heed to those who deny the truth. They would love that you compromise with them, so that they will also compromise? (Verses 8-9) Thirdly, the refutation turns their abusive words against one of their own number:

“Furthermore, pay no heed to any contemptible swearer, slanderer, going about with defaming tales, hinderer of good, aggressor, sinful, cruel and, on top of all that, given to evil? (Verses 10-13) Fourthly, the focus increases as the surah tells the story of those owners of a garden who lacked all refinement despite their wealth. In their arrogance, they whisper to each other that they will make sure that no poor people will be allowed into their garden to disrupt their harvest.

Furthermore, the unbelievers’ naivety is clearly shown in the argument put to them: “Or have you a divine book which you study, and in which you find that you shall have all that you choose? Or have you received solemn oaths, binding on Us till the Day of Resurrection, that you will get whatever you yourselves decide? Ask them which of them will vouch for this? (Verses 37-40)

We see all these features through the expressions used in the surah.

They are of benefit in our study of the events that took place during the Prophet’s lifetime and as we follow the progress of the Islamic message.

They explain how the Qur’an elevated that social environment and the Muslim community towards the end of the Prophet’s mission, and how far removed from such crudeness and naivety the Muslim community became. To appreciate the wide gulf between the two situations we only need to study the mode of address the Qur’an adopts in speaking to the Muslim community at the time. We need also to look at the changes in the situation of that Muslim community, its concerns, feelings and attitudes brought about within no more than 20 years, a period that is no more than a glance in the life of nations. Such a change in the social fabric of the community was both profound and firmly established, yet accomplished in such a short time. It enabled that community to assume mankind’s leadership, attaining at the same time a sublime standard of morality that no other human leadership has ever attained.

It was a unique standard in the very nature of the faith it preached, its practical effects on human life, its broad outlook that views all mankind with love and compassion, and its meeting all the community’s needs:

emotional, intellectual and social.

All in all, the progress so achieved was miraculous, elevating the community from such naivety to a high standard of refinement and broadness of vision. It was such an enormous transformation that entailed much more than a minority becoming the majority, or the weak becoming strong. Building character and imparting depth to a people’s way of thinking are far more difficult than just increasing numbers and marshalling armies.